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I agree, but we have a green schools committee with children from the senior classes, this could be an idea and then buddy up with the smaller classes and do it together.
In the past as Green school’s coordinator I have signed up to initiatives such as Super Valu’s Pollinator Programme, Apple Green Bio-diversity initiative and their has been a green response to it from the children and their families.
I also signed up to the All‑Ireland Pollinator Plan. It is very easy and only requires you to record easy actions, like leaving a “no mow” patch in May, planting pollinator‑friendly flowers such as lavender, sedum and heather, putting out a shallow water dish with stones, and avoiding pesticides. I also noted where I’ve created shelter, we have an insect hotel and long grass, and I keep track of when different flowers that bloom.
As a committee we created a school profile and mapped the grounds. We looked for sunny beds, grassy edges and unused corners. Then we choose simple actions, like planting a small wildflower strip, setting up herb planters, and marking a clear no‑spray policy. I link this to lessons by counting flower types, timing bee visits and keeping a tally chart. Classes help with “before and after” photos and a yearly audit. We share our progress online and through Green schools projects and celebrate becoming a Pollinator‑Friendly School.
I would start with circle time, chatting all about it and listening/sharing ideas. I would then show a simple picture map of the classroom with clear symbols: door, teacher’s desk, reading corner, toilets. Explain that a map is a small picture that shows where things are. I’d then teach 3 symbols: a square for a table, a star for the reading corner, and an arrow for the door.
We would take a short “map walk” around the room. Children point to places and match them to symbols. At their tables, I’d give each child a large sheet with a blank rectangle (the room). Then they’d place stickers or draw simple shapes to show the carpet, their table, and one favourite area. Add a big X for “you are here” and a simple key.
Moving on, I’d use a projector to open Google Maps or GeoHive. Zoom in on our school in Tralee and ask things like: Where is the playground? The car park? They could work in pairs or groups to identify different areas or play a game of ‘I spy’, we’d finish with a show-and-tell of their maps.
This is a very creative idea and a great way to start the year! As Green schools coordinator, I will be giving this a go!
Absolutely — your reflection aligns strongly with STEM principles. Integrating subjects, modelling creativity, and scaffolding children’s ideas are essential for building confident problem‑solvers.
After I read Liston (2018), I can appreciate STEM more in my classroom as “learning by doing” with real problems. I feel the hands-on approach is much better. We blend science, technology, engineering, and maths in one task instead of four separate subjects. For example, in a “mini-garden” project, children observe plant growth (science), use tablets to take photos and make a timeline (technology), design a simple watering system with bottles and tubing (engineering), and measure height each week to make a bar chart (maths). In a “bridge challenge,” teams test different shapes, record how many cubes each bridge holds, and improve their design. Talk moves matter: I ask open questions, “What do you notice? What will you try next?” and we value mistakes as data and learn from them. We use simple tools that every classroom will have: rulers, stopwatches, block coding apps, and recycled materials. Assessment is practical: checklists for planning, testing, and explaining results. STEM feels inclusive when tasks have roles—builder, measurer, recorder—so every child contributes and sees why their idea matters.