The Middle Room studied all about electricity and the importance of being safe around electricity. So, I entered the children into the “Stay Safe, Stay Clear” programme that educates children about how to stay safe when they are playing outdoors near electricity poles and overhead wires.

The Stay Safe, Stay Clear poster competition asked students to create a poster sharing what they have learned about staying safe around electricity, demonstrating their knowledge of the ESB Networks’ 6 safety tips. What superb artwork created by the children, as demonstrated below.

The Middle Room participated in an Art competition, called Someone Like Me which promotes disability awareness. Through a range of resources and activities, the children studied all about people and children that have different abilities. The children expressed what they had studied, through the medium of art by creating an art piece, showing that we are all similar, regardless of the disability.

This competition opened their eyes to see beyond the surface and realise our similarities and unique differences. It serves as a tool for children to learn and engage in heartfelt conversations, sparking curiosity and empathy. Entries submitted, so here is a snapshot of the entries from the Middle Room. At the end of the day, it’s all about learning, and not about a winner. They all did fabulous work and should be so proud of themselves.

What an amazing week we had for Maths Week. From games to cube drops, whole school bingo and everything in between, the Middle Room had a fabulous week of learning and creating, all around the theme of Maths. We used our own initiatives also to come up with some fantastic Maths, using concrete resources.

We also had Maths Eyes in our neighbourhood, where the children brought in pictures, showing Maths at home. “Guess the Jar” was a great success, where we had two children guessing the same amount of caps in the jar.

Second and Third Class helped 1st Class to log in to Mangahigh for the first time. This involved great teamwork and listening skills, where it was superb to see the older children being the “Mini Múinteoirí”, explaining how to use it, to their peers. Maith sibh a pháistí.

The Middle Room joined a live zoom call, where we visited a dairy farm in Oranmore, Co. Galway. The children were very interested in the session. It was great to see the cows being milked from afar, but still being able to watch all that goes on, on the farm, from our classroom. The event was a great success, with 20,000 teachers and students from around the country joining us live also.  This event was hosted by AgriAware.

We went for a walk with our guest speaker to the classroom, where we spoke about different plants and the way a person can listen to the sounds of the plants. It was a lovely morning spent in the outdoors.

This week, children had the opportunity to play board games, as a fun activity, as part of the countdown to their summer holidays. They really do love playing board games.

Children made jellyfish, using chalk pastels.

The children made 3D Shapes using matchsticks and marshmallows. They enjoyed this activity, even though at times it was tricky to keep them standing.

On Thursday 8th June, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Class set off on their school tour to Bunratty Castle and Folk park, followed by a visit to Ennis Fire Station. We were very lucky with the gorgeous weather on the day.

In the morning, we went to Bunratty Castle, where we got a guided tour of the castle. It was a very busy day, as there were lots of school tours and American visitors there. After this, we went to visit a “Bean an Tí”, where she gave us a butter making demonstration. We had a sing-song, where one of the children gave us a rendition of the “Rattlin Bog”, where we all sang along with the chorus, while the Bean an Tí was churning the butter. We also visited the village in Bunratty, where we finished the day off with a trip to the playground, where we all sat down in the grass to eat our lunches.

After lunch, we all headed off on the bus to Ennis Fire Station, where we met with two lovely firefighters. We had a fantastic time there. The children got a tour of the fire station, while also getting the opportunity to try on some of the uniforms. After this, we got to look at some of the special equipment and trucks they have. The fire fighters then brought us outside, where one of them brought out the fire engine, so that we could see the different compartments. The children got the opportunity to sit up in the fire engine and they really enjoyed this. After this, there was more excitement to be had. The children got to use the fire hose and spray the water in the air and across the yard. They were all so delighted to be able to use the hose, while having some fun and laughter at the water spraying everywhere. As the tour of the station ended, we all got in for a group photo with the two firefighters. We then got on the bus to head back to the school.

It was a superb day and the children really enjoyed themselves. It was both educational and enjoyable, and the children learnt alot. It was great to see the big smiles on their faces. It was a fun day – full of lots of activities, sing-songs, Irish dancing and hosing. Well worth it.

At the end of May, the children in the Middle Room entered an ESB Networks “Stay Safe, Stay Clear” primary school competition. They all learnt about the six safety tips, along with a presentation. They all sang along to the “Stay Safe, Stay Clear” song. They each had to pick a safety tip of their choice and draw a picture depicting their choice from the six safety tips. The competition is a fun, exciting and educational way to discover the benefits of electricity while also learning how to be safe around it. Children showed their artistic skills and creativity, while also learning about being safe around electricity. We took some photos of the children with their projects, before sending them off to the judging panel in Dublin. Fingers crossed! Either way, this was a fun way for the children to learn about ESB safety.