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About the camp
Join us for a week on Killiney Hill and White Rock Beach, where young people aged 10–15 are invited to explore a range of artforms — from drawing and painting to drama, sculpture, songwriting and storytelling — and discover and express who they are, in and inspired by nature.
This week long camp invites you to switch off the virtual world and awaken creativity inspired by nature. Led by an amazing team of artists and creators, you'll discover new skills and be inspired by ancient knowledge and wild landscapes.
What participants explore
✏️
Drawing & creative writing
Express ideas and imagination through mark-making and words.
🎭
Costume making & drama
Playful storytelling and performance to bring characters to life.
📖
Storytelling & craft
Bring your own worlds to life through narrative and making.
🌿
Nature-based sculpture
Hands-on skill-building using natural materials from the wild.
Your guides
Liz McMahon
Liz is a visual art facilitator and Forest School Leader.
She graduated in Fine Art from Limerick School of Art and Design, and in 2018 she completed the Forest School Leadership course.
She was Children’s Programme Co-ordinator at the Irish Museum of Modern Art from 1991- 2000.
She has been working with children in and out of school on creative long-term and short time programmes.
For the past 11 years has been facilitating nature based learning/Forest School on Killiney Hill with the students of Dalkey School Project.
Niamh Beirne
Niamh is a multidisciplinary artist with 15 years experience in creative facilitation, performance art and collaborative art.
She has trained in nature connection with Lucy O’Hagen (The Wild Awake).
She has presented work written, devised and produced work for prominent arts festivals including Dublin Fringe Festival, Mother Tongues Festival and Saint Patrick's Festival and has created and presented original work for young people at IMMA’s Eco Rising Festival, Festival of Curiosities and Super Paua Community Theatre.
Yuuki Blakeney
Yuuki is the founder of Sense of Wonder Forest School. With a background in science and environmental psychology, she has been facilitating meaningful connections between young people and the natural world since 2015.
She believes in offering young people the gift of time to wander and wonder in nature, and that nurturing their creativity will become ever more important in the era of AI and the digital world.
She is the co-author of Forest Fridays, weaving together stories of children's experiences in nature.
Most recently, she has been involved in the Sing Forest Project in the UK, writing songs inspired by nature and her own creative work in both English and Japanese.
🦗
Grasshopper jump
Jumps 20× its own length — the human equivalent of hopping over a 5-storey building.
🐝
Bee smell
50× more sensitive than a dog. Can detect flowers from 2 km away in the right conditions. that you want to share with your visitors.
🐜
Ant strength
Ant strength
Carries 10–50× its own body weight — like a human lifting a full-grown African elephant.