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It’s great to hear about the close relationship between the community and the school and how members of the community are coming in and educating the kids.
Sustainability means using what we need today without wasting it for the future. In school, my students and I can help by turning off lights, recycling properly, and reusing paper and materials. We can also bring reusable bottles and lunch boxes instead of single-use items.
At home and in class, we can talk about walking more, using less water, and only buying what we need. This module also taught me that buying sustainable food matters, and labels like MSC and ASC can help us choose better.
I would use this topic in lessons by asking children to suggest simple ways to care for the environment. It could lead to short class projects, posters, and discussions about how small actions make a big difference. Teaching sustainability helps pupils understand that they can protect nature and resources every day.
I like the idea of linking to maths/sphe and getting the children to track what healthy food they eat through out the week.
Module 4 highlighted for me how seafood can support a healthy, balanced diet and why this is important for children’s learning and development. I was especially interested in the nutrients found in seafood, such as protein, iron, vitamin D and omega-3, because these are easy to connect to everyday classroom learning.
I could apply this module by using the food pyramid, sorting activities, and label reading tasks to help pupils make informed food choices. The “Eye Spy in the Supermarket” activity would work well in a primary setting because it encourages children to identify sustainable seafood and understand simple food labels. It also links nicely with science, SPHE and geography.
This learning can help pupils see that food comes from different sources and that some choices are better for health and the environment. It is a practical way to build awareness, language, and healthy habits in a way children can understand.
I like the idea of giving the children quizzes and encouraging them to do it with adults so that they can also learn.
I would use ARC online lessons to teach integrated, hands-on STEM projects about aquaculture that match the STEM Education Policy Statement and support whole-school SSE planning. The lessons let pupils investigate real problems (site mapping, water quality, jobs), practise maths and scientific inquiry, and develop design and communication skills through collaborative projects.
To align with the STEM Policy I would highlight cross-curricular links, make maths central in investigations, and use inquiry-led, child-centred approaches from the specification such as design thinking and computational thinking. Evidence for SSE could include pupil work, assessment of STEM competencies, teacher reflections, and community engagement records gathered during the six-step SSE cycle.
School-wide actions: create a Marine/Aquaculture team, run shared projects across senior classes, involve parents and local producers, and set SMART improvement targets for STEM in the SIP. These steps embed aquaculture learning into curriculum improvement and whole-school evaluation
That’s a strong local example of how aquaculture supports not just seafood production, but also jobs, transport, processing, and tourism in your area. Kilmore Quay shows how closely aquaculture is tied to the wider coastal economy in County Wexford.
Aquaculture farms in Ireland are mainly located along the western Atlantic coast, especially in bays, inlets, shorelines, and sheltered areas. This makes sense because these places offer strong currents, protection from rough seas, and the right conditions for salmon, oysters, and mussels.
I found it interesting that geography plays such a big role in deciding where farming can happen. It shows that aquaculture is closely linked to the natural environment and to the local knowledge of coastal areas.
These farms can support coastal communities by creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and keeping money in rural seaside areas. They also help strengthen communities by providing work that depends on the sea and by encouraging people to value their local coastline.
Overall, learning about aquaculture has helped me see it not just as food production, but as an important part of coastal life in Ireland
The ARC tools could be very useful in the classroom because they make aquaculture visual, interactive, and easy to understand. They could help children learn about how salmon, mussels, and oysters are farmed in Ireland.
Learning about aquaculture and social license can help students think about where food comes from and why people need to trust farming practices. It can also encourage respect for the environment and awareness of sustainability.
For younger pupils, this topic could build curiosity about Irish seafood, local jobs, and responsible farming. It also supports discussion, questioning, and links well with science and geography.[Attachment]
Overall, introducing aquaculture at primary level can help children become more informed and thoughtful about food, nature, and community.These are great examples of books, songs and artwork that could be used as stimulus to inspire a class.
I would prepare the project by introducing pupils to the idea that the night sky is part of our culture, history, and storytelling. We would begin by sharing examples of piseogs, traditions, and stories connected with the night, such as folklore, poems, songs, and family memories.
Next, I would invite children to collect stories from home, older relatives, and the wider community. They could interview a parent, grandparent, or neighbour and record what they heard in notes, drawings, or simple audio clips. This would help them see how night stories are passed down through generations.
In class, we would sort the stories into themes such as stars, the moon, navigation, weather, or Halloween traditions. I would also connect the project to Irish astronomy and dark sky heritage so pupils understand that the night sky has inspired both science and culture.
Finally, the children could create a class display, booklet, or digital presentation to share their collected stories with others.I like the idea of using the nature hunt sheet. I also think it’s great to include the School gardening club.
I would take my class for a walk around the school or local area to look for plants, insects, birds, and other living things. The children could write down what they see or draw simple pictures. This would help them understand biodiversity as the different kinds of living things in a place.
I would also ask them to look at lights nearby, such as streetlights and house lights. We would talk about how bright lights at night can affect bats, moths, birds, and plants. For example, some animals may find it harder to feed, move, or sleep.
Then, in class, we would compare what we saw during the day and at night. The children could make a simple biodiversity map of the area. Finally, they could suggest ways to help nature, such as using less bright lights or turning lights off when they are not needed.
This would help them see that dark skies are important for local wildlife.I would create a teacher resource that introduces pupils to light pollution through the Globe at Night citizen science programme and links directly to local observation. The resource would begin with a simple explanation of what light pollution is, using the module’s idea that it is light used in the wrong place or at the wrong time.
Next, I would include a step-by-step activity: pupils observe the night sky from a safe location, compare what stars they can see with the Globe at Night chart or app, and record their results on a class sheet. They could work in pairs to note weather, brightness of nearby lights, and whether the sky seems rural or urban.
The resource would also prompt discussion about dark sky friendly lighting and how changing direction, colour, or timing of lights can reduce waste. Finally, I would ask pupils to share their findings as a map, poster, or digital slide, helping them see that their observations contribute to real citizen science. They will present there findings to the class.