Teachers' Resources

If you have hedgerows in your garden or school, download this guide on how to make them perfect for pollinators.

If you want to learn how to grow your own Irish wildflowers from seeds you can collect, download this guide on working with wildflower seed.

If you are thinking of buying or making a bee hotel, download this document first to make sure your nesting habitat is perfect for our bees!

The earliest people that came to Ireland arrived about 9,000 years ago. These people were hunters, fishers and gatherers who used stone to make their tools. This booklet provides information about Co. Wicklow during this period.

This booklet for older age groups provides lots of interesting information about Co. Wicklow during the late Middle Ages. By the middle of the 12th Century many of the Viking towns, such as Dublin and Wexford, as well as the Irish ruling families had forged strong trade and political links with England and mainland Europe. This booklet provides information about Co. Wicklow during this period.

By the year AD 800 Ireland had become a favourite target of the Scandinavian warriors known as 'Vikings'. They arrived by sea in their sturdy ships in search of loot. This booklet provides information about Co. Wicklow during this period.

Encourage the children to engage with the landscape of the surrounding areas, the land and layout of their area and how it can change with new building works.

Fish are animals that are cold-blooded, have fins and a backbone. Most fish have scales and breathe with gills. They’re one of the oldest animal families to live on Earth. They were here long before the dinosaurs – about 500 million years ago — and they still thrive. There are over 25,000 known species of fish. There are probably many more that we haven’t discovered yet.

Encourage the children to recognise what they are eating and where it comes from. Explain the difference between root and leaf vegetables and the importance of eating their five portions of vegetables a day through using the resources below.

This site contains interesting information on the history and culture of the travelling community, including old photographs, sound recordings and personal accounts from individual travellers. 

Acclaimed comedian Neil Delamere takes on Ireland’s favourite saint, meeting experts, historians and Paddy’s Day revellers to separate the truth from the myth. The reality turns out to be a little different – he was probably Welsh, there were no snakes, the shamrock is a pagan symbol and Christianity got here before before he did. Oh, and St Patrick isn’t even a saint! This film won the Celtic Media Award Best Factual Entertainment in 2014.

Lots of information and worksheets about trees for all class groups are provided on this website. Learn about photosynthesis, different types of trees and try to grow your own!

It’s big and round and keeps us warm, but find out what else the sun can do!

With so many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors during the summer months, we could easily be fooled into thinking that biodiversity only makes an appearance during summer, but of course we know different.

The Heritage Office of Kilkenny County Council has developed eight lesson plans, which will be useful for teachers of 4^th, 5^th and 6th class groups, on aspects of the River Nore's heritage. They are designed to be used in conjunction with the ‘Explore the Nore’ poster (downloadable below).

Neil Delamere goes back to his half-Viking, half-Norman roots to uncover the fact and fiction behind his hairy ancestors, while trying to see if he has any Viking left in him as he learns to eat, dress, sail and fight like one. Neil also takes to the stand-up stage in Waterford to share his newfound insights. This film won the IFTA Best Factual Entertainment award in 2012.

The Wildlife Trust has lots of education initiatives that will keep primary school pupils engaged with the outdoors. It also provides programmes such as the Wild for Nature and Badger Schools for schools to become involved with on an ongoing basis.

The Royal Irish Academy has created 14 great lesson plans for primary school children with worksheets, quizzes and stories on some of the objects contained in ‘The History of Ireland in 100 Objects’ exhibition. They’re all free to use and include images, video, and audio.

Where does our food come from? Use this great website to explain where and how the food gets to our table.

The Frog Blog contains short and snappy science articles on a rich array of topics, from astronomy to zoology. It's created for science enthusiasts of all ages, so enjoy! 

This is the most recent national policy document available in relation to children and the outdoors. The objective of this policy is to plan for an increase in public play facilities, thereby improving the quality of life of children living in Ireland by providing them with more play opportunities. The document is an outcome of the National Children’s Strategy, launched in 2000 and is aimed specifically at addressing the needs of younger children.

This booklet is for parents and carers of young children up to the age of six, although most of the information applies to children of all ages. It highlights the benefits of outdoor play and shows how playing outside supports your child’s development.

Aistear is the curriculum framework for children from birth to six years in Ireland. It describes learning and development through the four interconnected themes of Well-being, Identity and Belonging, Communicating, and Exploring and Thinking. Chapter 3 – ‘Learning & Developing through Play’ outlines how play relates to these themes and how best to facilitate play among young children.