Birds

Birds are fascinating creatures. They can fly! (Well most of them). And they can do it without the aid of any manufactured apparatus! Big birds, small birds, fat and fluffy birds, birds with big long beaks, and ones with big long legs, the variety is vast and can be a bit of a challenge to get to know. But one of the greatest thing about birds is that each one has his / her own character. They're all individuals and watching a bunch of them for half an hour on your bird table in the back garden will confirm that and endear them to you. The cocky cock Robin, the gentle Collared Doves, the cheeky Sparrow and the gangster-like Magpie will fill your imagination and encourage you not only to find out more about them but also to imagine what they're saying, doing, thinking when they're not at your table. And do you know what? Storytellers have been doing it for years. The personification of Birds and Animals have been the stuff of legends, folklore, stories, poems and rhymes since time began. In this programme we explore just one such story and with a little licence, and help from the children, make a whole new one of our own.

The Bird programme aims to:
> Encourage children and young people to recognise the character of birds.
> To learn to identify a variety of species and explore, with the use of a murder mystery story, threats to them and ways to support them.

It sets out to:
> Aid participants to understand that there are a variety of species of birds.
> Aid participants to identify and classify birds.
> Help them understand biodiversity and the place birds hold in Woodland lifecycles.
> Have fun with a variety of field craft disciplines (creeping and stalking, observation, identification and classification, measuring and recording.)

The programme includes:
> Tutor input
> Reflection time
> Games and fun activities
> Multi-media presentations
> Woodland exploration
> Worksheets and booklets
> Arts and Crafts

Supported by the RSPB.

Written by Alyn Jones (Alliance Youth Works) and Carla Armstrong

Broney's Picnic

If you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise because the resident bear, Broney is a clever and cheeky so and so. Left in charge of all the bears and the picnic lunches brought by the visiting boys and girls, Broney has a bad habit of taking them all for a wander around the forest, without an adult! The children with their adults in tow must then follow the paw prints left around the forest to catch the renegade teddies. Along the way the kids will find a multitude of interesting facts about the local Mourne biodiversity at Kilbroney and take part in a range of activities in the forest.

It sets out to:
> Help younger children understand that a forest is a wonderful and awesome place.
> Help them understand the connectedness of the flora and fauna of the forest.
> Have fun with a variety of activities that will encourage observation and identification.
> Encourage a responsible attitude towards wildlife and the environment.

The programme includes:
> Tutor input
> Reflection time
> Games and fun activities
> Multi-media presentations
> Worksheets and booklets
> Arts and Crafts

Written by Alyn Jones (Alliance Youth Works) based on the programme by Bishopswood England.

Dippin'

In C.S. Lewis' book the Magicians Nephew, the protagonist Digory Kirke stands gazing into little pools of water and is suddenly aware that each pond is a doorway . Diving in, he is immediately transported to another world. There is some truth in this story because the stretched, tense surface of water molecules is the border between our oxygen filled world and their watery underworld. Who are they? What is their world like? How do they live? Discover aims to answer these questions.

The Dippin' programme aims to:
> Encourage children and young people dive into another world.
> To discover that there is a world of goodies and baddies and a battle for survival happening silently, and so often without us even observing it.

It sets out to:
> Help participants understand that a pond is a web of interlinking flora and fauna. Allies and Enemies > All creatures and plants in the pond depend on water for their survival and could not exist without it. > Expose participants to a variety of flora and fauna, help them identify them again in the future, and widen their knowledge and understanding about them. > Have fun with a variety of activities that will encourage observation, identification and classification, measuring and recording. > Encourage a responsible attitude towards wildlife and the environment.

The programme includes:
> Tutor input
> Reflection time
> Games and fun activities
> Multi-media presentations
> Pond-dipping and exploration
> Worksheets and booklets
> Arts and Crafts

Written by Alyn Jones (Alliance Youth Works)

Explore

The first thing to realise before entering any forest or wood is that it isn't just a bunch of trees - a barrier to get through - or something to walk round while you contemplate other things; this is a living, breathing, moving, shifting, community of flora and fauna that is constantly growing and dieing, feeding and decaying. There is order, there is beauty, there are secrets and there is routine- life here ebbs and flows as much as any great tide, there is a cycle to nature and it is best displayed in our woods. So, take a little more care and a little more time with this programme and explore this high-rise wonder.

The Explore programme aims to:
> Encourage children and young people to see wood in spite of the trees!
> To recognise that all the elements of woodland life are interconnected like a giant jigsaw and that by removing any piece spoils the jigsaw and renders it incomplete.

It sets out to:
> Help participants understand that a wood is a community of flora and fauna.
> Help participants understand that trees are central to life in the forest and in our world. > Expose participants to a variety of flora and fauna, help them identify them again in the future, and widen their knowledge and understanding about them. > Have fun with a variety of field craft disciplines (creeping and stalking, observation, identification and classification, measuring and recording.)

The programme includes:
> Tutor input
> Reflection time
> Games and fun activities
> Multi-media presentations
> Woodland forage and exploration (Nature Detective Activities)
> Worksheets and booklets
> Arts and Crafts
> Seasonally tree planting

Supported by the Woodland Trust and Nature Detectives.

Written by Alyn Jones (Alliance Youth Works)

Jigsaw

Jigsaw is a residential programme that fits together the essential pieces of biodiversity. Years six and seven often stay at the Kilbroney Centre and it is possible to complete the first level of the John Muir's award while they are there, although this is not neccessary. Jigsaw amalgamates a number of our different programmes.

We can help you formulate your programme and can include survival style activities such as:
> Campfires
> Night walks
> Den building
> Sleeping under the stars

Your students will leave having had the experience of a lifetime in a magical and memorable setting.

Mammals

The aim of this programme is to explore mammals locally and globally, their habitat and human impact on them. The programme explores the place that mammals hold in biodiversity, the interdependance of mammals and their habitat and explores man's impact, both positive and negative, on these creatures and their surroundings.

Minibeast Safari

The topic of bugs usually separates the men from the mice. There are one of two reactions - Aaaaaaaargh or Oooooh. They either freak you out or they intrigue you. But they are a complex group of animal and essential to life here on the planet. Bugs and mini-beasts are the most amazing creatures. Creepy crawlies, weird creatures, are in every nook and cranny of the forest, we rarely see them. Their daily lives are complex and their work essential to the smooth running of the forest and indeed the world. Come and hunt down some of these amazing creatures in their world. Work out which ones are related, their place and role in the forest.

It sets out to:
> Explore a forest as a habitat for millions of creatures that are highly interesting and often invisible.
> Have fun with a variety of activities that will encourage observation, identification and classification, surveying and recording.
> Encourage a responsible attitude towards wildlife and the environment.

The programme includes:
> Tutor input
> Bug hunt in the forest
> Games and fun activities
> Multi-media presentations
> Pond-dipping and exploration
> Worksheets and booklets
> Arts and Crafts

Written by Alyn Jones (Alliance Youth Works)

Sense

A programme which encourages kids to use their senses to explore the great outdoors.

Written by Alyn Jones (Alliance Youth Works)

Together

An E.M.U. programme of activities in the forest that encourages participants to work together and celebrate difference.

Written by Alyn Jones (Alliance Youth Works)

Vikings

Arriving on our shores over a thousand years ago, the Vikings have been on the receiving end of some bad press over the years. Seen by many as race of raiders and warriors, the Vikings were also master sailors and ship builders, reaching America long before Columbus; traders who travelled far and wide throughout Europe, Asia and Africa, buying and selling furs, silks, spices and wine to name a few. We have the Vikings to thank for the growth of towns like Dublin, and their influences can be seen all around us today in the forms of place names, words and even the names of the days of the week.

The Vikings programme aims to:
> Encourage children and young people to discover more about the Viking way of life over a thousand years ago, through the use of replicas and role plays.
> To learn about life in a Viking town, traders, warriors, and their beliefs and culture, and explore how they still influence our lives today.

It sets out to:
> Aid participants to understand the Viking way of life in Scandinavia with the aid of a variety of replica objects and costumes.
> Find out how and why the Vikings travelled, whether to trade or raid.
> Explore the influence of the Vikings on the wider world, and our world today.

The programme includes:
> Tutor input
> Hands on investigation with replica objects and costumes
> Role plays
> Worksheets and booklets
> Viking crafts - Viking pendant
> Viking activities - hnefatafal, weaving, trading game etc.

Written by Joanne Cummins (Alliance Youth Works)

Where RU?

An Orienteering programme that explores mapping, coordinates, maps, compasses and cross country travel.

Written by Alyn Jones (Alliance Youth Works)