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Ireland is a country that increasingly values sustainability and I have observed various practices aimed at reducing our environmental impact and promoting a more sustainable future. Examples include recycling programs such as the recent bottle and can recycling initiative, ensuring that waste is minimized and resources are reused. Community gardens, where residents can grow their own vegetables and fruits, promote local food production, reduce the carbon footprint associated with transporting food, and foster a sense of community and shared responsibility for the environment. To engage young pupils in sustainability, you could encourage students to create art from recyclable materials. This not only teaches the value of reusing resources but also stimulates creativity and problem-solving.Establish a school garden where students can plant, nurture, and harvest their own crops can teach them about food sources, the importance of local produce, and the basics of sustainable agriculture. Arranging field trips to local recycling centers, renewable energy plants, or community gardens
I agree with Odhran about doing practical activities such as making recipes and cooking demonstrations in schools can show children ways in which we can prepare seafood. This also creates an opportunity for the children to try new foods that they maybe have not tried before.
This module taught me about the importance of teaching about nutrition and seafood which can often be overlooked when discussing the food pyramid in schools. Seafood is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, iron, and Vitamin D, and contributes significantly to our overall health. Omega-3s are crucial for heart health, iron supports our blood health, and vitamin D helps with calcium absorption and bone health. Teaching children about seafood nutrition links in with how we can benefit with aquaculture and its produce in everyday life. The ‘eye spy’ game in the supermarket is a great way for children to find such produce along with the various stickers that mean different things. By learning about this, it might encourage children to try new sea foods that they have not tried before. It also gives children the knowledge of why seafood/ shellfish is good for them, its nutrients and health benefits. This is relevant to the children as it takes learning within the classroom into everyday life.
I agree with Mary when talking about how linking ‘The Salmon of Knowledge’ to aquaculture and history. This shows how fish has such deep roots in our culture and how it is still relevant in our lives today.
When teaching in schools, we tend to focus more on agriculture and less on aquaculture. This is reflected in our school textbooks which predominantly centered on agriculture and farming. This has made me aware of the importance of promoting sea farming and all it encompasses. The ARC videos are an excellent resource for highlighting the significance of aquaculture in Ireland and provide opportunities for discussing this type of farming. It also provides opportunities for comparing and contrasting both aquaculture and agriculture. This could be a focus for our SSE by placing more emphasis on aquaculture, its role, and its opportunities today, especially considering the variety of sea farming available right on our doorstep in Ireland. Promoting the different aspects of sea farming and its connections to STEM is something I would like to emphasize, particularly for the senior end of primary school. This would allow students to learn about the job opportunities in the aquaculture industry, such as engineers, fishermen/ fisherwomen, marine biologists and commercial divers. This allows children to discover lots of ways in which people can interact with the sea. I will explore the Blue School Award with my class, as I know many of my students would find it interesting.
This module was highly informative and provided deeper insight into the geography of Ireland’s coastline and how its features can help determine ideal locations for aquaculture farms. Typically, we associate farming with agriculture, but my understanding has now expanded to include aquaculture. I particularly enjoyed the description of our climate as a ‘Goldilocks Climate’ where conditions are cool, damp, and rarely extreme. Learning about the North Atlantic Drift and its impact on the Atlantic Ocean’s temperature was fascinating. The mountainous terrain of Ireland’s West coast makes it unsuitable for land farming, making it a prime location for fish farming instead. Growing up in a fishing community and touring a salmon farm, I have observed that sheltered bays, inlets, and harbors are ideal for fish farming. I have also witnessed the socio-economic benefits of aquaculture farms firsthand—they create significant employment opportunities for local people, from the farms themselves to the factories that package the fish, the ice plants, and more.
I greatly enjoyed this first module as I found learning about aquaculture quiet interesting as enjoyed learning myself about geography in secondary school. It is nice to gain more knowledge about Irish seas and fisheries. I teach in Dublin and many of the children in my school would go on holidays to seaside towns around Ireland. I never really thought of teaching my students about aquaculture before as I was unaware of the wonderful resources that were available. Aquaculture is a huge industry in Ireland and I now realise how important it is for the children to experience this and the relevance that it can have in their lives.
It teaches children about the importance of sustainability/environmentalism, community involvement, and how the sea is a valuable resource. The tools/ resources shown in this module create a hands-on approach learning to aquaculture manage virtual aquaculture farms, analyse environmental data, and engage with industry experts.