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We are lucky to be situated close to the Royal Canal Greenway. It protects diversity by preserving crucial wildlife corridors and planting native hedgerows. Also, it encourages cycling and walking in a safe environment, reducing the need for vehicles.
My school is situated along the banks of the Boyne river, and our town has won the Tidy Towns award a few times. We take part in the Picker Pals programme, and the children have a really positive attitude to cleaning up in their own estates or area.
We also have a green team who regularly deliver messages during assembly time about reducing energy and water consumption, recycling paper and walking or cycling to school where possible.Our sixth classes take a six week Cycling Safety course every year, and many of them cycle to school for the rest of the year.
Our students grow fruit and vegetables in our school polytunnel and we have a wildflower area to support insects and pollination. All of our classes learned about the importance of bees in May and we celebrated National Bee Day.I agree that local involvement, startinf with8n the school grounds itself, is the most effective way to teach children the importance of responsibility and sustainability.
We have a polytunnel, and the classes take turns to water the water and tend to plants, even during the holidays. We also have water butts.
We take part in the Picker Pals programme, and children love picking up litter. We also have been encouraging children to bring their recyclable plastic bottles to school and we keep them informed about how much money we have collected and the student council gather ideas on what they would like to purchase with that money.
I was also surprised to learn that mussels and shellfish contain as much protein as red meat.
Also, the distinction between iron and heme iron is interesting. Heme iron is absorbed highly efficiently by the body (15% to 35%), whereas non-heme iron has a much lower absorption rate (2% to 20%). Canned sardines and tuna, as well as mussels are especially high in heme iron, and these are easy cupboard staples to have.
Seafood plays delivers high-quality protein for muscle growth and omega-3 fatty acids, which boost brain function and vision. It also provides essential vitamins and minerals like iodine, selenium, and vitamin D. Since most Irish people are lacking in Vitamin D, incorporaring a couple of portions of cod or salmon per week would be beneficial.
A 4th class teacher could make this an engaging topic by starting with the nutrition video on somethingfishy.ie (Lesson 7)
Maths: Ask students to track their weekly seafood consumption.Create a classroom bar chart to compare results.Literacy: Design a healthy weekly dinner menu incorporating different types of fish and shellfish. There are also some really child-friendly recipes for fish cakes and fish rolls on somethingfishy.ie, and this could be again be an additional.instructional writing piece.
Research Posters: Challenge groups to investigate a specific nutrient (like Omega-3 or Vitamin D) and present how it specifically benefits the body and brain.
I agree, Vera. An ARC visit promoting education on careers directly linked to aqua farming would be of interest to many children.
About ten years ago, my class had a visit from a representative from Inland Fisheries. We then went on a field trip to the Boyne where we examined live insects and tested water samples. Children could see the real practical work done by scientists and its importance in conservation and sustainability.
Regarding the ARC resources, I’ve found a couple of practical ways to boost engagement in my 4th class.
The focus on creativity and active problem-solving fits perfectly with our STEM Education Policy Statement.
The clean-up initiative described in Lesson 4 provides scope for a variety of learning activities. Students could research and record results relating to the decomposition of materials which pollute our oceans, such as tins, plastic bottles, etc.
The senior classes could collaborate to design an ‘Overfishing Simulator’ maths game in teams, either using concrete materials or through coding.I also agree with Karolina. This woukd be an interesting task for students . They could work in groups to construct a chain of workers gaining employment through aquaculture, directly and indirectly. I would definitely incorporate this into learning of this topic.
Aquaculture, as highlighted in this module, is vital to the survival of many coastal communities.
Often, these same towns and villages are low on employment opportunitiesAquaculture, as highlighted in this module, is vital to the survival and long-term sustainability of many coastal communities. In many cases, these towns and villages have limited employment opportunities outside of traditional industries such as fishing and aquaculture. A lack of efficient transport links, limited public services, inadequate infrastructure, poor broadband connectivity, and fewer profitable retail businesses all contribute to economic challenges. These conditions often encourage younger people to leave in search of better education, employment, and career prospects elsewhere, resulting in declining populations and ageing communities.
A thriving aquaculture industry helps to reverse this trend by creating stable, year-round employment and supporting many indirect jobs in processing, transport, equipment supply, engineering, and local services. The wages earned by aquaculture workers are spent within the community, benefiting local shops, restaurants, schools, and other businesses. This creates a positive economic ripple effect, helping to sustain essential services, strengthen the local economy, and ensure that coastal communities remain vibrant places to live and work for future generations.Hi Claire, I really like how you worded this message about the importance of viewing things from all angles. A topic like this is a great opportunity to bring debate, or even Drama into the classroom.
Unlike many other participants on this course, I don’t live or teach anywhere near the sea. This course caught my attention because I work in an Educate Together school. One of the strands of the Learn Together curriculum is ‘An Ethical Approach to the Environment’. We are required to research and cover topics relating to sustainability, and how human consumption affects one species or another in a negative way, and what can be done to counteract it in some way. This year, I chose cage versus free range chickens. Next year, I will choose aquaculture.