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I really liked your idea of using recycled materials in Aistear and construction activities. This is a great way for children to see that everyday items can be reused instead of thrown away. Planting flowers, herbs or vegetables is another valuable activity as it gives children hands-on experience and helps them understand where food comes from. It could also be linked with caring for pollinators by choosing bee-friendly plants. I agree that sustainability works best when it is part of everyday classroom routines.
Living in a coastal village, I see sustainability being practised in many ways in both the local community and our school. The coastline reminds us of the importance of protecting the environment and caring for our natural resources. Local groups regularly organise beach clean-ups and work to protect wildlife and biodiversity.
Our school places a strong focus on sustainability. Pupils have taken part in lessons on climate action, sustainable living and the impact of fast fashion. Through debating, they have explored topics linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including fair trade, cycling and climate change. Cycling lessons have encouraged children to use more environmentally friendly ways of travelling.
Biodiversity is also promoted in our school. Pupils help to grow vegetables in the polytunnel and use the produce in cooking activities. They have learned about the importance of bees and pollinators, planted wildflowers and helped create habitats for wildlife. Fruit trees have also been planted on the school grounds. The children have taken part in recycled art projects using materials collected from home and local businesses. They have also visited local conservation projects and learned about renewable energy from a local company. Solar panels installed at the school help pupils see how clean energy can be used in everyday life.
We also encourage reuse and reducing waste through a number of school initiatives. We hold uniform swaps, sports equipment swaps, Christmas jumper swaps and book swaps throughout the year. These help families save money while giving items a second life. The school also operates a bottle return scheme, which encourages recycling and helps raise funds for school projects. Sustainability can also be seen in local sports organisations. The local GAA club runs a hurley repair and replacement scheme where damaged hurleys can be repaired and old hurleys can be donated for others to use.
To explore sustainability further, I would encourage pupils to investigate biodiversity around the school, take part in environmental projects and examine ways to reduce waste and save energy. These real-life experiences help children understand that sustainability starts with small actions and that everyone can play a part in protecting the environment for the future.The floating fish farm lesson sounds like a great way to make STEM learning practical and engaging. Another idea could be to challenge pupils to test different materials for their fish farm and compare which design floats best while holding the most weight. This would encourage more investigation and problem-solving. I also think the videos are a useful starting point for discussions, helping children become more aware of aquaculture and its importance to communities around Ireland.
Before doing this module, I mostly thought of aquaculture as fish farming. The ARC lessons helped me see how important it is to Ireland, especially for jobs, local communities and the economy. They also showed me the wide range of careers linked to the marine sector.
I now teach in a coastal village where land farming is much more common than fishing. Because of this, I think these lessons would help my pupils learn about another important local industry. I found the BIM lessons very engaging and easy to follow. They are also easy to adapt for different age groups and include lots of hands-on activities that would keep children interested.
The lessons fit well with the STEM Education Policy because they encourage children to ask questions, investigate, work together and solve real-life problems. They also link naturally with other subjects such as Geography, Maths, History and Visual Arts, showing that STEM is not just about Science.
These resources could also support STEM as part of our School Self-Evaluation process. As a school, we could plan more hands-on STEM activities across different class levels and use pupil and teacher feedback to see what is working well and what could be improved. We could also organise a Marine Week, invite a speaker from the local area or take part in one of the ARC activities to help bring learning to life.
One thing that stood out to me was your point about starting conversations around seafood at home. Children are often more willing to try new foods when they have discussed them in school first. Sharing simple seafood recipes could be a great way to involve families and encourage healthy eating habits. It could also influence pupils’ choices in school, particularly where Hot School Meals are available. After learning about the benefits of seafood, some children may be more likely to choose the fish option for their lunch. This helps connect classroom learning with everyday food choices and healthy habits.
This module highlighted many ways that the topic of seafood nutrition can be explored in the primary classroom. Healthy eating is an important part of the curriculum, and seafood provides a useful example when teaching children about balanced diets and the Food Pyramid. Pupils can learn that seafood is part of the protein food group and contains important nutrients such as Omega-3, iron and Vitamin D and what benefits those nutrients have (Omega-3 = Brain Food!)
The introduction of Hot School Meals in Irish schools provides a great opportunity to discuss nutrition with children. Children can explore the nutritional benefits of seafood and consider how it contributes to a balanced diet. This can then highlight the benefits of choosing a fish option for their hot lunch.
There are many opportunities to link this topic across different subjects. In Science, pupils could investigate the nutrients found in different types of seafood and explore how they support healthy growth and development. In SPHE, children could discuss healthy eating habits and the importance of making informed food choices. Activities such as sorting foods into Food Pyramid groups or comparing the nutritional information of different seafood products would make learning practical and engaging. I also found the supermarket activities very useful. These could help children identify Irish seafood and recognise sustainability labels such as ASC and MSC. This would encourage pupils to think about where their food comes from and how food can be produced in a sustainable way.You made a good point about using the SSE process to build STEM across the whole school. I also think the ARC resources are a great way to introduce children to aquaculture and the many careers linked to it. Even in schools where fishing isn’t a big part of the local area, these lessons can help pupils understand how important Ireland’s marine industry is and how it supports communities around the country.
Before doing this module, I mostly thought of aquaculture as fish farming. The ARC lessons helped me see how important it is to Ireland, especially for jobs, local communities and the economy. They also showed me the wide range of careers linked to the marine sector. I teach in a coastal village where land farming is much more common than fishing. Because of this, I think these lessons would help my pupils learn about another important local industry. I found the BIM lessons very engaging and easy to follow. They are also easy to adapt for different age groups and include lots of hands-on activities that would keep children interested. The lessons fit well with the STEM Education Policy because they encourage children to ask questions, investigate, work together and solve real-life problems. They also link naturally with other subjects such as Geography, Maths, History and Visual Arts, showing that STEM is not just about Science. These resources could also support STEM as part of our School Self-Evaluation process. As a school, we could plan more hands-on STEM activities across different class levels and use pupil and teacher feedback to see what is working well and what could be improved. We could also organise a Marine Week, invite a speaker from the local area or take part in one of the ARC activities to help bring learning to life.
I agree that aquaculture is so important for many coastal communities, especially in areas where there are fewer job opportunities. I also liked how you highlighted the links with STEM and the Primary Curriculum. I thought the ARC lessons were very practical and easy to use in the classroom. They show pupils how subjects like Science, Geography and Maths are connected to real life. They are a great way to help children understand where their food comes from and why protecting our marine environment is so important.
This module really stood out to me because aquaculture has always been part of my family’s life. My family owned a fish farm, and growing up I saw how important it was, not just for us but for the whole community. During the 1980s, when many people had to emigrate to find work, the fish farm gave jobs to local people and helped many families, including my own, stay in the area. It made me realise just how important aquaculture can be for coastal communities.
The module helped me understand why so many aquaculture farms are found along Ireland’s west coast. Sheltered bays, inlets and deep water provide the right conditions for species such as salmon, mussels and oysters. I also learned how Ireland’s mild climate, helped by the Gulf Stream, makes it a good place for aquaculture.
I also liked the mapping activities because they show children how geography is connected to real life. They are practical, engaging and would work well in the classroom. Overall, this module helped me better understand the link between Ireland’s geography, climate and aquaculture, while also reminding me of the positive impact it has had on my own family and many other coastal communitiesI agree, it’s easy to overlook what is on our doorstep! Your idea of visiting the local oyster farm is an excellent one, as it would give children a real understanding of how aquaculture works and the important role it plays in the local community. I also agree that these experiences make learning much more meaningful than simply reading about them in a book. It would spark an interest in the local farm and could lead to future summer jobs when they get older!
I was fortunate to grow up in a family that owned a fish farm, so I have always known how important aquaculture is. I saw the amount of work that went into it and how much it meant to the local community by providing jobs and supporting families. Because of this, I was looking forward to learning more about it. I now teach in a small coastal village where land farming is much more common than fishing, and there are very few fishermen left. I think that makes these lessons even more valuable, as many children may not know much about aquaculture or the role it plays in Ireland.
The lessons and resources on the BIM website are engaging, easy to follow and could be used with different class levels. I could see myself using them across Science, Geography and SPHE. Learning about Social Licence also made me think about how important it is for local communities to understand and support industries that work responsibly. Overall, I think these resources will help pupils learn more about sustainability, where their food comes from and the importance of aquaculture in Ireland.
The BIM Social Licensing project that stood out to me most was the ARC. As a teacher, I think it is a brilliant idea because it brings learning to life in a way that children will remember. The mix of videos, activities and real-life examples makes the topic interesting and shows pupils that aquaculture is about much more than just fish farming.
I also like that the programme encourages children to think about sustainability and the environment. It is easy to see why so many schools have taken part and the waiting list that they have!
The ARC resources are well organised, easy to understand and full of practical ideas that could be used in the classroom. I liked that they could be adapted for different age groups and linked with several areas of the primary curriculum.
I think it is important to introduce children to aquaculture from a young age because many of them know very little about it. Learning about where seafood comes from, how it is farmed and why sustainability matters will help them better understand the world around them. It also encourages them to ask questions and think about the importance of looking after our marine environment.
