St Marys Primary School and Nursery Unit, Portaferry

Butterfly Release for Outdoor Classroom Day 2026

21st May 2026

To celebrate Outdoor Classroom Day, the children in Ash Class and Primary 4 took part in a very special and memorable activity - releasing their classroom butterflies. As part of our joint ‘World Around Us’ topic of Minibeasts, the children have spent the past few weeks carefully observing, nurturing and learning about the life cycle of our butterflies. Today, we proudly watched as they took their first flight into our outdoor classroom. 


The event was shared with a wonderful audience from Ash Class, Oak Class, Primary 4 and Primary 5, making it a truly special moment for the school community. Although a little encouragement from the adults was needed, we successfully released eight beautiful Painted Lady Butterflies into their new habitat. A fantastic hands on learning experience that brought science to life, creating lasting memories for everyone involved.