Junior Infant Autumn Field Trip to Dromoland Estate

Autumn Field Trip

Our three Junior Infant classes visited Dromoland Estate on Monday, October 24th 2016.  The aim of the trip was to enable the children to become aware of and explore elements of their local environment.  Two buses took the pupils, their teachers and SNAs to Dromoland on a crisp, clear autumn morning.  See pictures in these galleries: Junior Autumn Explorers and More Field Trip Pics

The young naturalists and their adult guides began exploring with great enthusiasm.  They began a forest walk after being divided into pairs and provided with a collection bag.  Among the items they were tasked with collecting were:  leaves in a variety of autumn colours, seeds and fruits of various trees, any ferns, ivy or holly.

What the pupils did next

They saw, studied and discussed a variety of plants and their fruits.  They also did the same for a variety of trees that they encountered. The children used a magnifying glass to study their collection of leaves once they returned to school.  They also made some leaf rubbings to explore the texture of their collected items.  They were also tasked with recounting their trip orally and pictorially with a clear focus on when, who, why and what.  They also linked the usefulness of their senses in exploring the natural world around them – I saw, I smelt, I heard, I touched, I tasted.

The children were also give the opportunity to meet, observe, touch and learn about a barn owl from Dromoland School of Falconry.  St. Conaire’s wishes to thank Dromoland Estate for their support of this field trip.  Many thanks to the teachers and SNAs who made the whole trip possible.

The trip was all about learning.  Here are some examples of the curricular linkage and integration we hoped to achieve on this visit:

Science:  Living things;  plants and animals;  environmental awareness and care; caring for my locality; disposing of litter appropriately

Music:  the song “Autumn Leaves”

SPHE – Exploring using our senses

PE:  outdoor and adventure activities at O’Regan Park, Newmarket-on-Fergus

Maths:  Classifying, comparing and ordering autumn items

Literacy:  Recounting trip orally and pictorially

History:  sequence of the events of the trip through discussion and photographs