Science Foundation Ireland Discover Science & Maths Award St. Aidan’s N.S. Kiltimagh Award Number: MO026

Step One: Science Investigations Junior Infants – Forces We explored the forces of floating and sinking.

Step One: Science Investigations Junior/Senior Infants – Living Things We did an experiment to prove that plants need oxygen, light and temperature to grow fully. We planted broad-beans and left out one element for each plant.

Step One: Science Investigations 1st Class - Heat We tested ice, rice, warm water and cotton wool to see if they are colder or hotter than our body temperature. . We discovered that they were all colder than our body temperature .

Step One: Science Investigations 2nd Class – Forces . . We investigated floating and sinking. .

Step One: Science Investigations 2nd Class – Energy: Light . . . We investigated how light travels.

3rd class made bird feeders. Step One: Science Investigations 3rd Class – Environmental Awareness & Care 3rd class made bird feeders.

Step One: Science Investigations 3rd Class – Environmental Awareness & Care . . . Last October we planted bulbs – daffodils, crocuses, snow-drops, tulips and muscari.

Step One: Science Investigations 3rd Class – Environmental Awareness & Care . . We now have a variety of beautiful spring flowers in our school garden. .

Step One: Science Investigations 3rd Class – Environmental Awareness & Care . . We explored Solar Energy. We identified some ways in which science and technology contributes positively to society. .

Step One: Science Investigations 3rd Class – Environmental Awareness & Care . . By completing this experiment we learned lots of interesting facts about Solar Energy and the Greenhouse Effect. We also became aware of the importance of the Earth's renewable and non-renewable resources. .

We explored how static electricity is created. Step One: Science Investigations 4th Class – Energy & Forces : Electricity . . We explored how static electricity is created. .

Step One: Science Investigations 4th Class – Energy & Forces : Electricity . . We also investigated which materials are likely to hold a static charge. .

Step One: Science Investigations 5th Class – Materials & Change We investigated the absorbency of cloth, paper, toilet roll, tinfoil, newspaper & cling-film. We used heat to change sugar from a solid to a liquid.

Step One: Science Investigations 5th Class – Materials & Change We investigated making water filters using sand, pebbles and filter paper. We looked at the density of oil & water. .

Step One: Science Investigations 5th Class – Materials & Change . . We made our own lava lamps too. It was a lot of fun! .

Step One: Science Investigations 6th Class - Fungi & Moulds We observed mould growing on bread and pasta and conditions in which they grow best.

Step One: Science Investigations 6th Class - Testing Materials We investigated whether candle wax , vaseline or cooking oil would make a cloth water-proof. We tested breaking point of sewing thread  and string.

Step One: Science Investigations 6th Class – The Human Body We investigated how our heart rate and pulse increase following intense physical activity. We constructed a model ear drum using a biscuit tin, cling film and salt and observed how the eardrum reacts to sounds.

Step One: Science Investigations 6th Class – Starch We investigated whether a variety of materials contained starch. We tested bread, flour, sugar, cheese, apple, paper, biscuit, plastic, paper towel to see if they contained starch. We did this by adding a drop of iodine tincture.

Step One: Science Speaker Science Ireland Declan Holmes from Science Ireland, visited our school on Tuesday 10th November. All children in our school participated in hands-on science shows.

Step One: Science Speaker Science Ireland Flight, rockets, pressure, waves, sound and light were among the topics covered in this interactive learning experience.

Step One: Science Speaker Kiltimagh Pet farm On Thursday 12th November, Kiltimagh Pet Farm brought some animals to our school.

Step Two: Technology (ICT) 1st Class use computers as part of their maths station activities every Friday.

Step Two: Technology (ICT) Children from 3rd class conducted surveys and used computer software to make graphs to show our results.

Step Two: Technology (ICT) Children from 3rd class really enjoyed using Scratch.

Step Two: Technology (ICT) Children from 3rd class carried out an experiment to investigate how exercise can affect our heart rate. We discovered that our heart rate increases with exercise. We created a graph to show our results.

Step Two: Technology (ICT) We used a presentation as part of our Science display. Children and parents had to sort materials into the correct group - glass, metal, wood, plastic.

Step Two: Technology (ICT) We love doing activities on our interactive whiteboard.

Step Three: Engineering Thomas Campbell - Engineer During Engineers’ Week we looked at some resources to discuss the work of different types of engineers.  On Wednesday, Thomas Campbell, a civil engineer who works in the area of water treatment plants came to visit the school.

Step Three: Engineering Thomas Campbell - Engineer Thomas gave a talk to the senior classes about ‘a day in the life of an engineer’ and showed us lots of interesting slideshows about engineering in the world around us.

Step Three: Engineering Design & Make 3rd Class made weather instruments - Anemometers & Rain Gauges

Step Three: Engineering Design & Make 5th & 6th Class made rockets.

Step Four: Maths Maths Week - Shape Hunt Senior infants & 1st class went around our school on a shape hunt.

Step Four: Maths Have You Got Maths Eyes? As part of Maths Week we ran a “Have You Got Maths Eyes?” competition for pupils from 3rd to 6th Classes. The challenge was using your ‘Maths Eyes’ to find something interesting in your environment, take a  photograph and write a tagline highlighting the maths in the picture. 

Step Four: Maths Maths Trails 6th class explored tessellating shapes.

Step Four: Maths Maths Week Activities We took part in Maths Week Ireland from October 12-16th 2015.

Step Four: Maths 1st Class Maths Stations Every Friday 1st class do different maths stations.

Step Five: Stem Showcase 3rd Class Science Display On Friday 15th of November, third class hosted a science demonstration in the school hall for the junior classes. All pupils were given a chance to work on experiments.

Step Five: Stem Showcase 3rd Class Science Display

Step Five: Stem Showcase 3rd Class Science Display We also asked parents to try our experiments too.

Step Five : Stem Showcase Science Fair - The Marshmallow Challenge Children from 3rd – 6th class participated in The Marshmallow Design Challenge.

Step Five : Stem Showcase Science Fair - The Marshmallow Challenge The challenge was to build the tallest freestanding structure capable of supporting a marshmallow out of 20 sticks of spaghetti and one meter of masking tape.

Step Five : Stem Showcase Science Fair - The Marshmallow Challenge Two teams represented our school in the Mayo Science & Technology Festival 2015.