Crystal Drop Workshop – Fourth Class

25th September 201926th September 2019 Staff

Martin and Louise from SSPC came to the school on Wednesday morning to for a workshop which featured a talk about crystals and also saw the children getting the chance to design and make a device which could safely ‘drop’ a crystal to the ground.

The boys and girls had a great time designing their devices and then working in small groups to construct their design using a finite set of resources.

The gallery and videos below show the children working on their designs and also testing them when completed.

Exploring School Grounds for fruit/seeds

24th September 201926th September 2019 Staff

4th & 5th class explore the local school environment for examples of fruit & seeds which would be a food source for birds and other wildlife.

The children found examples of blackberries and ‘haws’ and learned about blackberry bushes and hawthorn trees. We also looked at seed dispersal and the importance of birds to this process. Wind dispersal was also discussed and the sycamore tree on the school grounds allowed everyone to look at ‘helicopters’ and how they can be carried by the wind.

Third/Fourth Plant Out Their Potatoes

11th April 201912th April 2019 Staff

Third/Fourth Class are continuing their investigation of potatoes ahead of the ESB Science Blast in Mary Immaculate College next month.

Fourth class will be exhibiting the results of their project into ‘Which Spud Cooks the Best’ at the ESB Science Blast in May but Third/Fourth class have extended this study to include growing some potatoes to help better understand how potatoes find their way to the dinner table.

March 21st

We watched a video to learn how to plant spuds. It said spuds came from South America originally. It said to plant a seed potato. It said the seed potato should be planted in a drill. We got seed spuds but we can’t plant them yet. We need to dig the vegetable plot up and leave the seed potatoes in a dry, cool place. We put them in an egg carton. When they grow we will cook them! Christian

28th March

We prepared our vegetable garden for sowing our potatoes. We loosened up the ground using a shovel and fork. We removed the weeds and stones as best we could. We added farmyard manure to the soil. When the manure is mixed up with the soil it will add nutrients and will condition the soil. It will help produce more potatoes. Sinéad

April 11th

Today we planted 9 Maris Piper spuds in the garden. We made 3 drills of spuds, whcih were about 40 – 50cm apart. Then we watered all the drills and flattened the soil with the fork. David Mul.

Pilot Pays Flying Visit to Herbertstown

11th April 201911th April 2019 Staff

Captain Barry Cason visited the school to talk to the children about all aspects of being a pilot.

Captain Cason was paying his second visit to Herbertstown NS having spoken to the then 5th & 6th class in 2017.

The airline pilot answered the children’s questions and talked about how he came to be a pilot. He brought some videos and pictures with him to help illustrate what his job entails and told many stories about his experiences both as a cargo pilot and as a commercial or passenger jet pilot.

Cpt. Cason said afterwards that he really enjoyed the visit and was very impressed by the children’s questions.

Third Class Tour Irish Cement Factory

28th March 201929th March 2019 Staff

Our third class visited the Irish Cement factory in Mungret for a tour of the facility. Concrete is the second most commonly used material in the world (after water) and the children got to view how the cement is manufactured.

Below is an account of their experiences and a gallery of photos from the trip.

Irish Cement

Today 3rd class went to the Irish Cement factory in Mungret, County Limerick. They organised a bus to come and collect us at the school at 10.ooam. So we all got on the bus!

When we got there they brought us into reception. In there we met Elaine, Caoimhe and John. They said they would be our guides for the day so they showed us a slide show and a video about how cement is made. Elaine showed us some rocks: Limestone and shale.

Next we went down to the quarry and saw a big truck. We all went into the shovel and for a picture. They told us that every Thursday the guards come while they blow up a bit of the quarry. Then we went to the kiln and put our arms up to see how hot it is. Then we went back and took off all our safety gear. They gave us all a bag with goodies in it before we went back to school.

Molly

The Kiln

After the quarry we went to the kiln. The kiln is very hot. The rock has to reach 1450 degrees for the rock to melt. It can get to 2000 degrees, hotter than a volcano!

Ciarán

A kiln is a big round machine like a cylinder. Elaine told us to put up our hands and feel the heat!

Liam

The Quarry

The first stop on the tour was the quarry where we saw the loading shovel. It was massive! It had a bucket that could hold over 20 people.

Sinéad

Science Week in Full Swing

13th November 201814th November 2018 Staff

Science Week is in full swing in Herbertstown NS!

In the Senior Infants/1st classroom the boys and girls have been busy exploring materials and their properties.

In third/fourth class the pupils investigated how sound travels through different materials. The experiment involved using a clothes hanger and string to tap off objects and observe the sound made. The pupils then repeated this while holding the string in their ears. The experiment produced some interesting results!

Third/Fourth also investigated the buoyancy of objects in fresh water vs salt water.

Year Long Investigation into Pumpkins

8th November 20188th November 2018 Staff

Our current fourth/fifth class completed a year long investigation into the life cycle of pumpkins.

In October of 2017 we harvested the seeds from a shop-bought pumpkin which we were using for our Halloween Jack O’Lantern. We cleaned the seeds and placed them in a cool, dry place until 2018.

In the Spring of 2018, we planted the seeds in small cups and placed them on the classroom windowsill. From here we monitored their growth and ensured they were getting plenty of sunshine and water. After a couple of weeds we transplanted the now growing plants to larger pots.

Once the plants were large enough, we started to harden off the plants by placing them outside during the day and taking them in before hometime.

Finally, before the holidays, the pupils were able to bring them home for their own gardens.

Here are some pictures below of the pumpkins the children grew from their plants!

One of the pumpkins on a visit to the school!

Luke’s pumpkin

Katie’s Pumpkin

Christian’s pumpkin

Science Project Features in Irish Independent

8th November 20188th November 2018 Staff

A project by our current fifth class was highlighted in Wednesday’s edition of the Irish Independent.

‘Is Ash the only wood for the Clash’ was a project undertaken by the class and was presented at the RDS Primary Science Fair earlier this year in Limerick. The project was very well received and in an article where next year’s fair and its new sponsors were being launched, the project was mentioned as one of the most memorable.

In the piece below, you can read the thoughts of judge and camogie player Rena Buckley.

Third /Fourth Make Parachutes

12th October 201824th October 2018 Staff

Pupils of third/fourth class design & make parachutes.

Third & Fourth class had great fun in science this week as they were tasked with designing and making parachutes.

Ms. Griffin assigned the task of designing a parachute which could ensure a soft landing for a small object. The pupils set about designing the parachutes in small groups and then had to make them using a limited amount of materials provided. They produced some excellent results as you can see in these photos!