Skip to main content

Primary School Workshops

Our primary school workshop series includes two workshops – 1) Irish Fossils 2) Mass Extinctions. Each workshop is approximately two hours in duration and includes lots of interactive activities. All materials are supplied by the facilitators, who comprise working scientists from University College Cork.

Links to curriculum

Science

  • Living things – Plants and animal life
  • Environmental awareness - Science and the environment, environmental awareness and care

Mathematics

  • Shape and space – 2D and 3D shapes and symmetry
  • Data – Representing and interpreting data
  • Measures – Length
  • Time

Geography

  • Natural environments – Rocks and soil

Workshop content

Irish Fossils Workshop

Students begin by learning what fossils are, how they form, how old they are and where to find them. They will interact will real and 3D printed fossils, learning how to identify the most common ones found in Ireland. They will also learn how to investigate rocks and fossils to understand about ancient environments and how to use clues in the rocks to learn how fossil animals lived and died.

Mass Extinctions Workshop

In this workshop students will apply the skills acquired in the previous workshop to activities investigating long term environmental change and species extinction. They also explore the effects these changes have on biodiversity through time by taking part in our exciting fossil gameshow, Wheel of Misfortune!

Lesson Plans

Irish Fossil Lesson Plan 2025

Contact us

Email Panos - psianis@ucc.ie to book our workshops

Ireland's Fossil Heritage

School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, T23 TK30,

Top