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We also embraced the deposit return scheme in our school. The younger classes really love bringing in bottles and cans. They can be quite competitive about it.
In my local area, people help the environment by recycling, keeping parks clean, and supporting local farmers. These actions protect nature and keep the community healthy and safe. This is a good way to teach children why it is important to care for the Earth. To help pupils learn more, I would take them on nature walks to parks, farms, or recycling centers nearby. This way, they can see how people work to keep the environment clean. In the classroom, we could do fun and simple activities like planting flowers, sorting recycling, and learning how to save energy and water. These activities connect well with subjects like science and social studies. By doing these things, children learn how small actions help the environment. It also helps them feel proud of their community and understand how everyone can work together to protect the Earth for the future.
I totally agree that many younger children will only be aware of fish fingers/fish and chips. It would be great to make them more aware of all the options they had for eating fish.
Seafood is very good for our bodies because it helps us grow strong and stay healthy. It has important things like protein, vitamins, and special oils that help our brains and hearts work well. In the classroom, we can learn about different kinds of fish and sea animals that people eat. We can talk about why eating seafood is good for us and how it helps keep our bodies healthy. We can also learn where seafood comes from, like the sea or fish farms where fish are raised. These lessons help children understand healthy eating and the importance of caring for the sea and animals. Using pictures, videos, stories, and simple activities makes learning about seafood fun and easy for young children. This helps them start good habits for eating well and thinking about nature from a young age.
I agree, the ARC’s lessons encourage student discussion on aquaculture, nutrition, and sustainability. The quizzes help check understanding and spark curiosity for deeper, enquiry-based learning in the classroom.
The ARC online lessons are very useful for helping young children learn about STEM in a fun and simple way. For Junior Infants, I would use pictures, short videos, and hands-on activities from the ARC to talk about fish, the sea, and how people work together to farm fish. Children could learn to sort, count, measure, and ask questions—skills that link well to early maths and science. These lessons match the goals in the STEM Education Policy by helping children explore, think, and work together. As part of the SSE process, our school could use these activities to focus on improving STEM in a way that is age-appropriate. All classes could do similar lessons at their own level, helping us to build a whole-school STEM plan. The ARC lessons are a great way to show children how STEM is part of real life and how we use it in our communities.
I agree using videos, maps, and real-life stories makes aquaculture engaging, supports cross-curricular learning, and connects students to sustainability.
I agree. In many coastal areas, traditional fishing has declined, leading to fewer job opportunities and population decline. Aquaculture offers a sustainable and reliable source of employment, not just on the farms but across many related sectors such as processing, transport, and local services. This industry helps keep younger generations in their hometowns, supports local schools, and keeps businesses running.
Aquaculture farms in Ireland are usually found along the coast, in quiet bays and sheltered waters. These places are good for farming fish and shellfish. Many of these farms are in rural or coastal areas where there may not be many jobs. Aquaculture can help these communities by providing work for local people. It also supports other jobs, like driving boats, selling fish, or making equipment. This helps the local economy and allows families to live and work in their home areas. In school, this topic can be linked to geography and science by exploring how people use the sea. It also fits into SPHE, as it teaches children about community and caring for the environment. Learning about aquaculture can help students understand how people and nature are connected, and how local industries are important. It also shows how we can use natural resources in a responsible and fair way.
I really love the idea of asking family members questions. It’s a great way of creating some home school links and making families aware of what the children are learning about.
This module helped me see how aquaculture and the idea of social license can be used in the primary classroom in interesting and meaningful ways. Aquaculture connects well with SESE and science, as it teaches children about how food is produced in the sea and how we can farm fish in a sustainable way. It also helps children learn about caring for the environment and thinking about where their food comes from. The concept of social license—getting public support for farming—can lead to great class discussions about trust, fairness, and the importance of working with the community. These topics can also be linked to SPHE, where students can learn about responsibility and decision-making. Using videos, stories, and real-life examples from this module will make learning more engaging. Overall, this topic can help students become more aware of the world around them and how they can play a part in protecting it.
I love the idea of doing a fieldtrip. We did a forest schools trip with my junior infants class last year and it was the highlight of the year.
My research question is: Why is the ice melting in the Arctic, and how does this affect polar bears? Even though we live far away, the Earth is getting warmer, and the ice where polar bears live is melting. This means polar bears have less space to hunt and sleep. To explore this, we can watch videos and pictures of melting ice, do simple experiments with ice cubes melting in warm and cool places, and track polar bear stories on a map. I would introduce this with a story about polar bears and a video about climate change, then set up a sensory table with ice and toys. Pupils could draw pictures of polar bears now and in the future, and we could talk about ways to help, like saving energy or planting trees. Sharing our work with other classes would help everyone learn how we can care for the planet together.
I love the idea of talking to older family members. It’s a great way of building links between home and school and I know most parents/grandparents love being included.
Here are five satellites that have recently passed over Ireland and what they are doing in space:
EIRSAT-1 is Ireland’s first satellite. It was launched in 2023 by University College Dublin and the European Space Agency. It is testing new space technology, such as how to spot powerful space events called gamma-ray bursts and how materials work in space.
Meteosat-11 is a weather satellite that looks at Europe and Ireland from space. It sends back pictures every 15 minutes, showing clouds, rain, and storms. This helps weather forecasters know what’s happening in real time.
MTG-I1 is a new and improved weather satellite. It shows very clear images every 10 minutes and can even spot lightning, which is useful for tracking big storms over Ireland.
Sentinel-4 looks at the air over Europe. It checks for pollution and gases like ozone and nitrogen dioxide, helping scientists learn about our air quality.
The International Space Station (ISS) is not a weather satellite, but it passes over Ireland often. It carries astronauts who do science experiments and can be seen from Earth as a bright moving light in the night sky.
These satellites help us understand space, weather, and the environment in exciting ways that I can share with my pupils.
