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Guest speakers are a super idea. We had a speaker from Bull Island to teach our pupils about Brent Geese. They flock to the football pitches in my schools’ area and it’s great for the pupils to have learned about them and the amazing journey they take every year.
In my local area sustainability practices are widely in evidence. The supermarket down the road has a bottle recycling scheme and a clothes bank. I see people with bags a litter pickers every Saturday on the seafront and on the beach. There is a farmers market every Saturday morning also in our local park. Solar panels are an increasingly common sight on the roofs of houses and the number of electric cars has also increased significantly.
Our school, like many other schools participates in the Green Flag initiative and we have a Green School committee. Two pupils from each class are nominated to be on the Green |School committee. They check that lights are turned off and that that the recycling bin is being used correctly.
We have the hot lunch scheme in my school and the children know to put their foil tray in a container for recycling.
We had Paddy Madden from Marino College visit our school a few years ago and we set up a log pile/bug hotel which the children really enjoy.
I use the Merlin bird identifier app with my class when we go outside to record and identify birdsong. The app will also show a photo of the bird we hear even if we can’t see it.
I love the idea of an Eco Walk and will definitely be doing this in September. it’s such an effective and simple way of making children take noyice of the different sustainability initiatives in the are and also of noticing plant and animal biodiversity.
The very valuable information provided in this chapter provides an opportunity to teach the children about the nutritional value of fish and shellfish. Vitamin D is important for the development in bones and teeth. It is called the sunshine vitamin but the majority of Irish people are lacking in Vitamin D due to our climate. Salmon, mackerel and halibut are all rich sources of Vitamin D.
The amount of iron found in mussels and other shellfish is comparable to that found in red meat. however, the iron in shellfish is heme iron and is more readily absorbed by the human body making shellfish an excellent choice over red meat.
Oily fish are an excellent source of Omega 3 fatty acids which are essential for combatting cardiovascular disease and for developing the brain and vision in younger children. Recent research has also found that Omega 3s, EPAs in particular can be effective in the treatment of mild depression when taken regularly.
I learned that MSC label on fish means sustainably caught and ASC means sustainably farmed which is a very information when buying packaged salmon or prawns.
Although the consumption of fish has increased in Ireland from 11kg in the 1970s to 23kg nowadays we still are far behind countries like Portugal where the average yearly consumption in 55kg per person.
Educating children on the benefits and eating fish and shellfish from an early age could help to improve this. Budget allowing, it would be great to have a tasting party in the class, particularly for things like mussels or prawns that the children are less familiar with.
having explored the ARC Online Lessons & Resources, I’ve found many lovely ideas that I can bring into my teaching in 5th class next year. These lessons focus on hands-on, problem-solving activities that get students thinking like scientists, engineers, and designers.They are working with real data. This fits well with the STEM Education Policy Statement, which encourages schools to help students build skills like critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork.
In my own classroom, I plan to use more real-life projects where students work together to solve problems. For example, using the design process from the ARC resources, students can plan, build, and test their own solutions to challenges. This makes learning more active and meaningful when they are in charge of their own learning. there are lovely ideas on expanding The Salmon of Knowledge story and designing a fish farm.
At a whole-school level, we can link this work to the School Self-Evaluation process by looking at how well we are teaching STEM and setting goals to improve. The ARC resources can help us build more comprehensive STEM education in a clear and structured way.
End of lesson quizzes are an excellent way to consolidate content and to check the childrens’ understanding of the lesson.
That is a good point that |I hadn’t thought of – that aquafarms would help develop infrastructure in these areas as roads and good transport links are required.
Ireland has a natural advantage for the development of aquaculture as it is an island with a long and varied coastline with many calm and sheltered inlets. This provides a perfect setting for the development of aquaculture, creating ideal conditions for the cultivation of different marine species such as mussels and oysters. This natural advantage has allowed aquaculture operations to establish themselves mainly in remote and coastal regions on the western and southern sea board, where they play a very important role in supporting local communities.
Aquaculture provides employment in locations that have seen a decline in traditional jobs such as fishing and farming. Aquaculture brings renewed economic activity. These are varied and offer employment in not just marine farming and processing but also opportunities in scientific research, tourism, logistics, suppliers of equipment and technical support. The jobs rejuvinate rural areas previously suffering from decline and depopulation and add vibrancy and life to these coastal areas.
Importantly, when managed responsibly, aquaculture can be developed in a sustainable way that does not impact the environment in a negative way. Properly planned aquafarming can help protect marine ecosystems while also contributing to economic development. managed and sustainable growth of aquaculture in Ireland doesn’t just provide Ireland with food but also rejuvinates our coastal regions.
Aquaculture introduces children to food systems and marine ecosystems. It encourages understanding of ocean conservation, managing resources and the human impact of human behaviour on our seas and oceans. Children learn the importance of balancing industries like tourism and fishing and with environmental protection. Social License teaches children that communities must give informal approval or trust for projects to succeed. It integrates with subjects like: Science (biology, ecology, environmental science) Geography (how we use our seas, lakes and rivers), Oral Language debates about balancing environmental concerns against economic development and Global Citizenship. Aquaculture and Social License topics allow students to think critically, act responsibly when it comes to the environment and to understand real world problems involving science and society. It prepares them to be informed citizens. Aquaculture can apply to all children in all primary schools. Ireland is a small island nation and none of us live too far from the coast so it is very important that Ireland’s future citizens learn the importance of aquaculture.