Schools may be closed but teachers and children are being invited to sign up for a free food-growing scheme, now in its tenth year.
Classroom kits are available for this year's 'The Big Grow', an initiative started by Grow It Yourself (GIY) and the Innocent drinks company to encourage pupils to grow their own vegetables at school.
The kits include five packs of different seeds, compost, growing cups, instructions and lesson plans and will be sent to schools when they reopen.
Children can also bring the 'growing cups' home to do some activities there.
The scheme has helped around 1.5 million children to start growing their own vegetables since it was launched a decade ago and this year it is hoped more than 200,000 people will take part.
GIY founder Michael Kelly said the feedback "we get from the schools, teachers and most importantly the children who take part every year re-affirms that this initiative works, be that in urban, rural or city centre schools."
Rochana Shrestha, who is the brand manager for Innocent drinks, said they have made it their mission "to reach over half the primary school kids in Ireland with this healthy-eating project, so it's great that more schools are taking part again this year. Getting kids excited about veg is what it's all about".
Each school taking part will be encouraged to share their growing experiences online to be in with a chance of being crowned 'The Big Grow Champs 2021' and be awarded a school garden revamp.
Last year's winners, St Patrick's Boys and Girls Primary School in Lombard Street, Galway, transformed the school's small concrete yard and walls into a 'Vertical Garden' where they grew a wide range of vegetables including peas, lettuce, spinach, potatoes.
