Science Foundation Ireland

Curious Minds Awards

Log Book 2024

Renmore, Galway 2023/2024

See the video of our Gold Award celebrations here

To log into SESAME, Science Foundation Ireland's system for Awards Management

please click the link below.

https://grants.sfi.ie

Click on the link here find the planning guide with lots of links to activities from

Curious Minds Discover Primary Science and Maths

Gold Award 2024

Featured on our log book:

Ms. McLoughlin (2nd), Ms. Kyne (2nd), Ms. Bohan (2nd), Ms. Needham/Ms.Crotty (2nd)

Ms. Flannery (1st), Ms. Coade (1st), Ms. Tierney (1st), Mr. Elwood (1st), Ms. Halliday (1st)

Ms. Kavanagh (SI), Ms. McCaul/Ms. Fitzgerald (SI), Ms. Hynes (SI), Ms. Gillen (SI)

Ms. Dunne (JI), Ms. Ferguson (JI)

Ms. Gaffney (Hearing Unit), Ms. Herbert (Special Class), Ms. Lane (Language Class), Ms. Fitzgerald (Language Class)

Also involved:

All 2nd classes and the Hearing Impaired class took part in the EU Beach Clean-Up 2023

All classes in the school took part in Space Week 2023, in Maths Week 2023 and in Science Week 2023

All 1st and 2nd classes took part in EU Code Week 2023

All 1st and 2nd classes took part in Scientific Sue's Virtual Science/Magic show for Science Week 2023

All 1st classes visited the Exploration Dome/Planetarium during Science Week 2023

All 2nd classes took part in Scratch Coding Workshops in Atlantic Technological University in February 2024

All 1st classes took part in Heritage programme (March 2024)

(4 hands-on science investigations, with at least one from each of the four strands)

Living Things:

• Seeing a sneeze 2nd class (Sept 2023)
• An earthworm outside our classroom 2nd class (Sept 2023)
• Examining our fingerprints 2nd class (Sept 2023)
• Floating and sinking seeds 2nd class (Oct 2023)
• Visiting Dexter cows Junior Infants (Feb 2024)
• Incredible Edibles Special Class (March 2024)
• Incredible Edibles Planting Time 2nd class (March 2024)
• Buaile Bó Cows in Ballyloughane Junior Infants & 1st class (March 2024)
• Our cow "Dubhy" 2nd class (March 2024)
• How big are my lungs? 2nd class (March 2024)
• Growing seeds in the light 2nd class (April 2024)
• Our Blue Tit Nest 2nd class (April 2024)
• Learning all about Snails 2nd class (April 2024)
• Fruit and Veg Tasting Day 2nd class (June 2024)

Energy and Forces:

• Does fruit float? 2nd class (Sept 2023)
• Learning about sounds 2nd class (Nov 2023)
• Making a spray 2nd class (Nov 2023)
• Sound waves making pepper dance 2nd class (Nov 2023)
• Talking bottles 2nd class (Dec 2023)
• Gravity and Inertia 2nd class (Jan 2024)
• Cars, ramps and friction 2nd class (Jan 2024)
• Investigating friction 2nd class (Feb 2024)
• Astonishing air 2nd class (March 2024)
• What happens when you blow air? 2nd class (March 24)
• Can you blow a ball out of a funnel? 2nd class (March 24)
• Static electricity 2nd class (April 2024)
• Floating and sinking 2nd class (May 2024)
• Making electrical circuits 2nd class (May 2024)
• Electricity and electrical circuits 2nd class (May 2024)

Materials:

• Pumpkin volcano Junior Infants (Oct 2023)
• Making slime 2nd class (Oct 2023)
• More slime 2nd class (Oct 2023)
• Checking which material is the best insulator 2nd class (Dec 2023)
• Milky decorations 2nd class (Dec 2023)
• Exploring acids and alkalis 2nd class (Dec 2023)
• Gummy bear questions 2nd class (Dec 2023)
• Boat and passenger challenge 2nd class (May 2023)
• Waterproof or absorbent materials 2nd class (June 2023)

Environmental Awareness and Care:

• Learning about volcanoes 2nd class (Sept 2023)
• Pomatoes 2nd class (Sept 2023)
• Our September trip to the beach 2nd classes (Sept 2023)
• Autumn nature walk 2nd class (Sept 2023)
• Rubbish in our ocean 2nd class (Sept 2023)
• Water cycle and growing plants 2nd class (April 2024)
• Can you use the water cycle to clean dirty water? 2nd class (April 2024)
• Filtering dirty water 2nd class (April 2024)
• Cloud in a bottle 2nd class (April 2024)
• Mopping up oil spills 2nd class (May 2024)
• Investigating soil 2nd class (June 2024)
• Playing a biodiversity game 2nd class (June 2024)
• Beach safari 2nd class (June 2024)

(and also 2 or more examples below)

Science Speakers:

• Meeting Guzzler from SEAI Senior Infants (Nov 2023)
• PAWS Water Safety All classes (March 2024)

Space Week Events: here

• Making and flying foam projectiles 2nd class (Sept 2023)
• Making air rockets 2nd class (Sept 2023)
• Our favourite planets data chart 2nd class (Sept 2023)
• Water and air rockets launch 2nd class, 1st class, special class, hearing unit (Sept 2023)
• Asteroids, craters and dinosaurs 2nd classes (Sept 2023)
• Fizzy rockets 2nd class (Oct 2023)
• More fizzy rockets 1st class (Oct 2023)
• Balloon rockets (projectiles) 2nd class (Oct 2023)
• Learning about gravity and air resistnace 2nd class (Oct 2023)
• Space week rockets 1st class (Oct 2023)

Science Week Events:

• Exploring how technology can help Ocean Conservation, Sharks & Sea Turtles – Fact or Fiction Webinar Science Week (Nov 2023)
• Science Week in Junior Infants (Nov 2023)
• Science Week Floating Oranges 1st class (Nov 2023)
• Magical Science & Engineering Show - a virtual experience with Scientific Sue (all 1st and 2nd classes) (Nov 2023)
• Visit to the Aquarium for Science Week 2nd class and smaller classes (Nov 2023)
• Exploration Dome all 1st classes (Nov 2023)

External Science Events/Programmes:

• EU Beach Clean-Up 2023 (Sept 2023)
• EU Green Alliance Tree Bioblitz with ATU 2nd class, hearing unit (Oct 2023)
• Bioblitz (Oct 2023)
• Scratch Coding Workshops in ATU all 2nd classes (Feb 2024)
• Watching Space Xs Starship Rocket launch 2nd class (March 2024)

STEP 2: Technology

(2 or more examples of the children using ICT)

(2 or more examples of the children investigating engineering in class or in the local area)

• Engineering during golden time 2nd class (Sept 2023)
• Making sundials 2nd class (Oct 2023)
• More sundials 2nd class (Oct 2023)
• Working with a TAP artist to make ceramic creations 2nd class (Sept-Nov 2023)
• Making snowmen snowball poppers 2nd class (Dec 2023)
• Making pop-up Santa toys 2nd class (Dec 2023)
• Constructing igloos Junior Infants (Jan 2024)
• Making bridges 2nd class (Jan 2024)
• Looking at traffic lights for Engineers Week 2nd class (March 2024)
• Designing and making houses 2nd class (March 2024)
• How exactly does a bicycle work? 2nd class (March 2024)
• Constructing flood defendces 2nd class (April 2024)
• Houses open day 2nd class (April 2024)
• STEM boats 2nd class (May 2024)
• Launching our STEAM boats 2nd class (May 2024)

(2 or more examples of the children using their maths skills as part of their science work)