In 2011 Sonairte welcomed Dr. Sophie Nicol to the Sonairte staff as Education Co-ordinator. Sophie organises our primary and secondary schools programme and has a wealth of environmental, ecological and botanical experience. Interested teachers can contact Sophie at education@sonairte.ie or phone 041 9827572.

Our Nature & Heritage Trail includes a number of diverse habitats including woodland, grassland, upper and lower salt marsh which are ideal for teaching Junior and Leaving Certificate ecology courses. We also cater for Transition years with our ecology orienteering courses. For many groups our ecology orienteering activity has proved to be a popular option. It takes the form of a scavenger hunt during which time the participants (working in pairs or small teams) will accumulate points and the highest scoring team wins. At the end of the activity the importance of conservation and environmental education will be discussed.

For primary school groups, children are engaged in a fun day out where they get to experience nature up close and learn about all the fun plants and animals in Sonairte. They will get to investigate nature using mammal traps, pooters, nets and other equipment and explore the ecology of Sonairte through many fun activities such as scavenger hunts, treasure hunts, pond dipping, planting trees, making bird and bat boxes as well as lots of games. Over the years this day has grown in popularity with both teachers and children all over Leinster saying it is the best day out from the classroom!

It is an activity packed ‘hands on’ educational experience delivered by experienced staff in our beautiful 10 acre site which comprises A Nature & Heritage Trail, Organic Garden, Energy Courtyard, Information Centre, Eco-Shop and Café.

All the activities are linked to the SESE programme for primary schools. We offer a variety of fun and interactive tours for all ages, a day out that even the teachers will enjoy! All tours however, can be altered to suit school requirements.

We also offer ‘training the trainer’ courses for youth workers and teachers. These courses provide targeted information to suit the needs and the context of the individual participant. So if you wish to learn more about ecological science and field survey techniques, wish to start a school or community garden, or even bring simple gardening techniques into the classroom or youth centre, please contact us.