We are delighted to receive our first ever Curious Minds Award for our teaching of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Maths) education during the year. Well done to all who contributed including our staff, one of our parents- Conor, Bricks 4 Kidz and of course, the children. See what the Curious Minds Team wrote about us below and take a peak at all the activities we took part in during the year that helped us attain our first Curious Minds Award!
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Congratulations and well done to everyone at Ballycroneen National School on achieving the SFI Curious Minds Gold Award 2024. Your submission clearly shows the amazing work you have done throughout this year in STEM. It was great to see your learners in different classes engaged in a wide range of exciting activities and projects. We really enjoyed hearing about your learners investigating lungs, circuits, heat & insulation, Microbits and Beebots, pulleys and catapults. Your work on Engineering this year was impressive - well done to the learners who engineered the machines for carrying lego, and explored structual engineering. It was great to see photos of learners having fun with STEM during Space Week and at your Show and Tell fair. From SFI Curious Minds Team
1.Science
1.Science
Living Things: The Lungs
Living Things: The Lungs
The children learned about the lungs including- parts of the lungs, diseases of the lungs, how they work with the heart and how it oxygenates blood. The children built model lungs using balloons, straws, a lungs template and tape. They also labelled parts of the lungs on the diagram. They also used our ‘Virtuali-tee’ to see a virtual representation of the lungs on a child.
Energy & Forces: Circuits
Energy & Forces: Circuits
For the Energy & Forces strand, 4th-6th classes learned about circuits. They learned how to make a basic circuit using a light bulb, leads, and a battery. They then went on to make more complex circuits like parallel and series circuits. They learned circuits symbols and where you would see circuits in everyday life. They also learned about conductors and insulators. Additionally, they learned about the dangers of electricity and the job of an electrician. To conclude the unit, they had to fit a light fitting/fan to a ‘room’ of their choosing that incorporated a switch (see video above)
Materials: Solids, Liquids & Gases
Materials: Solids, Liquids & Gases
For the materials strand of science, the children learned about solids, liquids and gases. They learned how materials can change state depending on if they are heated or cooled. They used concept cartoons to raise a discussion based on condensation on a window and how it got there. They learned that materials can be good conductors or insulators of heat and conducted an experiment to test this theory: They placed warm water in various bowl types- metal, wood, glass. They checked the bowls every couple of minutes to see what bowls heated up and which ones remained cool. We concluded that materials such as wood are a good insulators of heat and metals are good conductors of heat. Examples in everyday life include: saucepan handles (insulator) and saucepan base (conductor)
Environmental Awareness & Care: Bird's Nest
Environmental Awareness & Care: Bird's Nest
In this strand, the infant classes learned about bird habitats and discovered that a bird’s nest had been destroyed. They discussed bird’s nests and what they compose of. In groups, the children explored our school garden and found materials to build a new nest. They learned that in Spring, we must not cut down our hedges as birds nest at this time of year.
Science Activity 1: Space Week
Science Activity 1: Space Week
For Space Week, the children were learning about eclipses and how the moon blocks out the sun temporarily resulting in darkness during the day. The children watched videos of eclipses and how the moon orbits the Earth and then created their own eclipses in art class.
Science Activity 2: DREAM Space Live
Science Activity 2: DREAM Space Live
For Engineers week, 1st-6th classes took part in a DREAM Space Live event. They learned about an the job of an electronic engineer and how code is used to operate devices. The children then took part in a coding workshop using the school’s Chromebooks
2.Technology
2.Technology
Activity 1: Microbits
Activity 1: Microbits
The children in 4th-6th classes enjoyed Microbit lessons. To celebrate Valentines Day, the children coded messages and symbols for their loved ones. They learned about the parts of a Microbit, with a particular emphasis on the LED screen. They then used the Chromebooks to design their hearts and messages. Finally they downloaded them onto the Microbits to share with their class mates and school community.
VID_20240229004426.mp4Activity 2: Beebots
Activity 2: Beebots
1st-3rd classes enjoyed coding with Beebots. They integrated it with their Maths work (2D-Shape). They had to match shapes with similar properties by coding the Beebot to go from a start position to an end point. They learned about mistakes in code and how to fix them (debugging)
3.Engineering
3.Engineering
Activity 1: LEGO Workshop by Bricks 4 Kidz
Activity 1: LEGO Workshop by Bricks 4 Kidz
The children took part in a Lego workshop where they had to build a machine to carry ‘Lego pencils’. The children designed and altered their robots until they were fully functioning. They were also given a challenge to see how many ‘pencils’ their robot could carry. Thank you to Brick 4 Kidz for a really enjoyable workshop!
Activity 2: Engineer Workshop
Activity 2: Engineer Workshop
We welcomed Conor, a local structural engineer and a parent of our school, to teach the children about structural engineering. He spoke about the different types of engineering, examples of his work locally and what his typical day entails. He also brought some samples of his engineering for the children to investigate. Thank you for your contribution to our award!
4.Maths
4.Maths
Activity 1: Averages
Activity 1: Averages
For Maths integration, the children focused on averages. The had to find the optimal position for a target to be placed by calculating the distance form the catapult to where the object landed. After 10 launches, they added up the distances and then divided it by 10. They then placed a tub (target)at the average point calculated and checked to see if their chances of reaching the target increased (see video above)
Activity 2: Area
Activity 2: Area
We extended our learning in the Circuits unit by focusing on the cost to build/design a room. We focused on flooring. The children found the area of their rooms and had to find the cost to floor it. They were given prices for flooring it. The price varied depending on the material i.e. wood, tile, carpet etc. The children then drew a floor plan of their room and marked in the perimeter and area.
5.Show & Tell
5.Show & Tell
Our pupils showcased their science work to the other classes in the school with a Show & Tell session. There were 6 stations-
1. Microbit coding 2. Circuits 3. The Heart 4. The Lungs 5. Simple Machines 6. Lego Spike kits
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