A practical, teacher-light plan to build and run a small, biodiversity-rich school garden using Irish native plants.

This free, ready-to-use pack helps Irish primary teachers create a resilient, low-maintenance wildlife garden that thrives through the summer and supports curriculum learning all year. It includes step-by-step micro-lessons, simple assessment rubrics, printable bilingual signs, funding/grant trackers, and clear guidance on layout, planting and care.

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What’s inside

• Layout & beds: how to position a no-dig bed, wildflower strip, mini-pond, hedgehog highway and a pocket-woodland corner.
• Eight 10-minute micro-lessons: materials, prep, numbered steps, safety notes, differentiation (Infants–6th), and quick assessment.
• Printable signs (EN/GA): “This patch is for bees”, “No-dig: we feed the soil”, “Hedgehog highway — 13 × 13 cm”.
• Curriculum mapping: SESE Science & Geography, Maths data handling, Visual Arts, and SPHE links.
• Assessment rubrics & checklists: plant ID, pollinator observing, habitat understanding, teamwork & safety.
• Inclusive adaptations: sensory-friendly options, quiet sit-spots, step-free paths, visual supports.
• Sourcing & funding: Irish-provenance plants, shopping lists, and a grant/donations tracker.
• Maintenance & calendar: simple routines, one annual wildflower cut, month-by-month prompts.

Designed for Irish classrooms

The pack prioritises Irish native plants, peat-free compost, and low-input care. Activities build skills in observation, measurement, data handling, sketching, discussion, and teamwork. Everything fits in a small footprint (about 4–6 m²) and can be adapted to yards, containers, or limited-space sites.

Curriculum links at a glance

• SESE – Science: Living things, habitats, pollination, adaptation, soil and decomposition.
• SESE – Geography: Natural environments, seasons, local fieldwork, biodiversity actions.
• Mathematics: Measuring area/length; tables, tallies and bar charts from 5-minute counts.
• Visual Arts: Observational drawing, map-making, designing signage and labels.
• SPHE: Cooperation, safety routines, inclusion, and care for living things.

Why schools choose this pack

• Teacher-light: micro-lessons that slot into busy days without heavy prep.
• Holiday-proof: perennial-first planting and simple summer care.
• Evidence-friendly: photo-points, monthly 5-minute pollinator tallies, and easy rubrics.
• Programme-ready: actions align with Green-Schools (Biodiversity) and the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan.

Who it’s for

Classroom teachers, SNAs, Green-Schools committees, caretakers, and parents’ associations setting up or refreshing a school garden. Works for whole-class sessions or small groups.

Questions or staff CPD requests? Get in touch and we can tailor a short workshop for your staff or pupils.

Download the editable pack (.docx)