Integrating Blue Education into school curricula doesn't have to rely on science, biology, or geography classes. Numerous schools, including vocational ones, adopt innovative approaches and create unconventional projects with surprising takes on marine subjects. The examples below showcase schools that embrace creative thinking.
School Travel Agency
Primary School No. 12 in Gdynia, Gdynia, Poland
1. Develop a project with interlinked activities - The project involves a series of interlinked activities:
- Familiarizing students with terms related to Baltic Sea biodiversity.
- Learning about the causes of Baltic Sea pollution.
- Raising awareness about ways to protect the Baltic Sea.
- Exploring the touristic values of Gdynia’s coast.
- Sharing the acquired knowledge with the school community.
- Participation of students from Grade 1 and the geography club in classes organized at the Gdynia Aquarium.
- Acquiring knowledge about the Baltic Sea through lessons, biology, and geography clubs.
- Developing routes and excursion programs through the School Travel Agency.
- Expeditions along the seashore involving students from Grades 1-3.
- Creation of an exhibition of beach treasures and underwater world artwork.
- The theatre club preparing a play related to water care.
- Biology club organizing workshops on porpoises and dolphins.
- Class 6a participating in activities at the Marine Station in Hel and creating a photo report.
- Grades 4 and 5 engaging in a visual arts competition.
- Creating an educational path for the entire school community focusing on organisms studied.
2. Produce a clear output - The clear outputs of the project include:
- Exhibition of collected treasures and underwater world artwork.
- Educational play
- Reports
- Visual arts competition showcasing student creativity.
- Educational path in the school hallway, engaging the entire school community.
3. Involve all students - The project involves students from various grades, ranging from Grade 1 to Class 6a, as well as members of the geography, biology, theatre, and visual arts clubs giving each student a chance to contribute to the project through different activities that fit their skills and interests.
4. Collaborate with local partners - The project collaborates with external partners such as the Gdynia Aquarium and the Marine Station in Hel to provide students with real-world experiences and knowledge.
5. Communicate project results - The project results are communicated through various means:
- Exhibition of treasures, artwork, educational play, and workshops.
- Visual arts competition showcasing students' creativity.
- Educational path displayed in the school hallway, engaging the school community.
- Sharing the attained knowledge with the broader school community.
Our Oceans, Alive And Healthy: Song And Podcast
Scoil Niocláis Naofa - The Claddagh National School, Galway, Ireland
1. Develop a project with interlinked activities - The project involves a series of interlinked activities:
- Children selecting self-chosen marine science topics for research.
- Research and presentation of marine science topics in a podcast format.
- Development of a "healthy ocean" song.
- Recording the song with members of the 'Galway Ukers' band.
- Exposure to a wide range of marine science topics through class presentations.
2. Produce a clear output - The clear outputs of the project include:
- Podcasts featuring research and presentations on various marine science topics.
- A "healthy ocean" song composed, performed, and recorded by the children.
3. Involve all students - The project involves all students in the class through various activities such as research, podcast presentations, and song development.
4. Collaborate with local partners - The project collaborates with Galway Atlantaquaria and the 'Galway Ukers' band.
5. Communicate project results - The project results are communicated through various means:
- Podcasts featuring specialist knowledge on marine science topics available on the schools website
- A recorded "healthy ocean" song that conveys awareness of human pollution impacts published on YouTube
Carnival: Saving The Water On Our Planet
CC Sant Salvador, Artà, Spain
This project shows how an annual tradition of school carnival can become a project that meets the criteria of European Blue Schools.
1. Develop a project with interlinked activities - The project involves several interconnected activities:
- Selecting a topic related to water conservation for the annual carnival.
- Choosing subtopics by each of the 6 primary school classes, all related to the main theme of water conservation.
- Developing ideas for conserving the marine environment and improving it.
- Organizing a carnival with marine-themed costumes.
- Engaging local businesses to adopt a marine "image" during the carnival week and spreading the message of ocean protection.
All these activities are linked by the central theme of water conservation and ocean protection.
2. Produce a clear output - The clear output of the project is the carnival itself, where students showcase marine-themed costumes that reference the importance of saving water. Additionally, the involvement of local businesses adopting a marine "image" during the week serves as a tangible output that demonstrates community-wide engagement with the project's message.
3. Involve all students - The project involves all 6 classes/grades of the primary school, meaning all students are engaged. Each class chose a different subtopic related to water conservation, encouraging participation and engagement across the student body.
4. Collaborate with a local partner – City Council, local businesses, and stores are involved as partners. They adopt a marine "image" during the carnival week, which collaboratively spreads the message of ocean protection throughout the community.
5. Communicate project results - The results are communicated through:
- The carnival itself, where students and local businesses showcase their marine-themed approach.
- The creation of a series of explanatory videos on how to reduce water consumption
- The involvement of local stores and businesses adopting a marine "image" during the week, effectively spreading the message about ocean protection across the community.
Re-Play
PASCAL Private English School Lekfosia, Nicosia, Cyprus
1. Develop a project with interlinked activities - The project involves a series of interlinked activities:
- Developing reusable boxes for beach toys that can be stored, used, and returned by visitors.
- Addressing the issue of single-use plastic toys bought by tourists and abandoned on beaches, contributing to plastic waste and marine pollution.
- Engaging pupils in designing and constructing the boxes, including creating a name, logo, and slogan.
- Establishing criteria to select suitable Municipalities near the South East Coast of Cyprus for box installation.
- Collaborating with local businesses near installation points to share the project message and information using QR codes.
- Planning visits to evaluate the boxes' status during spring and summer, making necessary adjustments.
- Implementing continuous evaluation through online questionnaires shared with involved businesses, municipalities, and tourists.
- Developing a website to promote and track the project's progress.
2. Produce a clear output - The clear outputs of the project include:
- Reusable boxes for storing and sharing beach toys, reducing single-use plastic waste.
- Evaluation of the project's impact through visits, adjustments, and online questionnaires.
- Development of a website to showcase the project's progress and promote its objectives.
3. Involve all students - Students were actively involved at each stage of the project, through different activities designing and constructing the boxes, creating criteria, and participating in evaluation activities, etc.
4. Collaborate with local partners - The project collaborates with various local partners, including:
- Local Municipalities on the seaside for permissions and installation of boxes.
- NGOs running other projects on different beaches in Cyprus.
- Hotels on the seaside to promote the boxes to their tourists.
- Local businesses near installation points to share the project message.
5. Communicate project results - The project results are communicated through various means:
- Reusable boxes placed on beaches, visible to tourists and locals.
- Online questionnaires shared with businesses, municipalities, and tourists for continuous evaluation.
- A website that showcases the project's progress and impact.