Projects are activities which, like a Banyon Tree, need a bit of time to grow. For instance they might take a day or two, or they might run for weeks – for example, keeping a log of birds at your bird feeder. Some projects may have been posted before coronavirus restrictions tightened, so always check before starting that the project is safe to undertake. We’ll be adding new projects as the coronavirus lockdown progresses.
Featured Project
Make your own vegetable garden
Growing your own food is enormous fun, and if you have a garden the lock down shouldn’t stop you. Even if you didn’t buy seeds before the lockdown, you can likely get them in the supermarket with your weekly shop. Brendan Smith’s specially written guide tells you exactly what you need to do to grow onions, potatoes and lettuces.
Download the full instructions: A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Food in March/April
All Projects
- Nature projects for Engineers week!
Info about a hedgehog event, but also on how to make your garden more hedgehog friendly! - Build a pond
Build a pond. Make a tiny one by half burying an old washing up bowl, or build something more ambitious… - Make your own Biodiversity Trail
Have a look at the NUI Galway Biodiversity trail, and think about how you could make one in your neighbourhood - Nature diary Aug-Sept
Nature diary for Aug-Sept. Insects feature this week. What an you see? - Nature Diary Late August
Nature Diary for late August. What you might see, smell and hear over the next fortnight. - Wildlife Art – Drawing Animals for children
A very simple drawing activity – copying from books or other pictures - Nature Diary Early August
Nature Diary for early August. What you might see, smell and hear over the next fortnight. - Seven Simple Strategies to get your child outside
Kids often forget how much they enjoy being outdoors until they get there. Here’s some ideas to tempt them outside. - Bird Bingo
Can you get a row, or even find the whole card? Lots to be found in gardens; more down by the river! - Nature Diary Late July
Nature Diary for late July. Watch out for selfheal, dragonflies and other pollinators - Mammal Detective
How to recognise the signs left behind by mammals. Can you tell who’s been in your neighbourhood? - Nature Diary Early July
Nature Diary for the first fortnight in July. What you might see, smell or hear in the early part of the month - Create a ground beetle habitat to encourage biological pest control in your garden
Beetle bump! Create a ground beetle habitat to encourage biological pest control in your garden - Square Metre Outdoor Project
We have a terrific way to explore nature in your own backgarden with the one square metre outdoor STEM project! This is a super easy to set up nature science activity that you can do in any season and just about any setting. In fact, we encourage you to explore lots of locations throughout the year! - Nature Diary – Late June
Nature diary for the second half of June, featuring grasses, birds, moths and butterflies. - Nature Diary Early June
Nature Diary! What to look for, listen for, and smell for (can I say that?) in early June. - Become a Seashore Explorer
In Ireland we are surrounded by so many different types of beaches ranging from sandy to shingle shores, as well as mudflats to rocky shore lines. This makes it extremely exciting exploring all of the amazing animals, seaweeds, plants and creatures that live there. - 30 Days Wild
30 Days Wild is an initiative from the Wildlife Trusts which runs all the way through June. Sign up now! - On the trail of the Hedgehog
Take part in the Irish Hedgehog Survey! Find out who is visiting your garden. - Smell Nature
Nature’s smells (flowers, cut grass, wild herbs) help us to feel happy, so take a deep breath, follow your nose and smell some of nature’s best scents. - Nature Diary May – June
Nature Diary! What to look for in the latter half of May. Common blue butterflies, bird’s-foot-trefoil and cygnets are on the list… - Exploring the seashore – learn about seaweeds and other algae
Leave No Trace Trainer Trainer Mairead takes us on a vitrtual journey as she explores the seashore and teaches some interesting facts about the seaweed and algae that you will find! - Corvid checklist
Go birdwatching! Corvids, or crows, are an excellent place to start as they’re large and easy to spot. You’ve probably even got some in your garden. - Tree Bingo
Play Tree Bingo! Download the board and see how quickly you can get a row. You have to see a tree on your daily walk to score it. Can you get them all? - Ladybirds
Identify the ladybirds in your garden or on your daily walk and submit your records to the National Biodiversity Data Centre for the LadyBird Atlas 2025 project - Nature Diary mid-May
Check out the Nature Diary for the middle of May and find out all the things to see, hear and smell over the next fortnight. - Make a vegetable garden Part 2
Part 2 of Brendan Smith’s guide to growing your own food. Strawberries and Spinach in this part. - Plant A Sunflower
Plant a sunflower. Tall and fast growing, sunflowers look gorgeous and can even be grown in pots. Here’s some guidance on how to go about it. - Reel Life Science Competition
Join in NUI Galway’s annual science video competition Reel Life Science. Open to anyone in primary or secondary school, all you have to do is make a fun video on a science topic of your choice - Butterflies
Butterfly hunt is on. With resources from Wicklow Mountains National Park, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, and Butterfly Conservation, this post has everything you need to identify the butterflies and caterpillars in your garden - Backyard Biodiversity
A great initiative from the National Biodiversity Data Centre to get everyone in Ireland to record some easy to identify key species from their gardens and yards. Download their identification guide and upload your records! - Nature Diary Apr-May
What to look out for April 21st to May 6th. Nature diary features spring gentians, goldfinches feeding on dandelion seeds, coconut-scented gorse and early butterflies. - iNaturalist
Use the iNaturalist app to identify everything in your garden. It does plants, insects, birds, mammals, even fungi… - Nature Diary April
Our Nature Diaries suggest what to look out for each fortnight as the seasons progress. Watch for the blackthorn flowering and for butterflies on the dandelions. - What’s in your garden?
Identify plants using mobile apps and count your biodiversity - Make a vegetable gardenA guide to planting and growing onions, lettuce and potatoes. Plant in March/April
- Nature diary – March
What to do outdoors in late March / Early April
