On Monday 8th June, schools across Ireland and around the world will celebrate World Oceans Day – a day dedicated to recognising the importance of our oceans and inspiring action to protect marine ecosystems for future generations. Our oceans regulate the climate, produce much of the oxygen we breathe, support biodiversity, and provide food, livelihoods, and recreation for millions of people worldwide.
This year’s theme, “REIMAGINE: Beyond the World We Know, A Knew Relationship With Our Ocean,” encourages us to rethink how we connect with the sea and how our everyday choices impact marine life and marine ecosystems. It is an opportunity for schools to inspire curiosity, creativity, and environmental stewardship while helping students understand the importance of protecting Ireland’s rich marine heritage.
Ireland is home to an incredible variety of marine habitats and wildlife, from seagrass meadows and kelp forests to rocky shores, sandy beaches, estuaries, to whales, dolphins, seabirds, and countless species living beneath the surface. By learning more about these ecosystems, we can better understand the challenges facing our ocean, including plastic pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change – and discover how positive actions can make a difference.
There are many engaging ways schools can celebrate World Oceans Day, including:
– Organising a coastal/river cleanup
– Exploring nearby coastlines, rock pools, or waterways
– Researching & learning about Ireland’s marine ecosystems and biodiversity
– Creating ocean-themed art, poetry, or classroom displays
– Investigating ways to reduce single-use plastic in school
– Hosting marine-themed quizzes, assemblies, or awareness campaigns – Learning about local marine conservation projects such as Irish Whale & Dolphin Group, The Irish Basking Shark Group, Angel Shark Project, Clean Coasts, Explore Your Shore
Green-Schools World Oceans Day Poster Activity
To celebrate World Oceans Day, we are inviting schools to take part in our Irish Marine Ecosystem Poster Activity. Students can design their own creative poster showcasing the amazing marine ecosystems found around Ireland’s coastline. This is a fantastic opportunity to explore habitats such as:
– Seagrass Beds
– Kelp Forests
– Rocky Reefs
– Rock Pools
– Sandy Shores
– Estuaries
Students are encouraged to include the fascinating marine plants and animals that live within these habitats and to think about how we can help protect them. Posters can be created individually, in groups, or as a whole-class project using drawing, painting, collage, digital art, or mixed media. Schools can display their posters around the school to help raise awareness about the importance of healthy oceans and marine conservation.
We would love to see your creations! Share your entries by tagging @Greenschoolsire on Instagram or Facebook or email them to marine@greenschoolsireland.org.
As a special thank you, one participating school will receive a whale and dolphin adoption kit to support further marine learning and exploration in the classroom.
We’d like to leave you with a short clip of a tiny baby catshark developing safely inside a mermaid’s purse, captured by the GS Marine Team over the weekend in Donegal. Over the next 6-9 months, this little shark will continue to grow inside its protective egg case before finally breaking free and beginning its journey through our Atlantic waters.
Catsharks are one of Ireland’s many fascinating native marine species, and finding a mermaid’s purse along our coastline is a wonderful reminder of the incredible wildlife living beneath the waves around us. Every healthy beach, rockpool, seagrass bed, and stretch of ocean plays an important role in supporting marine life like this.
Let’s wish this little one the very best on its ocean adventure and together celebrate, protect, and reimagine our relationship with the ocean this World Oceans Day.