Ireland's No. 1 FREE magazines for parents & teachers of primary school children
Ireland's No. 1 FREE magazines for parents & teachers of primary school children
There’s nothing like the fun of a day out together for the class by train, and Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail love welcoming school kids on board with extra special prices for a school class! For some kids, it will be the first time they have taken the train which adds to the excitement. You might get to see a Fat (or Thin!) Controller in the station, before you get on board. Everyone gets to sit together in the same carriage, and then the train driver sounds the horn and pulls out of the station.
See the towns and countryside whizz past the window at speed. There are lots of things to watch out for, or your teacher might have some great activities for you to do during the journey. You can get some food on the train or bring your own. Then, wherever you are going around the country, there are so many fun things to do and see. They can offer discounts to Ireland’s top attractions - like Dublin Zoo, Titanic Belfast, Croke Park Museum, Viking Splash and Bunratty Castle - and there are excellent rates on bus transfers if required.
You never run out of places to visit by train: there are more than 140 stations in Ireland all over the country, and there might be one near your school. Teachers and parents can call to arrange your next school trip by train on (01) 806 0550, by email schooltours@irishrail.ie or www.irishrail.ie
Visit Belvedere House Gardens & Park, a magnificent parkland estate on the shores of Lough Ennel near Mullingar for your school tour. Stroll & Bowl package includes visit to the estate and then enjoy 2 hours of bowling and indoor play areas in nearby Rock ‘n’ Bowl in Mullingar for only €9 per child (Bookings through Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Tel: 044-9333300 Web: www.rocknbowl.ie.) For full calendar of events at Belvedere House check www.belvedere-house.ie.
The Park is offering its best ever package for schools in 2013 – the great mix of play and education remains with extensive new additions:
· Meet a holographic new stone age farmer and 1798 rebel.
· Visit the monk hard at work in his scriptorium.
· Enter the home of a family during the famine.
· New biodiversity walk through the peatlands exploring its history, flora and fauna.
Educational, Fun & Hassle Free - all the above and much more are explored on highly educational guided tours through the Park’s woodland/peatland trails, gardens and numerous historic exhibitions, with many aspects closely linked to SESE curriculum. There’s also a pet farm containing Fallabella horses, alpacas, donkeys, rabbits, goats, calves, sheep and Bali ducks, pot bellied pigs and more goats!
To burn off lots of energy, there’s the “funky forest” indoor play centre with giant slide and ball pools, air hockey, fuzball, cable run and pirate ship. There’s also a crazy golf course, large quality outdoor playground, football pitch, and train trip. The park is located only 30 miles west of Dublin and is a “one-stop-shop” for all your school tour needs!
Average visit 3-4 hours with hot food option or packed lunches can be eaten in Café. Free tea/coffee and freshly baked scone for all teachers. Price €12 per child. Please book early as June dates can book out. Lullymore is also a popular venue for Discover Primary Science tours with workbooks for each pupil and teachers notes - option of play in Funky Forest. Discover Science tours available up to 18th May 2013 and then anytime from Sept to Dec 2013. Phone Ray on 045 – 870238 or e-mail ray@lullymoreheritagepark.com for information and bookings. www.lullymoreheritagepark.com
Irish National Stud Visitor Attraction is one of the top visitor attractions in Ireland open 7 days a week from Feb to Nov. New school tour for 2013 - 4 in 1 School Outing for classes 3rd to 6th (2 classes per day) includes visits to the Horse Museum, National Stud, Japanese Gardens & St. Fiachra’s Garden. This year they have developed an interactive SESE Discovery trail with discover primary science activities designed by Paddy Madden.
This new trail will be available from 1st March, operating on Wednesdays with guide Michael Jacob. Min 30 children per tour. Bookings at reservations@instourism.net or 045 521617. Facilities include Children’s playground, Picnic area, Free Car/Coach Park, Gift shop & restaurant. Tel: 045 521617 www.irish-national-stud.ie
Tricky Tricksters Magic Castle is ticking all the boxes for your 2013 school tour. Book any tour for your school & each teacher will receive a special teacher treat on the day. Tel: 045 409192 for details. Web www.magiccastle.ie Tricky Tricksters cater for all ages from pre-school to 12 years. Stand out features include bumpy boats, sumo, body zorbing & super laser storm laser tag arena. The super sized soft play structure is certain to test your fitness on the astra slides, aerial runways, monkey rings & climbing frames. Book for 70 or more kids & get a free magic show when you spend €11 or more per child! Primary Times Best Party venue award winner 2012 for Leinster. Will Tricky Tricksters Magic Castle get your vote for Best Tour venue for 2013? Newhall, Naas Co Kildare. Tel: 045 409192 for details. Web www.magiccastle.ie
Straffan Butterfly Farm has been in business for over 25 years. The indoor all weather centre has a large exhibition area of butterfly collections from all over the world with a special emphasis on educational and living displays including creepy crawlies like Tarantulas, Scorpions, Stick Insects and Reptiles, all of which are safely behind glass. In the tropical butterfly house, relax among colourful blooms and exotic plants while butterflies fly and feed around you. Straffan, Co Kildare. Open June- August. Groups please book in advance on (01) 6271109. www.straffanbutterflyfarm.com
The Chocolate Warehouse offers a fun and educational school tour covering curriculum topics from science to history, geography as well as stimulating the senses. The two hour school tour covers a film explaining how the cocoa beans are grown, harvested and their journey to the factory. The real fun part is the “hands on” session. The students put on aprons and try coating chocolates, adding toppings and hand piping with white chocolate. All students get to decorate and package the chocolate to take home. At the end of the event they have a short quiz and every student receives The Chocolate Warehouse certificate. Cost €12.50 per student. From 16th April 2013. Group bookings from 1 - 70 students with ample free parking for cars and buses. Suitable for 6+The Chocolate Warehouse, Greenhills rd Walkinstown D12. Call 01 4500080 or www.chocolatewarehouse.ie
No matter what the occasion whether it is a school trip, a school outing or transport to cheer on your school team, Bus Éireann Private Hire is on hand with a friendly and professional service for hiring buses or coaches to any event. With over 25 years experience, Bus Éireann offers customers a courteous and professional service from their highly qualified drivers. Awarded the ISO 9001 for quality, the Private Hire department in Bus Éireann can provide coach and bus hire to cater for any size group from their own fleet of modern coaches or from an approved panel of contractors who also have a selection of different size buses available with all buses fitted with safety belts as standard.
Each quote is dealt with individually and tailored to suit your particular requirements. Call 9am-5pm Monday-Friday on (01) 7032420 or email: privatehire@buseireann.ie.
Nore Valley Park is the place to be for fun and educational School Tours and Family days out. Hands on interaction with the animals and tour the farm by tractor and trailer. The children’s playground, straw bounce and sand pit keeps the younger groups well entertained whilst older children can play a round of crazy golf, race the pedal go-carts on the track and have a challenge by working their way through the indoor 3D maze. You can order hot food (Pre-booked) or bring your own picnic. There is a tearoom on site with fresh baked treats daily. For older children wanting an action programme, ask about the “Team Building Activities”, minimum of 20 children and recommended age 10 years upwards. Open Easter – End of September. Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny. 056 7727229. www.norevalleypark.com Or find them on Facebook
2013 is a very exciting year for Zipit Forest Adventures as they bring their adrenaline pumping, high wire adventure course to Tibradden Wood, Dublin 16. This fabulous pine forest is a wonderful natural attraction adjacent to Dublin city and this new course will have 75 activities and over 165 metres of ziplines for you to enjoy.
Zipit has catered for many school tours since 2011 at their other site in Lough Key, and offer a great opportunity for children to enjoy an exhilarating and challenging outdoor activity in a natural setting, building confidence, teamwork and self-esteem. The children feel a great sense of achievement overcoming each element as the circuit becomes progressively more challenging. Cost per child is from €13.50 and supervising teachers go free.
There are 3 circuits (Green, Orange & White) for different heights, ages and abilities. Suitable for children age 7 onwards (must be at least 1m in height). The Blue Circuit for age 12+, a firm favourite amongst the older children for memorable 6th Class tours, is 10 - 15 metres above the ground. This circuit has the longest zipline at 130 metres and an additional 5 ziplines of various lengths to enjoy.
The children complete an initiation course and work to their own ability with instructors always close by to help out. All instructors are fully qualified and the course is inspected and approved. Contact 051 858008 info@zipit.ie or on Facebook or twitter.
Glendeer Pet Farm located just west of Athlone town, off the M6, has everything needed for a perfect school tour day out. The 2 hour visit includes one hour guided tour of the farm where children will get to feed, pet & even hold some of the animals. There are over 50 species of animals including deer, pigs, llamas, alpache, emu, ostrich, goats, donkeys, sheep, jersey cow, a variety of domestic & exotic birds & new arrivals including the two cheeky monkeys, wallabies, tortoise & Rio the macaw parrot. Then the children can play on the slide, swings, seesaws & the glider swing, or in the popular indoor Skywalk play area. Children can also bring a packed lunch & avail of the picnic areas, while teachers can enjoy the café. Special rates €7 available for groups of 20 or more (or only €6 in May). Open from 16th March - end Sept 2013; Mon to Sat: 11am – 6pm & Sun: 12pm – 6pm. For more info visit www.glendeer.com or contact: 090 6437147, info@glendeer.com
The National Aquatic Centre celebrates its 10th Anniversary in 2013 - 10 great years of making children happy in it’s thrilling waters! AquaZone, Ireland’s largest Indoor Water Park, is one of the most popular attraction for School tours in Ireland. AquaZone is looking forward to welcoming schools back for their School Tour in 2013 after a record breaking year in 2012 with over 820,000 visitors, making it one of Irelands most popular attractions.
Featuring lots of rides (Master Blaster, Dark Hole, Flow Rider to name a few), slides, splash pools and a huge wave machine, plus a lazy river and a decking area if you need a rest. An ideal destination for a School Trip, offering Special Group rates, a pre-reserved bookings system, huge bus parking facilities, full accessibility facilities, a new restaurants (with a new special package) & a picnic area. Also, as part of entrance fee, children can also swim in Ireland’s National Swimming Pool. Tel 01 6464300. Email sales@nac.ie or www.nac.ie
The Playbarn holds the biggest playframe in Leinster with 3 age defined playframes for 0-12 yrs which include an extreme maze of tunnels, spiral slides and obstacle courses, soft balls, soccer pitch, disco room, climbing nets, ropes bridges and much more. This year ALL School Tour children at the Playbarn receive a 10% Discount when they book their party at the venue. The Playbarn is a perfect venue for School Tours with cafeteria at the centre of the action, ample car parking for buses and they can cater for large numbers. Close by to central locations such as Newbridge, Naas, Punchestown, Kill, Saggart, Rathcoole and Citywest Contact: Tel: 045 882670 Email: theplaybarn@eircom.net & Web: www.theplaybarn.com.
Special Offer package also available with Stonebrook Pet Farm, near Ballymore Eustace Co Kildare (€11 per child for BOTH venues). Hundreds of children and adults have enjoyed visiting the Pet Farm since it was opened in 2009 by the Ronaldson Family. The farm’s picturesque setting in the luscious pastures of the River Liffey valley is an ideal spot for a family day out and school tours as the children enjoy visiting the animals’ homes and feeding them. www.stonebrookpetfarm.com
Go Kids Go! offers great value school deals with activities for all age groups. Facilities include 3 levels of interactive play equipment - including slides, ball pools, rope climbs, hopscotch, indoor football/basketball pitch, ball cannon arena with targets and foam balls, disco room, full Café facility. The tour is 2.5 hours long and includes 90 minutes of play in the interactive adventure play frame, 30 minutes in the activity room with a leader and an organised activity, 30 minutes to eat their own packed lunch or lunch can be provided if required. Options available are 2.5 hour tours including play and activity €7.50 or a 2.5 hour tour including play, activity and food €10. Located only 5 minutes from the M50 at exit 6 in Blanchardstown. Tel: 01 640 5500 www.gokidsgo.ie
Lough Key – Enter a world of adventure and enjoy a landmark cluster of unique attractions. Take a tour through the 19th century servant tunnels on the Lough Key Experience, which includes the Moylurg Viewing Tower and Ireland’s only Tree Canopy Walkway. You can spend fun filled hours experiencing the quests in the energetic Boda Borg, a totally unique activity to Ireland, suitable for adults and children over 7 yrs. The Boda Borg is a weather independent activity divided into 15 Quests which contain up to 47 individual challenges. To survive the Quests you will need to employ many different skills such as teamwork, ingenuity and trial and error! There are also two new Boda Borg quests for 2013 – with 7 new challenges!
The outdoor Adventure Play Kingdom will keep children of all ages entertained for hours in a colourful and safe environment. Push some more boundaries at Zipit Forest adventures. Caravan and Camping Park opens Easter- Sept or moor your boat in the modern 40 berth marina. A perfect venue for School Tours, birthday parties and family outings. For more details call 071 9673122, email info@loughkey.ie – or log on to www.loughkey.ie
A visit to Tayto Park in Ashbourne Co. Meath is like no other school trip in Ireland! With over 100 attractions, including exotic wildlife, play areas, thrilling experiences, great food and tour of The Tayto Factory, it’s an unforgettable day for all ages!
It is the most unique school tour attraction with plenty of educational and physical activities for every age. This year there are loads of new exciting attractions like The Vortex Tunnel, A Giant Chess Board, The Extended Pow Wow Playground, The New Extreme Climbing Wall and The 10 Metre High Ropes Course.
School Packages: Full day
admission includes access to Tayto Park, a guided tour, a visit to The Tayto Factory Tour, activity worksheets after your visit and 2 packs of Tayto crisps for every single pupil. €10 per pupil, €12 includes Adventure Zone ticket and €15 per pupil includes lunch and Adventure Zone ticket. Tayto Park, Kilbrew, Ashbourne, Co. Meath. For more information contact 01-8351999 or email info@taytopark.ie www.TaytoPark.ie
10% discount on all packages in April and May
The Croke Park Stadium Tour allows your class group to experience the magic of a match day and follow in the footsteps of GAA legends. A class trip to Croke Park takes two hours and includes an exciting behind-the-scenes guided tour of the stadium, as well as a chance to explore the exhibits in the GAA Museum. Your class can also test their hurling and Gaelic football skills in the specially-designed interactive games area...see how fast they can react, test their soloing skills or practice the art of the high catch! Also visit the new Hall of Fame honouring legends from Hurling and Football. www.crokepark.ie/gaa-museum.
Etihad Skyline
Dublin’s newest attraction, the Etihad Skyline combines adventure, stunning views and extreme highs in an unforgettable tour. Enjoy panoramic views of Dublin and its key landmarks from the roof of the iconic Croke Park stadium. Visitors will ascent to a walkway 44 metres above the ground with five viewing platforms along Croke Park’s 0.6km rooftop walkway. All tours are accompanied by an experienced tour guide and multi-lingual audio which includes interviews and quirky anecdotes about the famous locations seen from the platforms. www.skylinecrokepark.ie
Visit the Butlers Chocolate Experience for the ultimate school tour! Students will watch the chocolate movie, learning about the origins and history of chocolate. They will complete activity sheets as they wander through the chocolate museum, then enjoy a guided tour of the Butlers Chocolates factory followed by the chocolate experience room where they see up close how chocolates are filled and decorated and finally the students will decorate their own chocolate novelty, which they get to take home as a treasured souvenir. The Butlers Chocolate Experience is just €13.50 per child caters for groups up to 50 children. Located just 5 mins from the M50/M1 junction near the airport and Malahide. Coach parking on site. Advance booking required. Tours run daily at 10.00, 12:00 and 15.30 (times subject to change) Monday to Friday. Tel. Clare on 01- 6710599, email experience@butlers.ie
Join Drogheda Leisure Park for your 2013 School Tour Day Out and Party at the Park. Open for School Tours, Mon–Fri during school term, ensuring that your school is looked after to the highest standard and catered for in enjoyable, fun and safe surroundings, with no interruption from the general public.
Enjoy activities ranging from Ten Pin Bowling, Indoor Astro Turf Pitches where Gaelic, Tag Rugby and Soccer can be enjoyed or have fun in Astro Tots, the Indoor Adventure zone. Also available is the use of the Indoor Bouncing Castles and state-of-the-art Disco Room. Drogheda Leisure Park has an activity and a price range to suit all schools and they can also provide hot food, or why not bring your own lunch and avail of the function room FREE of charge for bringing your own snacks. For School Tour and Party bookings Contact Aoife on 0419877707,email: info@droghedaleisure.ie www.droghedaleisure.ie
Leisureplex Blanchardstown offers an extensive range of School Tour packages to suit all ages. Choose from a range of activities including bowling and Quasar to create your perfect School Tour day. Bowl your way to the best tour ever with fantastic bowling lanes or battle it out in Quasar and see who the Top Gun is. Can’t decide on one activity? Leisureplex has it covered with a range of amazing packages which allows you to select any two activities to create the School Tour trip you want. Mid-week offers from €4 per child. Special Group rates Offers (Blanchardstown Only) include: one activity from €4 (Mon-Fri); two activities from €8 (Mon to Fri); Lunch-time kids meals €4.60 each (Burger, Sausages, Nuggets with Fries and Soft Drink) For more information on Leisureplex Blanchardstown group rates, special offers and to book a School Tour, visit www.leisureplex.ie.
Kippure Estate’s pioneering Adventure & Education Centre provides exciting opportunities for children and adults alike to explore at first hand the world around us. Adventure Days on high ropes, Nature-Adventure Days, and Discover Primary Science & Maths events for Primary Schools. The 240 acre private estate is set in a spectacular location in northwest county Wicklow, less than an hour from Dublin city centre. All programmes are appropriately designed to suit the different age groups to ensure they all have a day to remember, providing an idyllic environment for developing teamwork, communication and trust skills. Tel 01-458 3873/2889 or email eco@kippure.com www.outdooreducation.ie