We are delighted to now be taking bookings for visits to schools through the Heritage in Schools scheme. Between February and June Ann or Annette can come to your school and guide you and your students through one of our fun-filled, interactive heritage workshop sessions. The scheme aims to raise awareness and to help children and their teachers appreciate their local heritage by engaging with it in a meaningful way. Place-based learning in the outdoor classroom is also encouraged.
Visits
are part-funded by the Heritage Council so the cost to the school for a
full day with a heritage specialist is only €100 (€60 for DEIS schools)
and half day visits are €60 (€40 for DEIS schools). If you book the
same specialist for 5 sessions the 5th visit is free for the school.
Contact us at creativeardagh@gmail.com to arrange a date in advance, then book your visit through the Heritage in Schools website.
Storytelling and Mythology
Scéalta Beo come in Celtic costume and have props and visual aids to
enhance their storytelling. Mythology and storytelling helped our
ancestors understand and deal with crisis, which makes them very
important tools in this era of climate change. We tell many of the
ancient stories of the Tuatha Dé Dannan our favourite being the local
legend of Midir and Etain. Midir was known as a judge and given the task
of restoring the balance which is very relevant to the times we live
in.
https://scealtabeo.blogspot.com/
Life in the Iron Age
Interactive practical activities, discussions and stories combine to
demonstrate what life was like in Iron Age/Early Medieval Ireland. The
session(s) can cover aspects of society and every day activities:
buildings, clothing, jewellery and metalwork, food, biodiversity, games
such as fidchell, weaving, foraging, natural dyeing, Brehon Laws
including the importance of trees, fire festivals and ogham script.
https://kingatthebackofthehill.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
Exploring your Townland
Discover all you need to research and explore your townland: delve into
its history, find out the meaning of its name and look at local built
and natural heritage close up. Using this as inspiration create your own
art or writing based on what you learn.
http://longfordtownlandsart.blogspot.com/
Biodiversity in the school garden
Whether you want to design a vegetable garden from scratch, develop
sensory areas, get guidance for the Biodiversity Green Flag or just look
closely at native trees, mini-beasts or animal habitats around your
school, Scéalta Beo can help you explore and creatively interact with
the outdoor learning environment, getting hands-on experience and
connecting with the living stories all around us.
www.heritageweek.ie/projects/restoring-the-balance;
http://ardaghtreefairies.blogspot.com