World Around Us — Science & Nature Activities Pack (NI P3–P6)

Science activities using the NI environment

• HABITAT SURVEY: map habitats in the school grounds (lawn, hedge, wall, tree, flowerbed). Which animals live in each?
• MINIBEAST HUNT: identify insects, worms, slugs, spiders in the school garden. Use a key to identify species.
• WEATHER STATION: set up a simple school weather station. Record temperature, rainfall, wind direction. Compare with Met Office NI forecasts.
• SEASONAL CHANGE DIARY: photograph the same tree weekly for a year. Map how it changes through seasons.
• LOUGH NEAGH STUDY: research NI's largest lake. What fish live there? What plants? What is an eel's life cycle?
• GIANT'S CAUSEWAY ROCKS: bring in basalt samples. What properties does it have? Compare with limestone and sandstone.
• STRANGFORD LOUGH: research the NI coastline and tidal flow. Why is Strangford Lough one of NI's most important marine habitats?
• FARMING AND LAND USE: map how land is used around the school — farmland, urban, forest, bogland. What has changed over 50 years? (Old OS maps at libraries)

• ▶ LIVING THINGS: animals, plants, habitats, food chains, life cycles, growth, human body, keeping healthy
• ▶ MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES: natural/manufactured, physical properties, dissolving, mixing, rocks and soils
• ▶ ENERGY AND CHANGE: light, sound, heat, electricity, magnets and forces
• ▶ FORCES AND MOTION: pushes and pulls, friction, gravity, air and water resistance
• ▶ NI CONTEXT: use local examples wherever possible — Lough Neagh eels, basalt geology, the Irish hare, native tree species (oak, ash, hazel, hawthorn)
• ▶ ASSESSMENT: assessed through teacher observation, investigation reports, and portfolios. No standardised tests for science in NI primary.