Children in the State's 3,200 primary schools will today be able to carry out scientific experiments as part of primary science day.
During the day, which is part of Science Week Ireland, students will learn about the science of magnetism, using education packs which have been distributed to schools around the country.
The packs contain colourful magnets, work-books, suggested experiments, and evaluation forms.
Primary science day, a first in primary schools, was announced yesterday morning by the Minister for Education and Science, Dr Woods, at Bayside Junior National School, Sutton, Dublin.
At almost the same time yesterday, the Minister of State for Science, Mr Noel Treacy, announced primary science day in the Irish language at Scoil U∅ Cheithearnaigh, Srβid an Chumainn, Ballinasloe, Co Galway.
"You all look like scientists," Dr Woods told 27 first-class students at the school, who were dressed in science week T-shirts and had spent yesterday morning learning and experimenting with magnetism.
"Where would you find magnets?" Dr Woods asked the class. Several hands shot up. "In laboratories and in shops," answered Colm Dowling (7). Daniel Megan (7) said it was fun to be learning science for the first time in school. He said his only previous experience of science was playing with his brother's chemistry set.
The Minister told the students about his training in food science. Afterwards, they asked him about the dangers of smoking.
The class's teacher, Ms Margaret Gallagher, said the learning packs were "very teacher-friendly".
Her students, she said, easily grasped the scientific language involved in this basic introduction to one scientific concept.
By the time the students reach sixth class, she said, they would have a good foundation in science. "We foster interest in art and music, for example, and now we can foster this," she said.
Mr Colm Regan, executive director of Forfas, stressed that having skilled science graduates had economic advantages, but there were currently too few graduates in science, technology and engineering, as these careers were not viewed as positive as, for example, medicine or law.
The Minister said: "Science is one of the most exciting subjects a student can take up. But it has a somewhat forbidding image." He said science was not more difficult than other subjects.