The outdoor classroom at Griston Bog outside Ballylanders, Co Limerick has the potential to attract up to 10,000 primary school students a year. This is according to Fergal Somers of Ballyhoura Failte, who told The Avondhu that there are 80 national schools in the catchment area, and half of those have already visited the bog, which is one of 30 Discovery Science and Maths Centres in the country.

Studying about the exciting outdoors while sitting at a desk reading it from a book can sometimes take the joy out of learning, but when children visit Griston Bog, they are whisked away into a magical world of newts, lizards, frogs, science fun and games and often don't realise how educational the trip is, because it is so much fun.

"The idea from the start was to make it fun, educational, participative and family centred. Schools can also come here for the four seasons and we would encourage schools to visit once a season to see how everything changes. Then for the teachers, the interactive website gives them all of the teaching tools they need to fit what the bog has into the curriculum and the lesson can be self guided by them," Fergal said.

The land where the bog is, is owned by the Ballylanders Gun Club and it is being leased to Ballyhoura on a long term lease for ten years, with a view to extending this when the time comes.

As the children go through the bog on the boardwalks, they are guided through the bog and the delights it holds with interpretive boards and information panels - while some of these are currently temporary, more permanent signage is being worked on at the moment.

The whole area was developed with national school children in mind, but over the last year, interest has grown with many families, active retirement and special interest groups, coming along to avail of this fantastic free amenity right on their doorstep.

Fergal said that while the bog is free to visit, they will be working with the businesses in the local community to see if maps, tools and books to tie in with the bog could be provided, so that there would be an economic spin off for Ballylanders.

UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT

The bog itself is very compact and safe and with boardwalks leading into each area, it is a very secure area for children. It is also suitable for all types of weather, as there are different roofed cabins with look-out points, so that the students can look out onto the bog and spot different species of wildlife. Some of the things which can be spotted at Griston Bog include the blue emperor dragonfly, butterflies, hen harrier, barn owl, frogs, lizards and newts.

The area is also very interactive, as they can do things such as learn about rainwater harvesting, how to measure the depth of the bog, identify different species, and also do puzzles and games to make it even more fun.

"There isn't anything like this anywhere in Ireland, this is really unique. It educates children in a fun way and the boardwalks give universal access and the students can feel things as they walk along, so there is a strong sensory element," Fergal explained.

The bog has also had a lot of interest from The Irish Peatland and Conservation Council, while there have been visitors from America, and the Canadian Ambassador also paid a visit.

Later this month, the centre will also play host to the other Discovery Science and Maths Centres in Ireland, as there will be a networking event held there to help the centres to promote each other. 

blog comments powered by Disqus