Ecolution: The joy of stepping out into nature on a mini school tour
Fall in love with nature, as we visit a park with Rang a hAon from Gaelscoil Bhaile Munna with Caitriona Kenny and GAP Ireland. Plus, we join teachers in Herbert Park with Globe Ireland, finding new ways to talk about the environment.
Subscribe to the Ecolution Podcast on RTÉ, Apple or Spotify - listen to the latest episode up top now!
There are so many teachers who want to get outside with their students, but sometimes, due to where they are or lack of access to an obvious wild space, they don't know how best to start. The great thing is you can get help on your first step outside and into nature. So this week we're continuing our "mini-series within a series" on nature connection in schools.
We head to Ballymun to meet Rang a hAon from Gaelscoil Bhaile Munna, who, over a number of weeks in their local park, learned how to be stewards for nature. Caring for the biodiversity already there, reflecting on what was missing and making the space a better place for those wild creatures that make it special. All facilitated by Caitriona Kenny, then Education Officer for Global Action Plan Ireland. Because it's never too young to care about nature. As Caitriona says: "At only 7 years old, they were able to make the connection between a non-diverse ecosystem and what they're missing out on then"
Our panel talk about how important it is to have a strong role model in their school to lead the Green Schools initiative and spark environmentalism.
And we joined teachers in Herbert Park with Globe Ireland. Aileen Bright and Sabrina Moore lead an in-service for teachers, all keen to find new ways to talk about climate and biodiversity in the classroom. And how best to get their classes out in nature regardless of where they're based.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
25-06-2025
- RTÉ News
Ecolution: The joy of stepping out into nature on a mini school tour
On this episode of Ecolution, RTÉ Kids' climate podcast for young people, we tag along on two mini school tours that bring kids into the great outdoors. Fall in love with nature, as we visit a park with Rang a hAon from Gaelscoil Bhaile Munna with Caitriona Kenny and GAP Ireland. Plus, we join teachers in Herbert Park with Globe Ireland, finding new ways to talk about the environment. Subscribe to the Ecolution Podcast on RTÉ, Apple or Spotify - listen to the latest episode up top now! There are so many teachers who want to get outside with their students, but sometimes, due to where they are or lack of access to an obvious wild space, they don't know how best to start. The great thing is you can get help on your first step outside and into nature. So this week we're continuing our "mini-series within a series" on nature connection in schools. We head to Ballymun to meet Rang a hAon from Gaelscoil Bhaile Munna, who, over a number of weeks in their local park, learned how to be stewards for nature. Caring for the biodiversity already there, reflecting on what was missing and making the space a better place for those wild creatures that make it special. All facilitated by Caitriona Kenny, then Education Officer for Global Action Plan Ireland. Because it's never too young to care about nature. As Caitriona says: "At only 7 years old, they were able to make the connection between a non-diverse ecosystem and what they're missing out on then" Our panel talk about how important it is to have a strong role model in their school to lead the Green Schools initiative and spark environmentalism. And we joined teachers in Herbert Park with Globe Ireland. Aileen Bright and Sabrina Moore lead an in-service for teachers, all keen to find new ways to talk about climate and biodiversity in the classroom. And how best to get their classes out in nature regardless of where they're based.
RTÉ News
11-06-2025
- RTÉ News
Ecolution visits an outdoor classroom in Wicklow where the kids are learning in nature
This week on Ecolution, RTÉ's climate podcast for young people, we head to St Patrick's Primary School in Curtlestown, Co Wicklow to visit their outdoor classroom. A place nestled under trees where students connect to nature and even do maths! Listen and suscribe to Ecolution on RTÉ, Apple or Spotify! The end of year usually means school trips and sunny sports days, a welcome relief from being stuck in stuffy classrooms. Well, imagine if your school had a way of bringing the outside to you all year long. Earlier this Spring Ecolution went to a school in Wicklow that does just that. St Patrick's Primary School in Curtlestown has a purpose built outdoor classroom, set up by staff and parents post lockdown. The idea behind creating an outdoor classroom is to create a beautiful, exciting, inspirational outdoor learning area that's suited to your school. Whatever amount of space you have. Here, just outside Enniskerry, they found the perfect spot. The morning we visited, the field beside the school was filled with bleating lambs, and birdsong filled the air. We approached a wooden gate which swung back easily to let us in to the large outdoor classroom. Two whiteboards under covers sit at either end of the space, nestled under trees at the base of a forested slope. Filled with picnic benches, there is space for two whole classes of children to be taught at the same time. All out in the elements and surrounded by nature. We visited in March and flowers had just begun to bud. But having an outdoor classroom allows the students to chart the passage of nature all throughout the year. Nature connection is vital, and the main reason the teaching space was built. But the outdoor classroom offers a whole lot more, with Maths, English and History regularly taught outside when the weather allows. One teacher even led a shamanic drumming session in the classroom. This school is built on community. The creation of this space was a great example of the positive collective action we spoke about in last week's Ecolution. Not all schools have the space to create an outdoor classroom, but as the students of St Patricks have found, everyone benefits from taking their class outside. We say how much they love what they have, and it's something that will last long after these kids head off after 6th class.
Irish Independent
07-06-2025
- Irish Independent
Inspiring scenes as award-winning Wicklow national school garden welcomes community
Under the guidance of Wendy Nairn, the organic garden has flourished this season, producing a bounty of fresh vegetables and herbs that the children have enjoyed nurturing. The garden open day allows the wider community to visit the garden and witness for themselves the amount of hard work and effort the pupils put in to maintain it. Pupils and their parents provided plenty of baked goods on the day, and there were also opportunities to purchase some of the plants and produce grown by the pupils. The open day also acted as a celebration of Brittas Bay National School as winners of the Explorers Ocean Champion Award. They are also only the second school in the country to be honoured as an EU Blue Life School and were the regional winners of the Green Schools programme. Principal Una Gallinagh said: 'We had a wonderful attendance for our open day and the place was packed. It was an opportunity as well for the pupils to showcase all their hard work. It's a totally organic garden and Wendy Nairn provides the pupils with great guidance. Parents also help out and we have won numerus awards for the garden, including one from Wicklow County Council. 'We also used the occasion to celebrate the school's recognition as national winners of the Explorers Ocean Champion Award. Joe Silk from the Marine Institute was in attendance as well to celebrate with us. There was a huge amount of work involved, with pupils going down to the beach and investigating phytoplankton. They organised regular clean-ups of the beach, and held different competitions. They also analysed some of the litter they found. 'We have one child's work currently on display in Cork City Hall, and that's only the tip of all the work the pupils put in. We were also awarded status as an EU Blue Life School, and are only the second one in the country.' The blue school network involves schools, which through project-based learning, engages students with marine- and maritime-related topics to create awareness and a feeling of responsibility for our ocean. Tánaiste Simon Harris sent the school a video message, congratulating the school community on their recent achievements. Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore, Wicklow County Council cathaoirleach, Cllr Paul O'Brien, Cllr Warren O'Toole and Wicklow-Wexford TD Malcolm Byrne were all in attendance. Speaking about the Explorers Ocean Champion Award, Ms Whitmore said: 'The children's project was truly inspiring. They explored everything from phytoplankton to photosynthesis, and even created a giant cyanotype artwork to bring their learning to life. Needless to say, I was very impressed. 'I was particularly struck by the whole-school approach. Every child, every teacher, and even parents and the wider community were involved. That kind of collaboration is powerful and makes a huge difference. The beach cleans, the family competitions, the scientific investigations, this wasn't just a school project, it was a movement. ADVERTISEMENT 'I want to commend principal Una Gallinagh, teachers Imelda Burke and Carmel Skelly, and the brilliant outreach work of Mona McCrea from the Marine Institute's Explorers Programme. As we approach World Ocean Day this weekend, this award is a timely reminder of the importance of marine education for our youth. We need to support more schools to do this kind of work, with proper funding and resources. 'Brittas Bay NS has set a national example of what it means to be Ocean Champions. It was really special to be there to celebrate with the students as they received this award.'
