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That sounds like a great plan! Starting small is a smart approach, and using the FIT Count in your wildflower garden is a perfect hands-on way to explore biodiversity. I love how you’ve included cross-curricular links—using art, English, science, and maths really brings the learning to life for students
You can help bees and other insects by signing up your garden with the All Ireland Pollinator Plan. It is free and simple. When you join, you can write down what you do to help pollinators. This could be planting flowers, cutting the grass less often, or not using sprays. These small things really help.
You can also sign up your school. Go to the Pollinator Plan website and register as a Pollinator School. Then you can do things like plant flowers at school, make a bug hotel, or leave some grass to grow wild. You can stop using sprays and teach students about bees and butterflies. These actions give pollinators food and places to live.
Every garden or school that joins helps make Ireland better for nature. Helping pollinators is easy and fun, and everyone can do it. Even small actions can make a big difference for bees.
For younger classes, I would start a map-making lesson by talking about what maps are and why we use them. I would show simple maps of places the children know, like a park or school. Then, we would walk around the school grounds and draw what we see paths, trees, playgrounds, and buildings making a simple map together. Back in the classroom, I would use Google Maps to show our school from above. This helps children connect their drawings to real-life maps. We could zoom in and out to see where the school is in the town or country. I could also use Geohive to show fun map features, like different land uses or terrain. The children would then colour and label their own maps. This lesson helps with spatial awareness and gives them an early understanding of geography. It’s fun, hands-on, and uses both outdoor learning and technology.
This is a great way to connect local learning with real tools. Using Geohive, Met Éireann, and Google Earth makes lessons more interesting and meaningful. It’s also great how you link it to many subjects—this helps children see how everything is connected and learn more about their own area.
I agree that planning and time management are key. It’s inspiring that you’re open to using STEM across subjects like Maths and Geography. Your past experience with inquiry-based learning is a strong foundation for encouraging student-led, cross-curricular STEM learning.
After reading Unravelling STEM: Beyond the Acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths by Liston (2018), I understand STEM education as being more than just teaching the four subjects separately. In my classroom, STEM means combining science, technology, engineering, and maths in real-world tasks that help students think critically and solve problems. It’s not just about learning facts, but about using knowledge in creative and practical ways. Liston encourages teachers to see STEM as a way to help students connect their learning to the world around them. In my classroom, I try to do this by planning hands-on projects where students can explore and investigate. For example, we might design a simple bridge using everyday materials, which involves understanding forces (science), measuring and calculating (maths), building (engineering), and sometimes using simple digital tools (technology).Another point Liston makes is the importance of inclusion and making sure all students feel they belong in STEM. I try to support this by encouraging teamwork, celebrating different ideas, and showing that mistakes are part of learning. I also try to include examples and stories that represent a wide range of people in STEM fields. Liston’s paper helped me reflect on the deeper purpose of STEM education. It’s not just about preparing students for future jobs, but about helping them become curious, confident thinkers who can tackle challenges in their everyday lives. In my classroom, STEM is a mindset as much as a subject area.
In my local area, sustainability is supported through recycling programs, tidy town clean-ups, and tree-planting projects. There are also walking and cycling paths to encourage people to travel in a more eco-friendly way. The local community garden and wildflower areas help support biodiversity and give people a chance to get involved in caring for the environment. To help pupils explore this further, I would start with a local nature walk, where they can observe these efforts firsthand. This would be followed by a class discussion about what they saw and why it’s important. Pupils could talk to family members about what they do at home to help the environment, such as recycling or reducing food waste. In the classroom, we could do simple upcycling projects using old materials, plant herbs or flowers in small pots, and set up a “green team” to promote eco-friendly habits in school. These activities help pupils understand that even small actions can have a big impact on their community and the planet.
I love how you connect local sustainability efforts with hands-on learning. The nature walk and eco-map are great ways to make pupils more aware of their environment. Involving families through interviews and introducing green ambassadors helps build a strong community connection and encourages real responsibility among students
I really like how you connected seafood nutrition to different subjects like Science, SPHE, and Maths. It’s a great way to make learning meaningful and practical. The link to sustainability and the Green-Schools programme is especially important, helping students understand both healthy eating and caring for the environment
Learning about the nutrition of seafood has shown me how important it is for a healthy diet. Seafood is full of protein, vitamins (like B12 and D), and omega-3 fats that help with brain development and heart health. This knowledge can be shared with students in fun and useful ways. In Science lessons, we could look at why our bodies need these nutrients and compare the nutrition of different foods. In SPHE, students can learn about healthy eating habits and how to make good food choices. We can also bring Maths into it by reading food labels, working out portion sizes, or graphing what we eat in a week. Talking about seafood also gives us the chance to discuss where food comes from, how it’s caught or farmed, and the importance of sustainability. This links well with Geography, Environmental Studies, and the Green-Schools programme. Overall, teaching about seafood nutrition helps students understand their health, their environment, and the choices they make every day.
I really like how you connected the story of The Salmon of Knowledge to multiple subjects, it shows how STEM can be both engaging and meaningful. Using cultural stories to spark cross-curricular learning is a great idea, and the aquaculture theme fits perfectly with both the STEM Policy and SSE goals.
After exploring the ARC Online Lessons & Resources, I’ve found many useful ideas that I can bring into my teaching. These lessons focus on hands-on, problem-solving activities that get students thinking like scientists, engineers, and designers. 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.
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 stronger STEM learning across all classes in a clear and structured way.
Aquaculture farms in Ireland are mostly found along the coast, often in small or remote communities. These areas can face challenges like fewer job opportunities and people moving away, especially young people. Aquaculture can help by creating local jobs, supporting small businesses, and keeping people connected to the sea, a big part of Irish coastal life. Many coastal families have fished for generations, aquaculture feels like a natural fit. It allows people to use their knowledge of the ocean in a new and sustainable way. If done responsibly and with input from the local community, aquaculture can bring long-term benefits and build trust between farmers and residents. However, it’s important that these farms are carefully planned and don’t harm the environment. Protecting our waters means the jobs and benefits from aquaculture can last for years to come, helping both the people and the place thrive.
I agree with you statement above. Aquaculture, when managed responsibly, has the potential to be both an economic engine and a means of protecting traditional ways of life, particularly in coastal and rural communities. It can provide sustainable livelihoods, contribute to global food security, and reduce pressure on wild fish stocks. As Mark rightly points out, this growth must be grounded in sustainability and environmental care. Poorly regulated or short-sighted practices can lead to habitat destruction, pollution, and social conflict undermining the very benefits aquaculture promises.
