World Oceans Day is being celebrated on June 8th.
Help us highlight the importance and the role the ocean has in our life and the planet, by raising awareness throughout your schools and communities. Whether you live on the coast or inland, we all need a healthy ocean to survive and thrive. The ocean generates most of the oxygen we breathe, helps feed us, provides materials we use in our everyday lives, and regulates our climate. By protecting our ocean, we also protect our climate, and our future.
For 2023, the focus of World Oceans Day will be on the 30×30 campaign meaning that for us to create a healthy ocean with abundant wildlife and to stabilize our climate, it’s crucial that 30% of our planet’s lands, waters, and ocean are protected by the year 2030.
What can you do?
Organise a litter pick up at your school, local area, river or beach. By preventing litter from entering the ocean you are helping the environment.
Take a photo of your litter clean up on June 8th and tag us @GreenSchoolsIre #greenschools
Junior Primary: Arts and Crafts
Show everyone how much you love the ocean by using these fantastic colouring sheets.
It is incredible the amount of stuff that you can do with something as simple as an eggbox, paper bags, scissors and some paint! With a bit of creativity what you can create a cute-looking grey seal or a jellyfish. See our arts and crafts activity for an Egg Box Seal and jellyfish on our website.
Senior Primary
For 2023, the focus of World Oceans Day will be on the 30×30 campaign meaning that for us to create a healthy ocean with abundant wildlife and to stabilise our climate, it’s crucial that 30% of our planet’s lands, waters, and ocean are protected by the year 2030.
Ireland’s government is committed to protecting 30% of our ocean territory by 2030, by increasing the amount of Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s). During this activity students will learn about Marine Protected Areas from our Green-Schools Officer Sarah Hegarty in this video. If your students would like to learn more about MPA’s, click here for an activity sheet for 3rd and 4th class and this sheet is for 5th and 6th class. Answer sheet is also included.
Create your own “School Protected Area”
After learning about Marine Protected Areas, and keeping in mind the aim to protect 30% of our planet’s lands, waters, and ocean by the year 2030, do you think it is possible to create your own School Protected Area by assigning 30% of your school grounds or school yard to nature? Click here to download the activity sheet – this activity enables creative and spatial thinking among students of how to increase protected areas for biodiversity on your school grounds.
Watch a documentary on Ireland’s Marine Environment
Ireland has an incredible underwater world that few of us get to see, here are some documentaries your students can watch and experience all the beauty of our marine environment.
Ireland’s Deep Atlantic
This documentary sees underwater cameraman Ken O’Sullivan embark on a series of voyages out into the open North Atlantic in search of large whales, sharks and cold water coral reefs on Ireland’s deep sea bed.
2 episodes, running time 51 minutes each. Available on RTÉ Player
North Atlantic
Hugely ambitious natural history series presented by Irish underwater cameraman Ken O’Sullivan showing the lives and troubles of some of our greatest wild animals in the North Atlantic.
3 episodes, running time 50 minutes each. Available on RTÉ Player
Ireland’s Wild Islands
Three years in the making, this spectacular three-part series features the wildlife wonders of Ireland’s Atlantic islands.
3 episodes, running time 50 minutes each. Available on RTÉ Player
Don’t forget to raise awareness by using your school website and social media and please show us all your work by tagging us
@GreenSchoolsIre #greenschools