The bear necessities

Elder bushes in flower, clumps of nettles, wild, wiry, pink valeria - and, yes, even cow pats. These are the textures and smells that belong to the countryside but are, in these manicured times, often the hardest to find. Not so at Sonairte, the National Ecology Centre of Ireland, in Laytown, Co Meath.

Groups of schoolchildren are busy collecting miniature samples of nature under the wide, sheltering sky to bring home and press into dried arrangements. Others are playing a fun water game in the old walled garden - holey buckets illustrating the varying needs of plants and animals for replenishing water stocks.

Yet another group is getting a practical lesson in photosynthesis. One team acts as the molecule messengers, rushing to provide CO2 and H2O to the other team huddled in a huge, leaf-shaped den. The younger children are playing a game which involves some of them dressing up as teddies while the others nourish them by providing shelter, water, air and food. Another group is exploring nature's wonders through their third eye: an eye-shaped mirror placed above the nose, which gives them a wonderful view up into the trees and the sky.

The creativity of the activities which form the Earth Caretakers (for groups of 10 to 12-year-olds) and Teddy Bear's Picnic (for groups of four to seven-year-olds) programmes at Sonairte is as striking as the good time the children seem to be having. And all around are the physical reminders of nature left to its own devices, or channelled into organic activity and renewable energy sources.

"Some of the children who come here wouldn't know that potatoes come from the ground or that gooseberries grow on bushes," says Orna McCarthy, one of the Sonairte guides. "While they are here, we show them all kinds of things, like how a strawberry grows out of the centre of the flower on strawberry plants."

Aside from the rambling nature trails through seven acres of farmland along the river Nanny, there is a thriving organic garden (check out the touchy-feely herb garden), a renewable energy courtyard (try telling the time on the human solar clock) and a wonderful adventure playground to explore. New this year is another courtyard with elemental sculptures and a larger Ecoshop.

Sonairte (which means positive strength in middle Irish) began 10 years ago when a local farmer, Luk van Dorslaer, leased a part of his lands and some ruined outhouses to a group of Green Party enthusiasts which included Trevor Sargent. Originally modelled on the Centre for Alternative Technologies in Wales, Sonairte has, over the years, focused more on organic and conservation activities than alternative energy technologies.

Visitors can wander at their leisure or take part in two or three-hour tours. The aforementioned children's programmes are for groups of 15 or so, but the option of getting a few families together can be considered. However, advance booking is essential for group tours.

Sonairte, the National Ecology Centre, The Ninch, Laytown (turn right in Julianstown on the N1 before reaching Drogheda), Co Meath. Opening hours: Monday to Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission: adults £2.50, children 50p, families £6. Tel: 041-9827572.