Teachers' Resources

This photographic guide will help identify 33 of Ireland’s resident and regular migrant butterfly species. For identification purposes, they are grouped by colour and taxonomic grouping. Published by the National Biodiversity Data Centre and available to purchase at http://www.biodiversityireland...     

The shieldbug swatch covers the 16 Irish species of shieldbug and related insects and is available to purchase online from the National Biodiversity Data Centre.

The first ever Atlas of Mammals in Ireland 2010-2015 is a landmark publication mapping Ireland’s terrestrial and marine mammals based on almost a quarter of a million records submitted by organisations, researchers, national experts and citizen scientists. There are distribution maps on 72 species with detailed species accounts from 42 leading authorities.

This is a beautifully produced publication with colour photos or illustrations for all species. Every classroom should have one!

Published by the National Biodiversity Data Centre and available to purchase at http://www.biodiversityireland...

Explains how to establish various habitats on the school grounds such as a mini-wood, wildflower meadow, hedgerow, pond, nectar patch etc. It also shows how to establish a cultivation zone.

Available for €15.00 (plus €3 p&p) from paddy.madden@mie.ie

Build a giant nest, go on a mini beast safari, interview a tree, be a nature reporter, make mud pies and even investigate animal poo!

Visit the Woodland Trust’s ‘Nature Detective’ website for lots of imaginative things to build, create and discover in the outdoors. Great ideas for kids, but lots of fun for grown-ups too!

One of a series of talks on raptors by BirdWatch Ireland to St. Feichins National School in Abbey, Co. Galway. The school visits and environmental education focusing on birds of prey was funded by Galway, Clare and Tipperary County Councils and the Heritage Council.

One of a series of talks on raptors by BirdWatch Ireland to St. Feichins National School in Abbey, Co. Galway. The school visits and environmental education focusing on birds of prey was funded by Galway, Clare and Tipperary County Councils and the Heritage Council.

One of a series of talks on raptors by BirdWatch Ireland to St. Feichins National School in Abbey, Co. Galway. The school visits and environmental education focusing on birds of prey was funded by Galway, Clare and Tipperary County Councils and the Heritage Council.

One of a series of talks on raptors by BirdWatch Ireland to St. Feichins National School in Abbey, Co. Galway. The school visits and environmental education focusing on birds of prey was funded by Galway, Clare and Tipperary County Councils and the Heritage Council.

One of a series of talks on raptors by BirdWatch Ireland to St. Feichins National School in Abbey, Co. Galway. The school visits and environmental education focusing on birds of prey was funded by Galway, Clare and Tipperary County Councils and the Heritage Council.

Countryside Classroom helps teachers to find resources, places to visit and school support relating to the themes of food, farming and the natural environment. Their site contains a range of quality assured educational content from hundreds of contributors.

This DVD shows teachers and pupils how to plan, build, develop and maintain a school garden using organic principles. Along with the DVD disc, the pack contains 24 Worksheets/Bileoga Oibre to complement the video as well as a comprehensive document showing the curriculum linkages. The content is in English and in Irish and available free of charge to all Primary Schools.

Available from Bord Bia

Produced by By Kerry Earth Education Project for Bord Bia.

A practical manual for teachers and educators looking to set up and run their very own school garden. It's a practical guide detailing how to set up your vegetable patch, plant your own woodland or orchard and has practical tables for teachers allocating jobs and habitats for each class to take on in the garden.

Available from Irish Seed Savers Association and Kerry Earth Education.

SEED is a national network of educational centres with many years experience in Primary and Post Primary environmental education, specialising in all aspects of organic school gardening.

Making bird feeders is fun, cheap and very easy with help from Nature North West ..

A tip sheet from Nature North West on nest boxes and how to set them up ...

You may have heard that our bees and other pollinating insects are in trouble. The good news is that you can help by making your garden pollinator friendly. Every garden, no matter its size, can be a haven for hungry pollinators.

Register your school garden on with the 'Actions for Pollinators'  mapping system to track the build-up of food and shelter for pollinators in your school garden.

Use the mapping system to check out what other gardens in Ireland are doing to help pollinators.

Over 11,000 species of insects occur in Ireland but most are very small and escape notice. Identifying them accurately can be difficult or impossible. This comprehensive compact guide to over 120 of Ireland’s most popular insects includes all Irish species of butterflies, bumblebees, dragonflies, ladybirds, grasshoppers and shield bugs. All are illustrated in colour with clear descriptions enabling accurate identification.

Here is Zoë's personal record of the wildflowers that adorn Ireland's countryside, presented so those without botanical knowledge can gain a greater understanding of the subject. Passionate about this often-overlooked part of our natural heritage, Zoë embellishes descriptions and photographs of the plants with herbal and literary references and related Irish folklore. She describes over 400 commonly found wildflowers as well as some not so common and even rare species. This book creates a new awareness and wider picture of the world of wildflowers in Ireland.

Discover the fascinating world of Ireland’s diverse and astonishing collection of native wildflowers: from insect-eating Sundews to humble Harebells, this lavishly illustrated guide features over 530 of the wildflowers of Ireland with more than 1,200 of the author’s photographs.

This fabulous website is Zoe Devlin's personal record of the wildflowers of Ireland containing her own photographs of the Irish wildflowers which over the years she has come across and recorded.  A fantastic resource for those wanting to learn about the wildflowers of Ireland.

A guide to help beginners and intermediates tackle grasses. This attractive field-friendly 164 page guide simplifies grass identification. It is rich in photographs and diagrams and contains both a floristic guide and a vegetative key. It will help you identify up to 100 Irish species. Suitable for teachers or senior classes.

Published by the National Biodiversity Data Centre and available to purchase at http://www.biodiversityireland...

Pollinator Posters: Download this A3 poster of the solitary bee life cycles.