The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
CHARMING WORMS OUT OF THE GROUND
SNAKE charming may not be a tradition that Kerry is known for but some of our school children at least can now count themselves as qualified worm charmers.
By jumping up and down and playing tin whistle, pupils at Killahan NS in Abbeydorney managed to charm six earthworms to the surface.
And it was all part of a new science initiative that sees them play a leading role in a new educational series to be published in the Irish Independent.
Killahan pupils will be featured in the third book of the new weekly Science Apprentice series in the paper.
As part of it, the children had a busy two days filled with various workshops creating, observing, experimenting and recording for the Food and Health issue.
The series of books has been created by UCD and are supported by Science Foundation Ireland to encourage children and adults to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the world around us.
The students spent the first day learning about the building blocks of food and examined 3D-printed roots to learn how they spread through the ground. The class then visited Paddy Costello’s farm in Lixnaw to learn about dairy cattle and the grass they eat before visiting the Kerry Group plant in Listowel where they used cream to make their own butter.
“The Science Apprentice book series is a great resource for teachers interested in inquiry-based approached to STEM teaching and learning,” senior DCU lecturer in Science Education at the Centre for the Advancement of STEM Teaching and Learning, Dr Cliona Murphy, said. The third issue is out this Saturday, November 12 and is available in schools and as a supplement with the Irish Independent in Tesco Stores nationwide.