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I teach Junior & Senior Infants in a school close to Birr Castle. I would organise a STEM challenge where the children work in small groups to design and build a bridge inspired by the suspension bridge in Birr Castle Demesne. We would begin by looking at photographs of different bridges and discussing their purpose, shape and the materials used to build them. The children would then explore a range of construction materials such as blocks, cardboard, lollipop sticks, recycled materials and playdough before planning and building their own bridges. To integrate maths throughout the activity, the children would estimate and compare the lengths and heights of their bridges using informal units such as cubes or hands and use mathematical language including longer, shorter, taller, wider, heavier and lighter. They could count the number of materials used, identify and describe 2D and 3D shapes within their designs, and investigate which bridge could hold the most toy cars or small weights. This would encourage prediction, problem-solving and simple data handling by recording results using pictograms or tally charts.
The challenge would integrate STEM, Mathematics, Science, Visual Arts and Oral Language while promoting teamwork and creativity. At the end of the project, each group would present their bridge to the class, explaining how they built it and what they might improve next time.
I really like this idea. Using someone from the local area makes the learning more meaningful for the children. I could do something similar with a scientist or engineer from my own area. The bridge investigation is a great hands-on activity and gives the children a chance to make predictions, test their ideas and improve their designs.
For my Junior & Senior Infant Class in our school near Birr Castle I would base an integrated art, music, drama and creative writing project around Birr Castle Demesne itself. We would begin with a visit to the castle grounds, where the children could explore the gardens, giant trees, rivers and wildlife while observing the Great Telescope from a distance. During the visit, the children would collect natural materials, take photographs with iPads and discuss what they can see, hear and feel in the environment.
Back in the classroom, the children would create nature-inspired artwork using leaves, twigs and natural textures, as well as paintings of the castle grounds and the Great Telescope. In music, they could explore sounds from nature by creating simple soundscapes using percussion instruments to represent birds singing, wind, flowing water and rustling leaves. Drama activities could include role-playing as gardeners, scientists, explorers or woodland animals living in the demesne, encouraging imaginative play and oral language development.
For creative writing, I would use picture prompts and shared writing to help the children create simple stories or poems such as ‘A Day in Birr Castle’ or ‘The Little Bird Who Visited the Great Telescope’. Senior Infants could write short sentences independently, while Junior Infants could contribute ideas through oral storytelling and drawings.
This sounds great and makes excellent use of local resources and real-world engineering. You could also ask pupils to predict which windmill design will spin the fastest and record their results using simple charts or pictograms.
I also like how this project links local engineering with sustainability and renewable energy, making learning relevant to the children’s own community. A visit to the wind farm or inviting a local engineer to speak to the class would probably interest the children too.
This is an excellent whole-school project that meaningfully integrates biodiversity across the curriculum. I particularly like the emphasis on regular outdoor observations and using real data to support learning in Maths and Science. Designing bird feeders and nest boxes is a fantastic STEM activity that also encourages pupils to become active stewards of their local environment. We got in a local carpenter last year who worked for a few weeks with 3rd – 6th Class to make bird boxes and bird tables. It was a really nice activity.
I intend to register my school with the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan when I return in September. As we have recently been working towards achieving our Biodiversity Flag and have entered the Tidy Towns competition, this initiative is a natural next step and complements the work already taking place in our school. One of my main aims is to build on a wildflower area within the school grounds. We already have a section of grass that is left unmown and we have a well-being garden that has some bee friendly plants, but I would like to sow more native wildflower seeds to provide a richer habitat for bees and other pollinators.
Last year, we were fortunate to have a biodiversity educator from An Taisce visit the school to deliver workshops on biodiversity. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
I also plan to work with the Green schools committee to plant more pollinator-friendly flowers, bulbs, and shrubs around the school. Another idea I would like to introduce is building a bee and bug hotel and creating small areas of bare soil where solitary bees can nest. We have an unused space in the school grounds that would be ideal for this. Registering with the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan will not only support local biodiversity but will also provide meaningful, hands-on learning opportunities for the children across a range of curriculum areas.
Hi Claire,
I really like your practical ideas of using construction and Lego to create a model for the classroom. This would really get all of the pupils engaged, including those that sometimes feel overwhelmed by written work or even discussions. The treasure game is also a great idea and I wouldn’t have thought of. I will definitely try this with my class next year.
<p data-pm-slice=”1 1 []”>For younger classes, describe how you would plan and conduct a lesson on map making and explain how you might incorporate some online tools such as Google maps or Geohive. </p>
For younger classes, I would plan a simple map-making lesson based on familiar places within the school grounds. I would begin by discussing what maps are, why we use them, and the different features they include, such as symbols, keys, and directions. The children would then explore the playground, identifying landmarks such as the entrance, trees, benches, garden, and play equipment. Working in small groups, they would create their own maps using symbols, colours, and a simple key. This hands-on activity would develop spatial awareness, observation skills, and geography vocabulary.
To extend the lesson, I would use Google Maps to compare the children’s maps with an aerial view of the school and surrounding area. We could also use Geohive to explore facts about our local area, such as population or county boundaries. This lesson integrates geography, maths, oral language, art, and digital skills while making map-making engaging, relevant, and meaningful for young learners.
Hi Alyson,
I love the idea of a STEM journal, suitable for all age groups. I’ll definitely try doing one this year. I love getting out with my class for nature walks so the journal will tie in nicely with that.
If I were teaching a lesson on mirrors, lenses and telescopes to a primary school class, I would begin by asking the children what they already know about mirrors, magnifying glasses and telescopes and encourage them to make predictions about how they think they work. The children would then work in small groups using mirrors, torches and magnifying glasses to investigate how light reflects and how lenses make objects appear bigger. I would encourage them to ask questions, share their ideas and record what they observed. As I teach in a school close to Birr Castle, I would use the Great Telescope as a real-life example to make the lesson more meaningful and relevant. We would discuss how the telescope helped scientists to study the night sky and why Birr is famous for its contribution to astronomy. I would organise a visit to Birr Castle so that the children could see the telescope for themselves and make links between what they had investigated in the classroom and an important landmark in their own community. Throughout the lesson I would guide the children with questions rather than simply giving them the answers, helping them to develop their scientific skills of observing, predicting, investigating and communicating. I feel this approach would encourage curiosity and help the children to see that science is all around them and is closely connected to their own local environment.