School and Special Interest Group Visits to the Bog of Allen Nature Centre

'One of the top 10 Eco Projects in Ireland' - Lonely Planet 2008

Bogtastic!
Explore the wild boglands of Ireland. Experience life in a traditional kitchen with a turf fire. Follow a self guiding museum and exhibition tour to learn about all aspects of the wildlife and heritage of Irish bogs. Guides availble in six languages. Browse through our Nature Shop filled with environmentally friendly gifts and games.

Continue your tour outdoors in the wildlife gardens. Collect IPCC's top ten wildlife gardening tips along the way. Visit Flytraps, the live exhibition of insect eating plants. Finish your day in the bog by visiting a living bog nature reserve in the Bog of Allen.

Admission: Euro 5/person, No booking necessary

A Day on the Bog Educator Training Course
The centre offers a five hour training course for groups of 10 or more participants to prepare individuals for leading groups into a peatland study site with studenst. Full training in the use of IPCC's educational resources is given including:
*Discovering the Wild Boglands Video & Questionnaire
*Tracks and Signs: animals & birds of bogs identification, interdependence
*Field Key Construction & bog plant identification, adaptations
*Pond Dipping - Quantitative study of mini-beasts, food chains & webs
*Bog Formation, hydrological succession - model making
*Quadrat Study of wet and dry bog
*Belt transect study of plant zonation on the bog
*Sphagnum Moss - the bog builder
*Bog Earthwalk - multi-sensory exploration of the bog
*Conservation evaluation of a bog

Cost: Euro 105/Educator. Booking Essential

Note: Each year the IPCC also offers week long teacher training courses in partnership with EDucation Centres in different regions entitled "An INtroduction to Composting Nature Crafts and the Wild Boglands"

Secondary School Field Courses
Junior Certificate Science, Leaving Certificate Ecology and Geography field courses are catered for. A member of our team is avialable to discuss your requirements. All investigations are curriculum linked and include:
*Discovering the Wild Boglands Video & Questionnaire
*Animal Tracks and Signs
*Bog plant identification, adaptations to the bog environment
*Pond Dipping - Quantitative study of mini-beasts, food chains & webs
*Bog Formation - model making
*Quadrat Study of wet and dry bog habitats
*Belt transect study of plant zonation on bogs to include water tabel mesurements and Sphagnum and Heather mapping

Cost: Euro15/ student (5 hours) or Euro 12/studenst (4 hours). Booking Essential

Discover Primary Science & Maths
"Walk on Wtaer Ecology of Bogs" Discovering Primary Science Workshop. This programme links with the DPS Surface Tension and Bubbles activity sheet and extends it to a field study investigation of a bogland habitat. Includes four strands of activities investigating the ecology of bogs and finding out how it is possible to walk on water when you walk on a bog. Also available is a Creepy Crawlie Safari. For further details please visit our webpage Discover Primary Science and Maths Webpage

Cost: Euro 6.50/ Student. Booking Essential

Primary Science School Programme
This 3 hour programme for your students ensures they will combine active learning with fun. All groups have a guided tour of our peatland exhibition centre followed by a quiz. Group leaders choose two further activities from the following list:
Yes Bog of Allen Nature Centre Exhibitions
* Pond Dipping: mini-beasts, food chains & webs
* Woodland Invertebrates: Quest for woodland creepy crawlies
* Composting and wildlife gardening: audit and rotters search
* Multi-sensory Earth Walk: look, listen and learn
* Flytraps - Live Exhibition of insect eating plants
* Nature Crafts: working with natural objects
* Trasitional Irish Cottage - Ways of Old

or combine your two activities to Explore Lodge Bog

Cost: Euro 6.50/ student for. Booking Essential

Bogtastic Guided tours for Groups
International and Irish groups are always welcome to the centre. Booking in advance is essential to ensure a member of our team is available to guide on your visit. This two hour tour includes the peatland museum, nature centre gardens and Lodge Bog.

Cost: Euro 10/ adult or Euro 8/student. Booking Essential

Go Wild Nature Camps
Throughout the year we run day and week long camps for children aged 7-13 years. The camps are fully supervised by experienced tutors. Let your child experience the great outdoors by engaging in activities such as pond dipping, nature crafts, frog hunts, woodland creepy crawlie searches and much more. For upcoming camps visit our Nature Camps webpage

Cost: Day Camps: Euro 15, Week camps: Euro 50. Booking Essential

Special Events
Throughout the year we organise open days and special events for visitors and volunteers for the following: Heritage Week, National Spring Clean, International Bog Day and Composting Week. For further details visit our Upcoming Events Open Days webpage

How to find the Bog of Allen Nature Centre

From N4 Dublin via the Galway Road
Take the Maynooth/Naas/Straffan exit from the N4. At the roundabout take the R406 to Naas/Clane. Turn right at Barberstown Castle crossroads and follow the R403 to Clane. Continue on the R403 into the centre of Clane, turning off for Prosperous and Allenwood at the Corner Pub. Drive through Allenwood and take the R414 (Rathangan Road, left turn) which is approximately 1km from Allenwood over the Shee Bridge on the Grand Canal. The Bog of Allen Nature Centre is located 4km from this turn on the right hand side of the road.

From the South
Turn off the N7 in Monasterevin following the R414 to Rathangan. In Rathangan continue on the R414 (Allenwood road) to Lullymore. We are approximately 5km from Rathangan on the left hand side of the road after Lullymore Heritage Park.

Facilities at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre
* Picnic Area
* Educational packs to take away
* Enviro Shop of field studies equipment, resources & wildlife charts
* Professional Educational Staff
* Curriculum-inked field courses
* Audio-visual materials to view
* Field Studies equipment and resources
* Permanent Exhibitions to View
* Wide selection of worksheets and resources free for Bogs in the Classroom at www.ipcc.ie
* Art Gallery
* Open all year

Book Your Group Visit to the Bog of Allen Nature Centre
Please contact us directly by phone to make your booking on 045-860133

Bog of Allen Nature Centre
Irish Peatland Conservation Council,
Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare
Tel 045-860133 Fax 045-860148
e-mail: bogs@ipcc.ie
web-site: www.ipcc.ie

You can make your donation or check out the list of items and skills we are looking for towards the purchase and restoration of the centre - by going here

Supporters and Sponsors

Pictures of the Volunteers and the Project Centre

Irish Peatland Conservation Council Registered Charity Number CHY6829