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Saturday, 21 January 2006 |
GAP Primary Schools Programme
The schools programme is in its 4th year in Ballymun. Launched in October 2002, over 1,000 primary school pupils have taken part. There are 8 primary schools in Ballymun, all of which participate. Of these 8 schools, 2 have received the An Taisce green flag award, another 1 school has just submitted (watch this space) and 3 others have registered.
The main aim of the programme is to empower young people to become active citizens in their locality, caring for the social, economic and environmental landscape of their community. GAP staff run 30-40 minute sessions weekly with individual classes in different schools. The sessions cover the topics of waste, water, energy, shopping, transport, plants and animals and aim to link in with the overall school curriculum. Students take weekly eco pledges, which are simple, empowering actions on the environment such as “Not leaving appliances on stand by”. The programme is very successful with classes on a waiting list to participate. It has been featured on Eco Eye, Scope and The Den on RTE 2.
Below is an example of a number of class sessions planned for a 4th class group. The schools programme aims to be as flexible as possible. Thus it links in with what pupils are presently and have previously covered in class. It aims to be interactive and fun with a strong hands on approach to all the topics. GAP are also involved in planning, planting and maintaining school gardens with different groups - for more information on this visit the school gardens section.
If your school is interested in participating in the programme, contact Lynn at the GAP office on 01 8625846.
Session
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Details
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Introduction
Session
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Intro to what we do at GAP Ballymun. The environment is our surroundings – how can we help look after our environment, what can we do to help.
The importance of working together.
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| Waste |
What happens to our waste? Why are dumps bad for the environment? What is an an average bin?Waste that we can reduce, reuse and recycle. What does it get turned into.
How long does it stay in dump?
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Green Quiz
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Quiz on waste
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Energy
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What is energy? Fossil Fuel Story and Greenhouse effect
Types of renewable energy; wind, solar & water power with examples of a wind up torch and radio and solar powered windmill.
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Waste
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Making your own compost bin. Investigation of set up and what will happen after 2 weeks.
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Energy
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Show 7 types of energy with balloons. Basketball demo – what does it tell us about energy.
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Energy
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Saving energy in school & at home. How can we save energy? What is insulating – Warm water in jar investigation, making a snake for classroom door?
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Water
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Where does our water come from? The water cycle poster. Why do we need to conserve water?
Water cycle demonstration model to be left in class.
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Water
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Testing water purification tablets. Making your own water filter. The importance of clean water. Places in the world that don’t have clean water.
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Water & Energy
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How can we save water in school and at home? How much water do we use at home – Water saving tips and eco pledges. How does this save energy?
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Transport
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How do we get around? Ways of travelling that do not harm the environment. Looking at renewable types of transport.
Graph of how pupils in class get to school?
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Xmas Special
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How can we all have a really green Christmas?
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Food & Shopping
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Fair-trade and organic food – Why is it good for the environment and good for the farmers all over the world that grow this food. Importance of growing food and plants. Food tasting session of organic and Fairtrade food
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Closing Session
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Quiz on what we have covered so far.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 03 May 2006 )
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