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Using Birr as my local area, I would plan a class project exploring the scientific and natural heritage of the town over a six-week period. The project would focus on areas such as the gardens and biodiversity of Birr Castle Demesne, the Great Telescope, local wildlife habitats, and the River Camcor. Pupils would investigate how science, nature, and history are connected within their community.
Activities would include nature walks, tree and insect identification, water investigations, map work, and visits to local heritage sites. Younger pupils could complete observational drawings and simple experiments, while older classes could research local scientific achievements and present findings digitally.
To engage all pupils, activities would be hands-on, collaborative, and linked to real-life experiences in the local area. The project could conclude with a whole-school exhibition where pupils display artwork, reports, models, and photographs to share their learning with the wider school community.
That sounds like a fantastic acitivity. I like how it links science, art and sustainability. I would love to see how the living wall turns out and the mural using recylced bottle caps is a great idea.
Using the suspension bridge in Birr Castle Demesne as inspiration as I am from the area, I would organise a class or whole-school STEM challenge where pupils design and build their own bridges using materials such as paper, lollipop sticks, string, or recycled materials. The activity would begin with a discussion about different types of bridges, their purpose, and the features of the suspension bridge in Birr Castle. Pupils could explore how bridges are designed to hold weight and remain balanced.
Mathematical thinking would be integrated throughout the challenge. Younger classes could focus on measuring length, comparing sizes, identifying shapes, and counting materials used. Older pupils could investigate symmetry, scale, estimation, weight distribution, and problem-solving by testing how much weight their bridge can hold. Pupils would work collaboratively to plan, build, test, and improve their designs. This activity would promote creativity, teamwork, engineering skills, and practical application of mathematical concepts in a meaningful context.
Registering a garden with the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan encourages people to support biodiversity by creating safe habitats for bees and other pollinating insects. To register a school, I would first visit the official pollinator plan website and complete the online registration form with details about the school grounds and planned pollinator-friendly actions. I would involve pupils in the process so they develop an understanding of the importance of protecting pollinators and caring for the environment.
There are many simple actions a school could take to help pollinators. These include planting wildflowers, allowing parts of the grass to grow longer, reducing pesticide use, and creating bug hotels or bee habitats. Pupils could also participate in gardening activities and observe pollinators as part of Science lessons. Displaying signs about pollinator-friendly areas around the school would help raise awareness and encourage the wider school community to become involved in protecting biodiversity.
Hi Yvonne, I also liked the idea of giving each group a copy of wildflowers of Ireland book and then to teach other groups about them. I think this is a good way to promote active learning.
That is great idea to begin the year. I like the way you use both digital mapping and outdoor exploration!
For a younger class, I would plan a simple and engaging lesson on map making by beginning with familiar places, such as the classroom or school playground. I would first discuss what maps are used for and introduce basic features such as symbols, colours, labels, and directions. Children could then work in pairs to create their own simple map of the classroom using drawings and symbols to represent objects and areas.
To extend learning, I would incorporate online tools such as Google Maps to help children view aerial images of their school or local area. This would support their understanding of how maps represent real places. I could also use Geohive to explore simple maps of Ireland, including counties or population maps, to develop geographical awareness. These digital tools would make the lesson more interactive and help pupils connect their own map-making activities to real-world examples in an engaging and age-appropriate way.
I agree Yvonne, Curious minds is a great resource and makes it much easier for teachers to adapt in the classroom for all needs.
In my classroom, STEM education is integrated through hands-on, collaborative, and problem-solving activities that encourage children to think critically and creatively. Rather than teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths as separate subjects, I aim to connect them through meaningful real-life tasks. For example, pupils may work together to design and build structures, investigate scientific questions, or use digital tools to research and present their findings.
Reflecting on Liston’s (2018) paper, I recognise the importance of moving beyond the STEM acronym and focusing on how these subjects can support curiosity, innovation, and active learning. STEM in my classroom is child-centred and inquiry-based, allowing pupils to explore ideas, test solutions, and learn from mistakes. I also try to promote inclusion by ensuring all children feel confident participating in STEM activities. Overall, STEM education in my classroom encourages engagement, communication, and the development of practical skills for the future.
For Space Week, I would design a class plan that combines elements from the Moon and Stars activity sets to create a week-long exploration of space. Each day would focus on a different theme, blending science with creativity. We would begin with “What Does the Moon Look Like?” where children keep nightly Moon journals and share their drawings. Mid-week, we would shift to constellations, using black paper and star stickers to design personal constellations, then writing short stories to explain them, linking science with literacy. Towards the end of the week, I would use Stellarium-web.org to virtually explore the night sky with the class, allowing students to compare their own constellations to the real ones.
This plan allows for integration across subjects: science (astronomy), maths (patterns, spatial reasoning), art (star lanterns, constellation drawings), and history/culture (stories of the Moon from different traditions). Reflecting on this, I see Space Week as an opportunity not just to teach facts, but to cultivate curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. By bringing together observation, digital tools, and cultural storytelling, students engage in a holistic learning experience that shows science as living, accessible, and inspiring.
In my classroom, I would make use of the online tool Stellarium-web.org to bring the night sky into the learning space in a way that feels both real and interactive. Children are often fascinated by stars and planets, but many have limited opportunities to see the night sky clearly due to light pollution. With Stellarium, I can project a live view of the sky from our location, allowing students to identify constellations, track the Moon’s phases, and even simulate different times and places to see how the sky changes. This promotes observation and prediction skills, linking directly with science curriculum goals.
To deepen engagement, I would combine Stellarium with resources from ESA Kids and Marvin and Milo cartoons. ESA Kids provides child-friendly explanations and visuals, while Marvin and Milo introduce scientific thinking through fun, small-scale experiments. These resources encourage questioning, hypothesising, and making connections between what we see in the sky and what we test in the classroom.
Reflecting on this, I see the value in using digital resources not just as add-ons, but as integral tools to enhance STEM learning. They bridge gaps between theory and experience, and they allow children to explore big ideas—like the universe and space exploration—within an age-appropriate framework. As a further step towards a STEM-focused SSE, I would gather evidence of how these tools impact student motivation, curiosity, and understanding, and then share findings with colleagues to integrate them more broadly across the school.
