Ireland
This month I learned a lot about
the island of Ireland, and I am going to share with you some of the history and
cool things I learned.
This month I spent most of my
time in Coleraine, Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom. I also spent time in Dublin, Ireland that is
part of the Republic of Ireland. So even
though I spent my month on the island of Ireland I was actually able to spend time
in two different countries!
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is made up
of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Flags
The Union Flag, also know as
the Union Jack, is the official flag of the United Kingdom and Northern
Ireland. On this flag are the St.
George’s Cross, St. Andrew’s Saltire, and St. Patrick’s Saltire.
Northern Ireland does not
have it’s own flag like England, Scotland, and Wales. They do have two former flags that are used
by many to represent Northern Ireland.
These flags just cannot be flown above any government buildings.
The Ulster Banner was used by the Northern Ireland Government
from 1953 - 1972.
St. Patrick's Saltire is sometimes use by the British Government to represent Northern Ireland.
The Republic of
Ireland flag, frequently referred to as the Irish tricolor, is a
vertical tricolor of green, white, and orange. The Irish
government has said the symbolism behind each color as being that of green representing the Gaelic tradition of Ireland, orange representing the followers of William of
Orange in Ireland, and white representing the desire for peace between them.
Weather
This month was very cold, which
was a big shock after being in the heat for the last seven months. In Northern Ireland, like in Asia and Africa,
they use Celsius when telling temperature. See if you
can convert these temperatures from Celsius to Fahrenheit.
Coldest Day of the Month –
April 11th
High - 11°C Low - 2°C
Warmest Day of the Month –
April 29th
High - 19°C Low - 10°C
Money
In the United Kingdom the
currency is called the British Pound (GBP). The symbol used to represent the
British Pound is £. Right now the exchange rate is 1 GBP = $1.68.
In the Republic of Ireland
the currency is called the Euro (EUR). The
symbol used to represent the Euro is €. Right now the exchange rate is 1 EUR =
$1.38.
So let’s see if
you can figure out how much each of these items are in USD.
A sweater to wear in the cold
weather - £14.99
A pair of gloves - £4.00
A toothbrush - £7.49
500ml bottle of Dr. Pepper - € 1.39
Cheeseburger Happy Meal at McDonald’s - €3.75
A sweatshirt - €19.99
Giants Causeway
The Giants Causeway is in
County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is
an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that were formed after an
ancient volcanic eruption. It is named the fourth greatest natural wonder of
the United Kingdom.
The columns form stepping-stones
and most are hexagonal in shape. The
tallest columns are about 12 meters high.
How many feet are in 12 meters?
Cliffs of Moher
The Cliffs of Moher
are located in County Clare, Ireland. They rise 120 meters above the Atlantic Ocean
at Hag's Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 meters just north of O'Brien's Tower.
O'Brien's Tower
I know that the school year is coming to an end and I am sure that you all are very excited. I just want to say that I have loved being able to share my experiences over the past eight months with you. But I am not done! I will still be traveling to Moldova, Romania, and Albania. So, if you feel like learning some more over the summer I will continue to post about my travels to this blog.
Ms. Waller,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience in North Ireland with us. Some messages from the students:
Gabrielle- We learned today that Moldova is "landlocked". What does that mean?
Conner- I can't wait to meet you in person! I am new to Audubon.
Jack- How was the food in Ireland?
Kahi- Did you see any pots of gold? If so, please bring all of us some nuggets! :-)
Jada- Did you have fun in North Ireland? Are you sure you'll remember us?
WE MISS YOU!!!!!!!!!!
I am going to give them your blogspot address. They have promised to follow you through your last two countries!!!
Love,
Mrs. Miles and third graders
Mrs. Miles and Third Graders,
ReplyDeleteGabrielle – A landlocked country is a country that is complete surrounded by land. An interesting fact I learn is there are only 42 landlocked countries in the world. On this trip I have been to one other landlocked country, can you tell me which one?
Conner – I can’t wait to meet you as well. I am very excited to back at Audubon very soon.
Jack – The food in Ireland is a lot like America. My favorite Irish meal was shepherd’s pie. It is made of minced beef, peas, corn, carrots, and mashed potatoes.
Kahi – Sadly, I was unable to find a leprechaun or his pot of gold.
Jada – I did enjoy my time in Northern Ireland, except that it was very cold. The island of Ireland is a beautiful place. There are green rolling hills, cute row houses with colorful doors, the ocean, beautiful churches with gorgeous stained glass, sheep, and castles.
YES, Jada, I remember you all! I still have my book that some of you and the teachers wrote notes in and I look at it often. I have missed you all so much and can’t wait to see you all next school year.
Love,
Ms. Waller
Awesome! Today in Eagle Enrichment we are going to answer YOUR questions! :-)
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