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I like the idea of building small habits to appreciate what we have like turning off the tap etc. These are all things that young children can do to help reach sustainability goals.
Reflecting on Sustainable Development Goal 5, Gender Equality, has strengthened my awareness of how gender stereotypes affect children both locally and globally. In Ireland, children may feel restricted by expectations about the toys they play with, the colours they like, or the activities they choose. Globally, many girls continue to face barriers to education, healthcare, and equal opportunities because of their gender. In my Senior Infants classroom, I would encourage children to challenge stereotypes by providing inclusive resources, selecting books with diverse role models, and promoting respectful discussions where every child feels valued. Through play, stories, and cooperative activities, children can learn that everyone should have the same opportunities regardless of gender. This approach supports ESD to 2030 Priority Action Area 5 by empowering learners to become active participants in creating a fairer society. The Global Inequality module can also inform School Self-Evaluation by encouraging staff to reflect on inclusive practice, classroom resources, and school policies, helping to embed equality, respect, and global citizenship within the whole-school culture and everyday learning.
I really like the idea of using the photo stimuli to demonstrate the different roles that people have. For example I think it would be a good idea to highlight how doctors and nurses can be male and female, bus drivers can be male and female etc. These real life examples can help children from a young age challenge gender stereotypes.
Gender stereotypes can influence children from a very young age, influencing the activities they choose and the way they view themselves and others. During my time in a Junior Infant classroom, I observed boys saying that they could not play with the dolls during playtime because they believed dolls were “for girls.” However, I also noticed that when they thought their peers were not watching, they happily engaged in imaginative play with the dolls. This highlighted how early children become aware of social expectations and how these ‘expectations’ can limit their choices and activities. As a teacher, I have always encouraged boys to play with dolls by creating an environment where all toys are available to every child and where children get the opportunity to choose during free play. Rather than drawing attention to boys playing with dolls, I treat it as a normal part of classroom play. By avoiding any reaction, I aim to encourage the boys to play with the dolls if they wish. I also would often state that the dolls are for everyone to play with.
Development education can play an important role in challenging these stereotypes by promoting equality, inclusion, and respect for diversity. Through carefully chosen stories, discussions, and play-based learning, children can learn to question stereotypes and appreciate that everyone should feel free to explore their interests without fear of judgement or exclusion.I believe development education is important because it helps children understand fairness, diversity, sustainability, and their role in creating a more fair, equitable world. Reading Eric Ehigie’s paper, The Role of Global Citizens in Today’s World, reinforced my belief that global citizenship begins with developing empathy, respect, and an awareness of how our actions affect others. As a Senior Infant teacher, I can create opportunities for my students to begin to explore these ideas through stories, play, discussions, and activities that celebrate different cultures, encourage kindness, and promote caring for the environment. I would integrate development education across the curriculum by using picture books, cooperative games, art, and simple environmental projects such as recycling or gardening. I would also encourage my colleagues to plan similar development education activities throughout the school so that pupils experience consistent messages and meaningful opportunities to engage with global issues at an age-appropriate level. Working collaboratively would help foster a whole-school ethos in this respect.
My Name is Rachel and I will be teaching senior infants in the coming academic year. My favourite space fact is that a day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus.
I have in the past used the inquiry-based approach to teach my senior infant class about floating and sinking. I began by introducing a variety of everyday objects, such as a leaf, stone, cork, spoon and toy car, and invite the children to predict whether each item would float or sink. Rather than giving answers, I would encourage them to explain their thinking and then test their ideas by placing the objects in a container of water. I then allowed them to choose their own objects to experiment with. Throughout the activity, I asked open-ended questions to promote discussion and observation. I have observed how this hands-on experience helps the children develop important scientific skills, including predicting, observing and communicating their ideas. If i was to do this activity again, I would put the children working together in small groups to also support social skills such as listening, sharing and taking turns. Reflecting on the activity, I feel it would make science enjoyable and meaningful while allowing me to assess the children’s understanding and identify opportunities to extend their learning.
Floating and sinking activities are always a hit with my class. The children enjoy extending this activity into their play also
I like how the children get the opportunity to share what they already know about rockets and then go on to design their own rocket.
I would use the Dancing Raisins activity in my Senior Infant classroom as a fun and engaging way to introduce children to scientific observation and prediction. The activity would capture the children’s curiosity as they watch the raisins move up and down in the fizzy drink, encouraging them to ask questions and think about why this is happening. Before beginning, I would invite the children to predict what they think will happen when the raisins are placed in water and then in the fizzy drink. They could record their predictions in many ways, including drawing pictures on whiteboards, describing to a friend etc. This would help develop their reasoning and communication skills while encouraging them to share their ideas confidently.As the raisins begin to “dance,” I would encourage the children to observe carefully and describe what they notice using simple scientific language such as float, sink, bubbles and rise. I would use open-ended questions to promote discussion and critical thinking rather than simply providing the explanation. Following the demonstration, we could record our observations together through drawings or simple sentences, supporting both science and literacy development.
This activity aligns well with the Primary Science Curriculum by promoting inquiry-based learning through observing, predicting and discussing. It also encourages curiosity and a positive attitude towards science. I believe this hands-on investigation would make learning memorable while developing children’s confidence in exploring and explaining the world around them.I think that this is a really lovely idea and would allow children much ownership over their learning.
Lesson: ‘Where do you live’
Teaching this lesson in my Senior Infant classroom would provide a valuable opportunity to help children make meaningful connections between their own lives and the wider community. I would begin with a discussion about their homes, which allows children to develop oral language skills while celebrating the diversity of families and homes. Encouraging children to draw and then build a model of their own house supports creativity, fine motor development and spatial awareness, while also allowing them to express their individuality. The collaborative village activity is particularly effective in my opinion as it encourages teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. By discussing what is missing from the village, children begin to understand that communities depend on many different people, buildings and services to meet everyday needs. This links well with the Aistear themes of Identity and Belonging and Exploring and Thinking, as children learn through play, discussion and hands-on experiences.
In my classroom, I would extend this lesson by encouraging children to include local landmarks, making the activity even more relevant to their own experiences. I would also ensure that all children’s homes are represented.Using the Star Lantern activity in my Senior Infant classroom would provide an engaging and meaningful way to introduce children to the wonders of space. The activity encourages curiosity, observation, and discussion as children explore how stars appear in the night sky and how light travels through small openings.
I would begin by reading a story about the night sky and constellations to spark children’s interest before introducing the lantern-making activity. We would then look at some constellations on the IWB. As the children carefully create their lanterns, they would develop fine motor skills through cutting, colouring, and assembling. Once completed, we would darken the classroom and use torches inside the lanterns to observe the patterns of light, encouraging children to describe what they notice and make predictions about how the light changes. They could bring these lanterns home and explore further with their parents/guardians at night.
This activity would promote scientific inquiry through questioning, observing, and communicating findings while also integrating visual arts, oral language, and mathematics through shape recognition and pattern making. Working collaboratively would encourage social development as children share ideas and help one another.
I think the Star Lantern activity would create a memorable, hands-on learning experience that nurtures children’s natural curiosity about space while making science enjoyable, accessible, and relevant to their everyday experiences.
