Science is relevant and important to each and every one of us, each and every day of our lives – a fact celebrated by the annual Science Week Ireland. This year’s Science Week is from November 13th - 20th November 2023 - and our Innovation and Beyond programme is the perfect way to help your school celebrate this key event!
Science Assemblies
Assemblies are a great way, of course, of both generating a buzz around school and sowing the seeds for a shared experience, so we're happy to lead interactive and entertaining whole-school assemblies at the start of a day of any of our science programmes - and all at no extra cost!
The Connection -P1 - P7 / Junior Infants to Sixth Class
The Connection places science, engineering and technology firmly in context by exploring the lives, achievements and legacies of individuals whose inventions and discoveries have affected all our lives! A highly engaging, thought provoking and informative whole-school programme, The Connection can accommodate the whole of up to a two-form entry school in a single day, compromising …
An interactive assembly, Connections and Causality - showing how the Stone Age discovery of ways of making and manipulating fire led to a whole series of scientific “moments” across the ages, culminating in the projected missions to send humans to Mars!
Workshops (one per year group), looking at the work of a particular scientist/technologist/engineer - and the connections between their work and everyday life. There is a deliberate and conscious focus on diversity - and clear connections, too, to science strands that each year group will be exploring at some point in the year!
P1 (Exploring the World): Elijah McCoy, who changed the railways for ever, making possible the long journeys that make the world today a little smaller!
P2: (Materials): Lyda Newman, who patented the first modern-day hairbrush by moving away from animal fibres and towards purpose-centred approaches.
P3: (Living Things and their Habitats): Charles Henry Turner, and his work on ways in which termite colonies respond individually and collectively to changes in their environments.
P4: (Forces): Sarah Goode, whose understanding of the ways in which different forces act was behind her invention of the world’s first fold-up bed!
P5: (Animals, including Humans): Marie Curie, the double-Nobel winner whose work with radioactivity expanded our knowledge and understanding of the structure of the human body.
P6: (Space): Katherine Johnson, whose groundbreaking work leading a team of NASA computer programmers allowed the Apollo missions to land humans on the moon.
P7: (Circulatory System): Charles Richard Drew, whose early attempts to study at medical school were thwarted by racist authorities – but who went on to save millions of loves by revolutionising how we collect, store, transport and use blood products.
Every school booking The Connection will also receive a link to a package of downloadable follow-up resources.
Innovation and Beyond - P1 - P7 / Junior Infants to Sixth Class
An exciting and engaging way to explore Seven Innovations That Have Changed the World – and some lesser sung heroes of innovation, including Mae Jemison (a medical doctor who became the first African American woman in space), Elijah McCoy (who revolutionised the railway industry) and Charles Richard Drew (whose work on blood plasma saved countless lives in WW2 – and is still being used today). Innovation and Beyond is available for both in-person visits and streamed delivery - and you can also purchase a resource pack allowing teachers to deliver the activities themselves!
Seven Wonders of the World - P1 - P7 / Junior Infants to Sixth Class
Seven Wonders of the World introduces pupils to some of the amazing lifeforms the Earth is home to – and reminds them of the crucial role that climate plays in maintaining diversity. This Big Science Day has three components …An interactive, whole-school opening assembly looking at (with the help of some of your pupils) the uniqueness of Earth (as far as we know!), some of the dangers posed to it by human activity – and what some ordinary people are doing to help …Tailored workshops for every year group, using age-appropriate drama-based techniques to explore the diverse lifeforms supported by particular habitats, some of the challenges posed to them – and what can be done to protect them. Where time allows, celebratory closing assembly, in which classes work through a structured approach to share what they have learnt with the rest of the school community.
Suitable For: P1 - P7/ Senior Infants – 7th Class
Duration: whole day
Big Science
Starting with a whole-school assembly, the rest of the day is taken up with workshops for a year group at a time - with whole-school themes including Journeys into Space, Amazing Animals (and Hair raising Humans), Exploring Evolution, Phenomenal Plants, Considering Conservation, Looking at Light, Eclectic Electricity, The Marvel of Materials, May the Force Be With You and The Sense of Sound!
Families Event: Top Tips for Saving the Planet! (add on session)
If we’re serious about saving planet Earth, it’s becoming more and more obvious that individuals need to take actions in their daily lives, rather than just relying on governments and big business to do it for them. So, coming at the end of a day of workshops with pupils (and following an opportunity for children to share some of their learning with their parents/carers), this engaging workshop manages to both take a light hearted look at some of the challenges that face us and support families in identifying real changes they can make. And by the end of the afternoon, you’ll have your very own school Pledge to Protect the Planet! And, by booking one of these at the end of a day of our workshops with pupils, you'll get it all for a fraction of the usual price!
Combatting Climate Change – By Growing for Gold! - P1 - P7 / Junior Infants to Sixth Class
Growing for Gold, taps into the innate understanding children have of the peril that Planet Earth is in by exploring how we can all take steps to “grow” gold standard strategies designed to combat climate change. After a whole-school assembly looking at what climate change is, what it does and where it comes from, each year group will tackle its own question in a drama-based workshop – with a “virtual” Gold Medal going to the group with the best response! also available as a whole-school resource package at www.ascreativesconnect.com
P1: What can we do at home to help save Planet Earth?
P2: How can what we wear help save Planet Earth?
P3: How can the way we travel help save Planet Earth?
P4: How can what we buy help combat climate change?
P5: How can what we eat help combat climate change?
P6: How can recycling help combat climate change?
P7: How can we persuade the world to combat climate change?
Big Science Day - By Growing for Gold! - P1 - P7 / Junior Infants to Sixth Class
Whole-school celebrations of Science can be challenging if different year groups are all exploring different areas of the curriculum - which is where our Big Science Days can help! We’ll start the day with a whole-school assembly exploring the wonder, importance and relevance of science - then deliver workshops for each year group, using drama techniques to bring key areas of their scientific investigations to life. And as each workshop can accommodate up to 60 children, a Big Science Day can cater for up to 420 pupils!
Our Big Science Days also offer a great way to generate a whole-school “science buzz” – so we also have some amazing thematic thematic days to choose from. All rooted in the Curriculum these include:
- Journeys into Space
- Amazing Animals (and Hair Raising Humans)
- Exploring Evolution
- Phenomenal Plants
- Considering Conservation
- Looking at Light
- Eclectic Electricity
- The Marvel of Materials
- May the Force Be With You
- Making Sense of SounD
Science Skills -P1 - P7 / Junior Infants to Sixth Class
Creating a “buzz” about Science Investigation – through drama!
What skills does a Science Investigator need – and how can the natural world help us identify and understand them? This quick-fired workshop, suitable for up to 60 children at a time, answers these questions through a high energy drama activity that incorporates both team working and problem-solving too. And longer workshops can also include a game designed to cement key content from topics classes are currently exploring!
Exploring: science investigation skills, animal adaptations, subject-specific content
Duration: 30 – 90 minutes, depending on the number of classes
You must be logged in to post a comment.