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Class Level and Curriculum Links
Primary Schools: Senior Classes in primary schools.
SESE Science:
Strand: Environmental Awareness and Care
Strand Unit: Caring for my Environment
* Participate in activities that contribute to the enhancement of the environment
SESE Geography:
Strand: Environmental Awareness and Care
Strand Unit: Caring for the Environement
* Examine a number of ways in which local and other environments
could be improved or enhanced.
* Idenitify and discuss a local, national or global environmental
issue.
Junior Certificate Geography:
Wildlife and peat free gardening audit
How Wild is the Garden?
This audit can be carried out by each student on their own garden. Alternatively each student could use the audit to assess how wild the school garden is.
Is the garden a good place for wildlife to live and are you recycling as much as you can to help the environment? Just circle your answer to the questions, add up the number of yes answers and find out how much you're doing for wildlife.
1) Food for Wildlife: Our garden is arranged with wildlife
in mind; like using plants with berries and seeds for wild birds
to eat. yes/no
2) Native Plants: There are native plants in our garden for example:
broom, nettles, gorse and birch. yes/no
3) Wildlife Habitats: The garden has one, or more, of these:
bat box, bird box, bird feeder, bird bath, pond or log pile.
yes/no
4) Wildlife Seen: I have seen one or more of the following in
the garden: frog, butterfly, hedgehog or thrush. yes/no
5) Gardener's Friends: I know that the following list of insects
are gardener's friends, because they eat other insects that eat
plants: lacewings, lady birds, hoverflies, ground beetles and
centipedes. yes/no
6) Wild Garden: One part of our garden has been allowed to go
wild. yes/no
7) Composting: Instead of putting garden rubbish in a plastic
sack for the dustmen, we compost as much as possible and carefully
burn some. yes/no
8) Wild Flower Lawn: There are buttercups, clover and daisies
growing in our lawn. yes/no
9) Biological Controls: We use biological controls against slugs
and pests, instead of ones that may harm the plants. yes/no
10) Organic Fertilisers: We use organic fertilisers, like manures
and home made liquid feeds instead of those that would harm the
environment. yes/no
11) Watering Plan: When there is hot or dry weather we wait a
week before watering sticking to a plan so we don't waste water.
yes/no
12) Watering Can: We water the plants with a watering can instead
of a hose pipe, and always water in the evenings as water evaporates
during the day. yes/no
13) Water Butt: We have a water butt connected to a drainpipe.
yes/no
14) Peat Free: All plants that are grown in pots or window boxes
are planted in a peat free compost. yes/no
15) Support Conservation: I, or members of my family, are members
of an environmental or conservation group. yes/no
Total Yes Answers: ______________
How Did You Score?
10 - 15 You and your family are environmentally friendly gardeners,
have thought about wildlife in your garden and always choose
garden products very carefully.
5 - 9 You are environmentally friendly, but might need some more information on how to best look after wildlife in your garden. How about joining a wildlife conservation group?
O - 4 Maybe you scored low because you only have a small concrete back yard, but not to worry. There are plenty of plants that you can grow in containers that will attract wildlife to your garden. Why not find out more on IPCC's web site at www.ipcc.ie
