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Sustainability is vital for protecting our resources to use, but also protecting the environment and the species which live on our planet. I have never heard of the 3 pillars and how these principles provide a framework to evaluate sustainability for people. Seaweed farming has become more popular across Ireland in recent years. It is commonly used in cosmetics or spa treatments because of the great qualities it offers. It has become a fast growing industry. Introducing the children to this versatile product will give them the opportunity to get a better understanding of how important our oceans are and how we can become more sustainable in order to keep them for future generations. Introducing the children to the different labels associated with sustainability – MSC and ASC will allow them the opportunity to keep an eye out for these when in supermarkets and make better choices. I thought the slide with the links of threatened species interesting and will be bringing that back to the classroom. These links are great starter points for discussion on sustainability.
When we look at the effects of non-sustainability, such as global warming and its effects, we often forget about the sea animals, such as oysters, salmon, shellfish. It would be a great learning opportunity for the children, especially as we are an island.
The booklet would be a great resource for the senior classes to use. It’s great that your school reviews your healthy eating policy each year. As you mentioned, sometimes it is hard to implement it when you don’t have the parents on board.
This module has highlighted great resources we can use in the classroom. Nutrition is an essential part of a healthy and balanced diet. The food pyramid is a great representation to help with maintaining a healthy diet. Going through each section of the food pyramid is a informative lesson in itself. From my own experience, children have less knowledge of what is considered ‘healthy’. By using the food pyramid as a classroom resource, it shows the children where they can obtain certain nutrients and minerals for their body to maintain a healthy diet. Before this module I didn’t realise that such a large amount of the Irish population – 80% is lacking vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D is essential for us, especially as it allows for the absorption of Calcium in the body. The Healthy Food for Life is a great website that offers invaluable information that can be incorporated across the curriculum.
The online ARC lessons and resources provide a great range of topics that I can see my class loving. It is great to have the use of these and I plan on using these next year. I am excited to share these resources with other staff members too. I can see the older children enjoying researching a chosen aspect of sea farming and creating a project on this. The Blue School Award is something I will look into with my class as I know many of them would be interested in it. This course has given me a whole different angle on farming. There are so many links between STEM and aquaculture that can be highlighted to the children. Students are given the opportunity to be made aware of the many jobs available in the aquaculture industry, which is STEM based. It would be great to get a field trip to a seafood producer to reinforce what we are learning about.
As you have mentioned the areas where tourism may never have taken off now have the opportunities to flourish because of the support that is now available for the aquaculture industry.
I didn’t realise the vast amount of tools and resources available before this course. There are lots of fun links and videos that I know the kids will love.
This module has highlighted great resources we can use in the classroom. Nutrition is an essential part of a healthy and balanced diet. The food pyramid is a great representation to help with maintaining a healthy diet. Going through each section of the food pyramid is a informative lesson in itself. From my own experience, children have less knowledge of what is considered ‘healthy’. By using the food pyramid as a classroom resource, it shows the children where they can obtain certain nutrients and minerals for their body to maintain a healthy diet. Before this module I didn’t realise that such a large amount of the Irish population – 80% is lacking vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D is essential for us, especially as it allows for the absorption of Calcium in the body. The Healthy Food for Life is a great website that offers invaluable information that can be incorporated across the curriculum.
Very true about the lack of information in school text books. This is something I am hoping to incorporate in the classroom next year.
To be honest, before I did this course, I wouldn’t have thought too much about sea-farming, etc. When you think of farming, you automatically think of agriculture farming. This course has made me more aware of the importance of aquaculture has in the Irish economy. It supports local coastal communities, both directly and indirectly. Having watched the video clips, I can see how huge mussel farming is. Not only for the mussel farmers, but also you must think of the divers. Having the opportunity to become a professional diver and making it a job is great in Ireland. The BIM has been hugely successful and is a great Agency. Another area for aquaculture to contribute to the economy would be salmon farms. As this is predominantly in the western side of Ireland, because of the location of harbours and piers, it offers employment opportunities. All of these have led to improved employment in the local area.
This course interested me as I felt it could offer a different dimension to ‘farming’ in the classroom. I was unaware of the resources available for this area and even after only completing this first section, I can see where I can find more. I found the Aquaculture Remote Classroom particularly fascinating and can only imagine the children’s reaction if you were lucky enough for it to visit your school. I will be looking into signing my school up for the waiting list. The BIM website has so much information to offer and can be used right across the school. The videos are a great resource for the children to learn about oysters, etc. The Taste the Atlantic is a great idea to promote the fantastic seafood producers around Ireland. I was unaware of the various websites available offering so much information – The Native Oyster Network was useful. All of these resources are an invaluable tool for making children more aware of where their food actually comes from.
