Kids making a big splash
St Patrick’s Primary School pupils in Shotts made an environmental splash by releasing fish raised in their classroom.
Before the summer holidays, pupils completed‘Clyde in the Classroom’– an eco-education project that uses the life cycle of a native Scottish species, the brown trout, to encourage children to engage with nature and protect their local environment.
St Patrick’s is one of 41 schools from the Clyde catchment participating in the project this year, which is run by the Clyde River Foundation.
The children, assisted by Clyde River Foundation scientists, followed the development of brown trout from eggs to fry in a custommade classroom hatchery over the past year.
The children were responsible for the day-to-day care of the fish that required preparing them for release by using homemade icepacks to control the water temperature.
Teachers use Clyde in the Classroom to help deliver Curriculum for Excellence learning experiences and outcomes, tying in everything from art to mathematics with the project.
Claire Munogee, principal teacher, said:“This is the third year running that St Partrick’s have taken part in the programme. The children love the project and take the responsibility very seriously.
“They take over completely by regulating temperatures and ensuring the tank is operating properly. They enjoy learning about the life cycle and journey of the brown trout as well and study the history of the Clyde River and other species living there too.”