Primary Schools SESE Programme
Cloncannon Biofarm is an ideal location for engaging students in the Geography, Science and History curriculums. They will gain a great undersatanding of their place in time and space. The natural and built heritage features on the farm provide a resource for skills and knowledge development. The activities promote open, critical and responsible attitudes and contribute to the students active construction of their own understanding. The principles which underpin the organic food production system on the farm are a means for connecting students to ‘food’ and also to Nature. The education programme which can be tailored to the schools’ specific needs strives to promote care of the earth and a sustainable future for all species.
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Transition Year
Staff from Cloncannon Biofarm can visit the school as guest speaker on several of the units within the Transition Year programme, for example, Environmental Studies; Good Food; Food Matters and Sustainable Development. When Transition Year students visit the farm they have an opportunity for investigating, debating and critically assessing sustainable food production and broader global issues. The learning outcomes will centre on analysing cause and effect of an issue and questioning a need for behavioural change. Follow up class work can allow for the development of teamwork and communication skills.
Leaving Cert Vocational Programme.
The uniqueness of Cloncannon Biofarm as a centre which promotes working with Nature in producing food; offering environmental education programmes and Eco – tourism facilities establishes it as an enterprise for investigation under the Links Modules and within some of the Specialist Subject Groupings. Students can engage in a study of this enterprise, market research; its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats; and resources available.
Community Groups
There seems to be a greater interest in learning the skills of growing your own food or sourcing local and/or organic food. At Cloncannon Biofarm we share those skills of working with Nature in organic food production. The visiting community group can choose from a number of farm tours relating to the following themes:
(1) Organic food production.
(2) Connecting with Nature on the farm and sustainable living.
(3) Exploring the Heritage features on the farm.
People from various sectors of society have engaged in a fun outdoor learning experience during their farm tours in 2013. These groups included the New Futures farming group, North Tipperary Women in Farming group, Birdhill Tidy Towns Development Committee, Gortagarry Choir group, Moneygall/Cloughjordan Youth Development Group, Nenagh Community Allottment group, Macra na Feirme (young farmers), Roscrea Chamber of Commerce and also family groups. The Management at Cloncannon Biofarm is grateful for all this support and positive feedback. We will be striving to give an even higher quality service and fun engagement to our visitors in 2014.
