Back To School, with the Aquarium

Cover image for blog post (1)

As the last weeks of summer race by, the team at Galway Atlantaquaria are busy preparing for a new school year. Examining the tide tables, to identify great days for beach exploration and seashore ecologies, to gather equipment and resources together so that all our materials and games are ready to go. With a range of education workshops, there really are oceans of learning opportunities for everyone. But the aquarium staff don’t just work with groups inside the aquarium, we are thrilled to be part of many educational programmes that take us on journeys far from the sea.

Pre-school and Early Years Education

Our team have experience of meeting groups in their own settings, at the aquarium and on the shore. Groups can take part in a range of activities including:

  • Visit the Seashore to go exploring patterns and life on the shore
  • Tailored Tour of the Aquarium with movement breaks and time to sit and rest, if needed
  • Explore Biofacts and sand and seashells, and use a range of sorting tools to develop fine motor skills
  • Explore the sounds of the sea with instruments including rain sticks and ocean drums
  • Learn about caring for the ocean with Marmo through Storytime, or shapes and colours with Hooray for Fish
Member of education team reading Marmo Saves the Sea to a pre-school group in their pre-school setting.
Sample of an aquarium bingo sheet to find animals with different body shapes.
Book of marine biofacts including sheets and bones
Table of marine items, including teddies, storybooks and a container of sand and shells.
An image of empty seashells on the beach in Galway.

Contact info@nationalaquarium.ie if you would like to enquire about pre-school workshops and activities.

Primary School Workshops and the Curious Minds Programme

The Aquarium is delighted to be part of Science Foundation Ireland Curious Minds Programme . We deliver a range of accredited workshops that school can put towards their Curious Minds Award including:

  • Make a Rocket and Water Experiments
  • Animal Anatomy Class and Squid Dissection
  • Engineering Trail and Flood Defences Workshop
  • Maths at the Aquarium – Making water filters – The cost of clean water
  • Seashore Safari – Exploring life on the seashore
Primary School Students complete a maths activity in the aquarium classroom
Students observe marine life in the rock pool exhibit at the aquarium.
Students taking part in a squid dissection in the aquarium animal anatomy workshop
Students pointing to the fin whale skelleton at the aquarium during an aquarium tour.
Students looking into the ocean tank at the aquarium.
Students exploring marine life and shark egg cases on a seashore safari.

We can also offer workshops on Marine Litter and Environmental Awareness and Care. For more information contact info@nationalaquarium.ie.

Outreach

The aquarium has had the pleasure of being part of the Marine Institute Explorers Education Programme since 2006. The programme, which is funded and supported by the Marine Institute, promotes ocean awareness, knowledge and engagement, as well as supports ocean literacy and marine education in primary schools. We currently deliver modules to schools in Co. Galway, Co. Clare and to Inland Counties online. Delivered by Explorers Outreach Officers, schools can choose from a number of interactive modules.

The 2025/2026 school programme is now open for booking.

The 2025/2026 school programme for is now open for booking.

  • Co. Galway can apply here.  
  • Co. Clare can apply here.
  • Inland Counties* can apply here

*Inland counties include Cavan, Monaghan, Longford, Westmeath, Roscommon, Offaly, Laois, Kildare, Carlow, Kilkenny, and Tipperary.

Climate Hero Mascott on show at school workshop
Mermaids Purse Egg Hunt - a heart shape made of mermiad purses on the shore
Caltra NS Learning about tides during a school visit

For more information on the programme see www.explorers.ie

Secondary School Workshops and Programmes

Students from 1st year to Leaving Certificate can take part in a range of hands-on workshops and programmes with the aquarium education team. They include:

  • Seashore Workshops during which students can collect data on species distribution and adaptations, and abiotic factors, take part in a beach clean or learn about the history of the local area and take some time to reflect and observe the marine environment
  • Formal ecology fieldwork investigations, on the shore, or in Terryland Forest Park, where they can examine grassland or woodland habitats
  • Our Maths or Engineering workshops can be tailored for groups to design and make their own flood defences or water filters while exploring budgets and costs
  • In our Renewable Ocean Energy Workshop, students can take part in stakeholder role-playing and learn about renewable ocean energy and the physical marine environment
  • The Cod Story workshop involves News mapping, and evaluating data for Sustainable Fisheries
  • During our animal welfare class, students will explore how we care for our animals and have an opportunity to design an exhibit
  • And finally students can explore biofacts and carry out a squid dissection in our animal anatomy class, before exploring how animals can inspire innovation and technology.
Images of students exhibit designs
Students reading about different types of stakeholder in the marine environment
students examining ocean maps and the physical features of Galway Bay

The aquarium can also meet with classes online, or work with a school is there is a specific marine topic they would like to cover. Email info@nationalaquarium.ie for more information.

Third Level Education and Adult Learning

We believe that education, learning and ocean conservations are for individuals of all ages, and with that in mind, we can tailor any of our formal education activities for groups of any age.

We love exploring the shore or taking part in creative activities with any interested group, and our staff are delighted to help guide conservations and provide triggers for engagement. We regularly work with third level students from our local universities including the Atlantic Technological University and University of Galway, and students who are completing Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses and QQI qualifications, including those at Galway Technical Institute (GTI).

Our classroom can fit approximatley 50 individuals (theatre style) or 25 individuals (classroom style) and our Audio Visual Room can be used when larger groups need two spaces or for groups with limited mobility. We can also deliver blended learning, through the aquarium and online, and have been part of community and inter-generational programmes.

We deliver the Inishbofin Summer School annually (provisional dates for 2026 are the 6th -10th July). As part of the Marine Institute Explorers Education Programme Services contact, we deliver services including Teacher Training, both online and face-to-face and Pre-Service Teacher Trainings with Mary Immaculate College, Dublin City University and Marino Institute of Education. We also assist with the trialing of new content, attending events and collecting evaluation data. We have also collaborated with other BIAZA collections in Ireland on a range of Oide Workshops for teachers over the last six year.

We have assisted with an online course for early years educators with Galway Childcare Committee which can be accessed here and are part of the Irish Ocean Literacy Network Education Working Group.

Teachers attending the Explorers Education Programme Teacher Trainign Course in Galway in 2025/
Aquarium staff with members of staff from ATU on the shore for the Microworlds Event
Students on the Inishbofin Summer School 2025

If your group would like to visit the aquarium, please get in touch and we can chat about our existing themes and content, or explore a new topic if there is something you would like to learn more about.

If you can’t make it to the Aquarium …………..

Remember if you can make it to the aquarium we have lots of freely downloadable materials and videos online here including

From us all at the Aquarium Education Team, here’s to a great year of ocean discovery ahead.

MEET THE TEAM 08 08 2024
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