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To inspire a Laois based STEM project, I would choose to work with the historical figure Robert Flower, an inventor and carpet manufacturer born at Castle Durrow in County Laois. The children would be given an opportunity to experience textile engineering just like Flower.
To start the children would research and experiment with different fibres. They would gather different types of fibers (wool, cotton, string, acrylic yarn, plastic shreds) and design a fair test to evaluate their properties.To test, they would measure the absorbency, tensile strength (how much weight can a single strand hold before snapping?), and insulation (which fibre keeps a cup of warm water hot the longest?)
They would then discuss how individual strings of fibre are weak but just like Flower, realise that when the strands are woven together they become much stronger. The students would then build simple cardboard looms. They would weave their tested fibres together to create a small 10cm x 10cm “carpet tile.”
To test the friction and strength, the children test how weaving changes the material properties. They would measure friction by pulling a toy car across a smooth desk versus their newly woven carpet tile using a spring balance. They will instantly see how the textured weave creates resistance and grip.In Vicarstown, Laois, a unique piece of engineering can be found in the historic Grattan Aqueduct. It was designed to carry water from the canal over the Glasha river, without disturbing either course of water. The structure had to be strong enough to hold a heavy body of water.
To start, we would look at images of the structure and discuss how the structure was made. The children would discuss the mass of water and the challenges the engineer may have faced when designing the structure. Then I would divide the children into groups with the following mission. Teams must build a 50cm bridge out of cardboard and popsicle sticks that holds a plastic trough. This “canal” must cross over a blue paper “river” on the classroom floor and hold the weight of real water without collapsing or spilling.
they would start by leading an investigation. The students must try to balance a heavy book on a flat piece of paper spanning two desks (it will collapse). Then, show them how folding that paper into an arch shape instantly supports the book by pushing the weight outward.The groups will then choose their materials, popsicle sticks, string, cardboard, and plastic tinfoil containers (the canal bed). They must design an arch or triangle support structure. To mimic the historic “puddled clay” waterproofing, they use plasticine to seal the joints where their foil containers meet.
To test, the children will place the structures over the classroom “river.” Using a measuring jug, they would slowly pours 500ml of water into their canal. They would then evaluate, did the bridge hold the weight, did it stay dry?To register a garden with the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, simply visit the National Biodiversity Data Centre’s online portal, “Actions for Pollinators.”. Firstly, create a school profile. Form a ‘Pollinator Team’ to include some teachers, students and perhaps your school caretaker. This may be your Green Flag Committee or a class interested in doing a nature project. Then draw a map of the school grounds and use this to identify areas where you can take action to help pollinators. Next, walk around the school grounds and look for areas that are already pollinator-friendly. These might be areas of longer grass with wildflowers; flower beds; areas where plants like dandelions and clover are allowed to grow; native trees; wild corners; native flowering hedgerows; the wild base of hedgerows; or bare ground for nesting solitary bees. Mark all of these areas on the map. You could put up signs to identify these areas and to help protect them in future years. Then, walk around the school grounds and see if there are areas that could be mown less frequently, liaise with caretaker to make this happen. It gives the dandelions a chance to bloom. We could encourage a piece of art to be formed from mowing only certain areas of the lawn. Next, check for hedgerows, flowering beds and native trees. This would add to nature walk experiences for the classes and coordinate with the Green schools campaign. The children could record what they find and report back to the other classes through assemblies. The children would also be encouraged to find a bee nesting site and drinking area to further encourage pollinators.
For my 5th Class, I would setup a lesson that the children would lead an investigation on Irish weather patterns using historical data from Met Éireann. To start, the children would access Met Éireann’s open historical data to pull monthly rainfall averages for our local county Laois alongside a county from a different province, such as Galway.
Next, the children would work in pairs, extract the millimetre measurements. They would construct multiple bar charts or line graphs to visually compare the two locations. This offers a brilliant real-world lesson on why scales matter on the vertical axis (y-axis) when plotting heavy Atlantic rainfall versus drier midland figures.
Finally, the children would calculate the mean monthly rainfall for the year to determine the “true” average. We would wrap up by connecting the maths to geography: discussing how Ireland’s prevailing winds and mountain ranges impact the data numbers they just calculated, proving that statistics tell a real story about the landscape right outside their window.I would conduct a hands on lesson to spark wonder about the universe, how lenses and mirrors allow us to explore the night sky, bridging everyday optics with astronomy.
To start, the students begin with a hands-on investigation using cheap magnifying glasses (convex lenses) and flashlights. By projecting the window’s image onto a piece of paper, they will discover how a convex lens bends and flips light rays to form an image.
They will then begin to build a DIY Telescope. The children would work in pairs to build a simple refracting telescope. Using two different-sized cardboard tubes and two convex lenses, they would slide the tubes until a distant object comes into magnified focus.
To finish, I would introduce a concave makeup mirror to show how reflecting telescopes use mirrors instead of lenses to gather light without colour distortion. We would end the session by discussing how these exact tools allow astronomers to capture light from galaxies millions of light-years away.
Try out some of the referenced classroom investigations for yourself or look at other resources and describe how you would conduct a lesson on mirrors, lenses and telescopes or looking out at the night sky for your class.
I would conduct a hands on lesson to spark wonder about the universe, how lenses and mirrors allow us to explore the night sky, bridging everyday optics with astronomy.
To start, the students begin with a hands-on investigation using cheap magnifying glasses (convex lenses) and flashlights. By projecting the window’s image onto a piece of paper, they will discover how a convex lens bends and flips light rays to form an image.
They will then begin to build a DIY Telescope. The children would work in pairs to build a simple refracting telescope. Using two different-sized cardboard tubes and two convex lenses, they would slide the tubes until a distant object comes into magnified focus.
To finish, I would introduce a concave makeup mirror to show how reflecting telescopes use mirrors instead of lenses to gather light without colour distortion. We would end the session by discussing how these exact tools allow astronomers to capture light from galaxies millions of light-years away.
