Lots of Explorer Activities during a very busy month

 Explorer Activities this month included

Explorer Awards, Seashore Safari's along the West Coast, Explore the Shore in Galway City, Native Species Weekend at Dublin Zoo and World Ocean Day Celebrations at Galway Atlantaquaria

Explorer Awards

Congratulations to Scoil Iósaif Naofa, Oranmore Galway on receiving their Explorer Certificate of Participation. The boys in Ms Gormally's Third Class carried out work on aspects of Science, SPHE, Geography, History, Mathematics, Irish and Art for their award and produced a wonderful folder of material for me when I arrived at the school. Well done to Ms Gromally and all the 3rd class boys for their hard work.

Some of the work carried out by Ms Gormally's Class

Getting all the students certificates ready during break time

The Boys were very happy receiving their awards

Ms Gormally accepts the schools framed certificate

Seashore Safari Season Begins along the West Coast

A beautiful Day at Mulranny Beach, Co. Mayo

                                  

Students from Aillebrack National Schools spent the morning on the shore and produced their own species keys

Killee National School found some beautifully coloured animals and plants along their local shore

Clarinbridge National School carried out a seashore survey of Ballyloughane Beach

Carrigaholt National School hard at work

Cloondaff, Mulranny and Cornanool National Schools explored the wonders of Mulranny Shoreline

Explore the Shore on Gratten Beach

Thanks to everyone who came along to Explore the Shore on Gratten Beach in Galway. Thanks to Amy and Rick and all the guys from GMIT for carrying out a microplastics study on the Shore, Thanks to Cushla from the Marine Institute, Tom and Lenny from the Irish Wildlife Trust, and Barry from Galway Atlantaquaria for helping on the safari and Thanks to Cleancoast Ireland and all the volunteers who helped with our Beach Clean. And Thanks to the Galway Sea festival for helping us promote this great day on the shore. 

Native Species at Dublin Zoo

Over 10,000 people visited Amy and Padraic at the Explorers Stand during Native Species Weekend at Dublin Zoo

And Finally, Explorers Bubble Art joined forces with the Paint-a-fish Campaign at World Ocean Day 2013 at Galway Atlantaquaria

Thanks to all the children, young and old who helped us create over 150 beautiful fish to add the virtual stock on www.paintafish.org

Explorer Schools Receive Certificates of Particpation

Schools all over the country have been receiving Explorer Certificates of Participation for Marine themed work they have been carrying out with their students through the Explorers Programme.

Scoil Éanna Roundstone, Co. Galway

Explorers Certificate being awarded to Ms Aisling Ryan, teacher at Scoil Éanna Roundstone  by Noirin from the Explorers Programme

Explorers Certificate awarded to students from Scoil Éanna Roundstone

Some very happy students with their Explorer  certificates

 St. Anthonys BNS, Cork

Explorers Certificate being awarded to St. Anthony's BNS by staff from the Lifetime labs in Cork

Catherine from the Lifeime Labs in Cork shows students an Explorers Aquarium.

 St. Andrews National School, Bray, Co. Wicklow

Cushla Dromgool Regan from the Marine Institute with students from St. Andrews National School, Bray. 

Lorraine from Sealife Bray with students from St. Andrews National School, Bray. 

Pat from Sealife Bray with students from St. Andrews National School, Bray. 

Tomas from Blackrock Education Center with students from St. Andrews National School, Bray. 

Pat from Blackrock Education Center  awards St. Andrews National School, Bray with their Explorers certificate of participation. 

First Transatlantic Explorers Class

      

Our first transatlantic class took place last week with Humber Elementary School in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada when I spoke to 60 students from Ms Salyzyn's, Ms Bugden's and Mr Bradbury's Grade 6 classes about Ireland's Marine life and fisheries through Skype  The talk, which had been organised by Ms Janice Vaughen, a past employee of Galway Atlantaquaria was part of the students fisheries projects for social science. 

The students have been researching the relationship between community and fisheries and we were delighted to be able to take part. Hopefully we will get to talk to them again in the future.

Students from Humber Elementary School, Newfoundland. 

The Explorers Group was also spreading the marine message in Ireland over the last month, taking part in the Big Day Out in Dublin for St. Patrick's Day and Galway Bay Hotel's Easter Carnival in aid of Galway Autism Partnership

The visitors starting coming to say hello to the fish before the event even started

Padraic tackles the Explorers Stand

Full steam ahead for the little Nobby boat

We were glad we were inside though.

Finn at the Galway Bay Hotel

 Students at our Explorers Easter Workshops at the aquarium got to try out what will hopefully be our next Explorers Lesson Plan and visit the seashore in the snow! 

Flying Squid ready to launch

Everyone enjoying some hot chocolate after a seashore safari in the snow!

Some of our beautiful octopuses

Exploring life under the micros

And finally, myself and Dr. Grace Windsor from the Marine Institute have been working on recording some information about Exploring the Seashore and I've been trying to get some good photos of the tides at Gratten Beach

Low Tide at Gratten Beach

High Tide at Gratten Beach

Bye for now, Dr. Nóirín. 

Explorers at the Lifetime Labs Cork

The explorers programme has returned to the Lifetime Labs in Cork for the third year running. Meryvn, Rebecca, Cian and Catherine will introduce 27 schools in Cork to the wonderful marine world that is found around our coastline. School groups will view a number of Explorer Aquariums, examine and explore a marine show and tell display and carry out a selection of Explorers experiments.  

Three beautiful aquariums all in a row

Animals settling in at the Labs

Explorer Experiences

Explorers Artwork in Liscannor National School Co Clare

Explorer Experiences

What a busy month February was for the Explorers Group. A number of schools in Co. Clare had their aquariums stocked, I saw some beautiful Explorers Artwork and looked across to Co. Kerry from the shore near Kilbaha National School. We had a few fishy disasters and a leak, which is never a good thing in an aquarium! 

Happier Days in Ballyvaughen National School before disaster in the aquarium

A very excited class in Ennistymon welcome their fish

  

The whole school come to welcome the fish to
Kilbaha National School 

The animals settling into their new home

Restocking in Liscannor National School before disaster strikes again! 

Species Profiles produced by the students in Ballyvaughen National School

A fantastic fossil found by Amy from Ballyvaughen National School
in  a roadway near her farm in the Burren.

The view towards Co. Kerry from Kilbaha Co. Clare


New Aquarium arrives in Aillebrack National School, Co. Galway after the old tank springs a leak!