Our Junior Infants had a fantastic time celebrating Engineers Week! Throughout the week, the children explored what it means to be an engineer through stories, discussion, and hands-on activities.
We began by learning about what engineers do—how they design, make, and create things that help people in their everyday lives. This learning is linked closely with SESE (Science), where the children explored materials, structures, and how things work, as well as Oral Language, as they shared their ideas and understanding.
We then became engineers ourselves, using some of our favourite fairy tales as inspiration:
The Three Billy Goats Gruff: The children designed and built their own bridges to help the goats cross safely, linking with Science (Materials and Forces) and Maths, as they considered balance, size, and shape.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears: We created chairs that were “just right,” connecting with Maths (Measures and Size) and Visual Arts, as the children designed and constructed their models.
Room on the Broom: The class worked together to design and build imaginative vehicles, supporting Science (Energy and Forces), Drama, and Oral Language through collaborative storytelling and play.
By the end of the week, the children designed and created their own engineering projects. They proudly presented their creations to their classmates, developing skills in Oral Language, confidence, and communication.
This exciting week supported a wide range of curriculum areas, including STEM, Aistear (play-based learning), Visual Arts (construction), Maths, and SESE, while also encouraging teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving.
It was a fun-filled week of creativity, exploration, and learning. We may have some future engineers in the making!