The Science of Art or The Art of Science?

This week, creativity and curiosity collided in the most beautiful way as the children explored the fascinating process of making Marbled Card with Stephanie from Heritage in Schools. During this lesson science met art—and the results were both stunning and educational!

Paper marbling is an ancient art form with roots stretching back to 10th-century Japan, where artists developed a technique known as suminagashi, or “floating ink.” While our young artists didn’t quite travel back in time, they did tap into this rich history using some delightfully modern tools: shaving cream and water-based paint.

But what made this activity extra special was the science behind the magic.

Shaving cream, it turns out, is more than just fun foam—it’s a surfactant. That means each of its molecules has a hydrophilic (water-loving) end and a hydrophobic (water-repelling) end. When the children added drops of paint onto the shaving cream surface, the paint didn’t soak in. Instead, it sat beautifully on top, interacting only with the hydrophilic parts of the molecules.

Once their colorful designs were ready, the children pressed pieces of card gently onto the surface. In a flash, the paint transferred from the foam to the card, capturing the beautiful, swirling, marbled pattern.

It was a perfect blend of scientific exploration and artistic expression—and the children were fascinated. From experimenting with color combinations to understanding the science behind surface tension and molecular behavior, this hands-on activity proved that learning really can be beautiful.

S.F.I. Science Award 2024

We were delighted to receive another S.F.I award for our Science, Maths, Engineering and Technology work. We have been very busy undertaking science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) activities since September. We submitted a comprehensive portfolio with evidence of our work which included reports, videos, powerpoints, photos and drawings. All classes made a huge contribution to achieving this award.

The Garda Schools Programme

We were delighted to welcome Garda Chris Brosnan to Togher N.S. this week. The Garda Schools Programme covers topics such as the role of the garda, vandalism, investigating crime, road safety, personal safety and internet safety.

Online Safety Webinar for Parents

For Safer Internet Day 2024, Webwise will be hosting three FREE online safety webinars for parents of younger children, and for parents of teens.

Supporting Children Online – February 7th @ 7pm

Webwise in partnership with the National Parents Council are delighted to organise an Online Safety Webinar for parents of young children. The webinar will discuss the opportunities and risks for children online, offer practical advice to support parents and answer some frequently asked questions. The Apple team will also provide a short explainer on Parental controls and some key safety features.

This webinar will take place on Wednesday, February 7th at 7pm.
Register Now.

Ukulele

The children were delighted to welcome Eibhilín back to Togher N.S. for ukulele lessons. The introduction of the ukulele has been a huge success and the children really look forward to practicing the cords to many of their favourite songs.

Ice Cream Time

We have had some wonderful weather recently and we are all hoping for a long hot summer but this being Ireland nothing is certain weather-wise. Miss O’Connell is retiring and decided to treat the children to an ice cream while the sky is mostly blue and the sun is shining.

Sciath na Scol

The children had a brilliant day at St. Column’s GAA grounds in Kealkil for our first round of Sciath na Scol games. Togher N.S. played The Model School, Dunmanway and Trafask N.S. in beautiful sunshine. We are really looking forward to another round of games in Doheny’s GAA grounds in Dunmanway next Friday.

loo