Discover Primary Science (DPSM)
Educational, stimulating and fun school tours at our approved Primary Science (DPSM) centre in the Wicklow Mountains.
Kippure Estate’s Education Centre is proud to have been awarded the status of Primary Science Centre. This means that attending one of our Discover Primary Science days will help you gain credits towards an Award of Science Excellence.
And this is only one great reason to choose us as hosts for your event. We provide a range of fun, stimulating school tours in the beautiful surroundings of the Wicklow Mountains National Park, all of which are led by fully qualified instructors who are genuinely passionate about what they do.
Science and maths are brought to life on our activity days. Students have the opportunity to explore how biology, chemistry and physics relate to the modern world through fun, simple experiments.
Our days are themed to add a fun dimension, including a Pirate Training Programme which will see your group of swashbucklers foraging for food, learning basic first aid and swinging from ropes as they learn some basic survival skills and seafaring knowledge. We also offer a Celtic Warrior Training Day which teaches experientially how people took care of themselves many years ago in Ireland before the evolution of the modern world.
All of the activities are designed to develop key scientific skills such as critical thinking, questioning, observing, analysing, designing and making, predicting and evaluating while exploring new territory, uncovering what animals live here, what plants grow here, and how could they survive here.
Strand: Environmental Awareness and Care
Strand Units: Caring for the Environment, Environmental Awareness
Skills: Planning, Analysing and Making
We offer a choice of two experiments for teachers to choose from – Bottle Rocket (pirates) Build a mini raft (Celtic Warriors).
All of the above is relevant to other strand units, e.g. Force, properties and characteristics of materials; or Plants and animals, Science and environment.
For the Treasure Hunt the strand units of the local natural environment, land, rivers and seas of my county, Rocks and soils, Weather, climate and atmosphere are part of the Natural Environment strand of the geography syllabus.
Option 1
Fun (and Educational) Pirate Training for School Tours
Ahoy there! Pirates may mean trouble – but they do have some pretty amazing skills which have been passed down the generations.
Bring your class on a unique school tour with a difference where they will learn vital map reading and orienteering skills that will lead them to buried treasures, learn which plants can help them when they’re sick, what they can eat, how to blend into their environment and how to improve their senses to deal with any unexpected threats.
During the Pirate Training School Tour, students will participate in a selection of the following activities:
- Treasure Hunt
- Pirate First Aid
- Edible Plant and Insect Identification
Option 2
Celtic Warrior Training
Back in ancient times, Celtic warriors were tested in spirit, strength and intellect. Your students will have great fun undergoing these same challenges in a beautiful setting as part of this unique primary school tour called “Celtic Warrior Training”.
Your students will participate in three activities during the quest:
- Treasure Hunt– the most essential of all warrior skills! Students will follow the clues and learn orienteering skills as they seek out the location of the treasure and complete the Kippure Warrior Challenge.
- Wilderness Survival Skills– Your trainee warriors will learn to determine what foods they can eat to survive, and Celtic first aid.
- Creative skills are tested too as they learn to build a boat and race it down the river.