Hosted by OSOS , contributed by eilish.mcloughlin on 6 February 2018
Raise awareness of the importance of bees and the necessity to provide sources of nectar for them.
Raise an awareness of the values of pollinating agents such as bees with other organisms such as wildflowers growing in an ecosystem and encourage students to become active facilitators in creating suitable soils in small urban spaces so that the wildflowers will grow and the bees will thrive.
We wish to use 3 plant boxing areas in a city school to grow Irish wild flowers and other plants, promote a circular economy by sourcing waste coffee grounds to grow the plants and make the plant boxing area a nature reserve for bees. It would be great to involve the local community in the provision of growth material, reduce waste being sent for disposal and potentially use herbs grown in the boxing area for human consumption. The importance of our buzzing pollinators in bring food from seed to plate would be studied.
Raise awareness of the importance of bees and the necessity to provide sources of nectar for them. We wish to use 3 plant boxing areas in a city school to grow Irish wild flowers and other plants, promote a circular economy by sourcing waste coffee grounds to grow the plants and make the plant boxing area a nature reserve for bees. It would be great to involve the local community in the provision of growth material, reduce waste being sent for disposal and potentially use herbs grown in the boxing area for human consumption. The importance of our buzzing pollinators in bring food from seed to plate would be studied.
LEARNING OBJECTVIES:
Students will:
- Raise greater awareness amongst urban dwellers about the importance of bees as primary pollinators for food production.
- Examine flower plant structure and describe the various parts involved in plant sexual reproduction with particular attention being given to pollen
- Demonstrate that small planting zones s in urban areas can be used to produce plants that can be aesthetically pleasing and produce food for pollinating organisms such as bees.
- Research the types of native wildflower species that are the best sources of pollen for bees.
- Justify the introduction of man-made nesting habitats for the bees in the school grounds
- Reflect on the importance of designing out waste from being sent to landfill
- Visit local cafes in the village.
- Evaluate the volumes of spent coffee grounds sent to landfill from local cafes.
- Organise the collection of spent coffee grounds ( the by products of coffee making techniques in local cafes) for use as a planting medium into the soil to increase the nutrient content of soil.
- Analyse the structure of soil in the school grounds as this will be the growth medium for plants.
- Experimentally evaluate the best ratio of soil to spent coffee grounds as a suitable growth medium for herbs, wildflowers, fruit and vegetables.
- Conduct a survey amongst staff regarding the herbs that they most use in their homes and whether they buy a full plant or cut herbs in plastic packets in shops.
- Evaluate the results of the survey and choose what herbs to select for growth in school.
- Sow onions and plant rhubarb stock.
- Incorporate herbs from the school garden in the preparation of food dishes in the Home Economics kitchens.
- Present finding and report to management,, parents association and staff at end of school year.
- Sow onions and plant rhubarb stock.
- Incorporate herbs from the school garden in the preparation of food dishes in the Home Economics kitchens.
- Present finding and report to management,, parents association and staff at end of school year.
RRI principles
One of the key aspects of OSOS is the inclusion of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)principles (more information at RRI-Tools.eu). This is how this Accelerator fits into the RRI model:
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Governance |
Students will work together with the stakeholders involved in the activity in a transparent and reflective manner, and with the aim of sharing responsibility for the results and conclusions presented in this Accelerator.
I.e.: students may be in contact with stakeholders such as beekeepers, families or local coffee shops, with whom they will communicate continuously with the objective of making them participants in the project and its results. |
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Public engagement |
Students will move towards collaborative decision-making, both between the working group and with other stakeholders, and making them participants in the project and establishing new relationships that can be beneficial for all parties.
I.e.: Students will be in contact with different stakeholders, asking them both for theoretical issues about beekeeping and the importance of bees in society, as well as asking them to participate in decision-making when dealing with challenges and problems during the project. |
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Gender equality |
Students will take into account the gender dimension in the research carried out during this project, and ensure gender equality in decision-making.
I.e.: students will work in equal research teams, and will encourage the participation of stakeholders that are both men and women. |
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Science Education |
Students will inform citizens about their opinions around the topic addressed in this Accelerator, and will reflect on their conclusions.
I.e.: students will work to raise awareness among different stakeholders (families, neighbors) about the importance of beekeeping in society, and will reflect on everything learned through scientific thinking. |
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Ethics |
Students will be able to reflect on the concerns of society regarding the problem posed by this Accelerator, and will align the project with the needs around society's awareness.
I.e.: students can align the project carried out with the awareness of society about the world of beekeeping, involving different stakeholders and reflecting on the opinions of people about the subject. |
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Open Access |
Students can create their own materials and publish them on the Internet with reuse rights, so that they can be reused by other Internet users.
I.e.: as they advance in the project, students will be able to generate materials that at the end of the project they will publish and share both on the Internet and to the neighbors of the school. In this way they will be able to disseminate the awareness work carried out. |
Addressed Challenge: Students will be able to enter this FEEL phase in the world of pollination, including both the reproductive structures of plants (male and female) and the work of pollinating insects. Through a series of materials, documents and websites, and with the help of the teachers, students will be able to understand the importance of pollination, to later promote it and raise awareness among the neighbors around the school.
AVAILABLE PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
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Families |
Be involved in examining types of herbs used and making home gardens. |
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Local coffee shops and café |
Be involved in recycling coffee grounds to use in the school garden |
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Beekeepers |
To provide expert knowledge to the students |
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University |
To provide access to expertise and instrumentation |
RESOURCES NEEDED:
- School garden: Shovel, Gardening Forks, Wildflower seeds, Onion Seeds, Rhubarb Stools
- Science materials: Microscope,Glass slides Flower pots,, laboratory balance
Tundke
Addressed Challenge: Students will be able to enter this FEEL phase in the world of pollination, including both the reproductive structures of plants (male and female) and the work of pollinating insects. Through a series of materials, documents and websites, and with the help of the teachers, students will be able to understand the importance of pollination, to later promote it and raise awareness among the neighbors around the school.
Session 1
(40 minutes):
- Students will examine plant structure, identifying male and female reproductive structures of plants that reproduce sexually.
- Students well examine using light microscopes under various magnifications pollen structure having collected pollen from flowers
- Students will be able to define pollination and fertilisation
- Students will be able to describe the different types of pollination Insect pollination and wind pollination.
- Students will consider which method of pollination is possible considering structure of the plant e.g wind
Recources: Light microscope, Daffodils and lillies, Paper, pens and copies.
Session 2
(40 minutes):
- Teacher will ask students to list named insects associated with pollination in Ireland.
- Students will use The All-Ireland pollinator plan to research the most common insect pollinators in Ireland.
- Teacher will probe student understanding on links between wildflowers, bees and see in an ecosystem.
- Students will use The All - Ireland pollinator plan to research the native wildflower species that bees use as a source of nectar and/or pollen
- Students will complete an investigation of the presence of the native wildflower species in the school grounds.
- Students will be encouraged to raise an awareness campaign on the importance of bees, promoting public speaking over the school intercom.
Resources: Daily announcements on intercom, Bee flight fact path along the walls of the main corridor in school.
Laptop/PC with access to websites www.pollinators.ie
Kujutage ette
Session 3
(120 minutes):
- Students will visit the three plant boxed areas in the school and investigate the soil structure and organic content which had been planted in as this is considered a disturbed site.
- Students will visit an undisturbed site in the school and examine the soil structure and organic content.
- Students will determine the pH the soil in both the disturbed soil of the plant boxing areas and undisturbed site.
- Students will then examine the rate of water run off between the disturbed and undisturbed soils since soil structure needs to be good to accommodate oxygen needed by plants for growth and prevent water and nutrient logging at roots which will cause plants to die.
Recources: Identical glass jars with lids, 30 cm of wire, trowels, collection bags for samples and soil from a disturbed site such as a constrcction site, universal indicator paper, deionised water, pH sensor and datalogger.
Session 4
(120 minutes):
- Teacher led discussion on ways to increase the organic content of soil.
- Teacher led discussion on the importance of the Circular Economy as opposed to a linear economy when manufacturing items for consumer use.
- Students will draw up a list of local business focusing on cafes within walking distance of the school.
- Students will invite them to participate in a questionnaire analysing their volumes of waste coffee grounds generated on a daily basis and how they dispose of the coffee grounds.
- Students will draw up a questionnaire to be distributed to the local cafes within walking distances of the school.
Resources: Laptop/PC with access to https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy
Session 5
(20 minutes):
- Students will attempt to organise a visit to the school by a beekeeper.
Resources: Laptop/PC with access to https://www.irishbeekeepersassociation.com/
Loo
Session 6
(60 minutes):
- Students will experimentally evaluate the best ratio of soil to spent coffee grounds as a suitable growth medium for herbs, wildflowers, fruit and vegetables.
- Students will have to consider the variables and necessary controls
- Students will measure height of broad bean stalks over a number of days.
- Students will record and present results.
Resources: Pea and Broad bean seeds, Laboratory balance, Soil from three planting areas, Trowels, Watering can, Boxes to mix the different potting ratio between soil and spent coffee grounds, Rulers
Session 7
( 40 minutes):
- Students will promote an awareness on the overuse of plastic for use in packing of herbs, fruit and vegetables by conducting a survey amongst teachers on the use of herbs by them
- Students will design a survey.
- Students will evaluate results
- Students will visit the local supermarkets and examine the use of plastics in the sale of fresh herbs, fruit and vegetables.
- Students will visit a local fruit and vegetable shop to engage in discussion of source of herbs being sold and the packaging they arrive in
Resources: Laptop/PC and access to google form or survey monkey
Session 8
(60 minutes):
- Students will plant the three most common herbs used by teachers in their cooking.
- Students will plant onions and rhubarb in the planting areas
- Students will plant wildflower in one planting area and discuss with school gardener methods to attract bees to the school grounds e.g. leave a strip of grass unmown so that long tall grasses can grow and establish.
Resources: Garden trowels, Garden shovels, Garden forks, Watering cans, Herb seeds