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ASSIGNMENT
Chose one of the options below and write a reflective piece (150 words minimum) in this forum as a reply to this post:
- How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity. - How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
- How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
There are a number of ways to engage learners with the biodiversity of the locality. Children can explore this by doing surveys of the school grounds, researching the species native to the area and through guest speakers explaining some of the biodiversity in the area. For the topic of biodiversity and light pollution, I actually think that one of the best ways to engage children would be through the use of a nocturnal wildlife camera or cameras. A number of cameras could be set up in the grounds of the school itself. I work in a school with a lot of green areas including a forest school section and an area of grassland given over to native wildflowers and rewilding. By setting up a motion-activated camera to capture wildlife in the school grounds, children can be engaged to consider the variety of species that are native to their locality. The use of such a camera at night also opens up the question of light pollution and its impact on local wildlife. Children can perform a survey of light pollution near their own homes and then see the impact on local wildlife via the footage obtained from the wildlife camera. Children can directly see the impact of light on moths and other nocturnal insects. Ideally, they might see the impacts on some small nocturnal mammals in the school grounds as well. This can be supplemented with additional child-lead research into the species of most interest to them so that they can learn more about the specific impacts of light pollution on those species.
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Engaging learners to explore biodiversity and the impacts of light pollution in the local area can be an enriching experience. Start by organising a nature walk in a nearby park or natural reserve to observe and catalog various plant and animal species. Equip students with notebooks and identification guides to document their findings.
Introduce the concept of light pollution and its effects on local biodiversity. Discuss how artificial lighting can disrupt nocturnal wildlife, affect plant growth, and alter predator-prey relationships. Use real-life examples, such as how light pollution confuses migrating birds or disturbs the natural behaviors of insects and amphibians.
Incorporate hands-on activities like setting up light traps to study insect populations or conducting night surveys to observe nocturnal animals. Engage students in citizen science projects, such as monitoring local wildlife activity and reporting findings to conservation organizations.
Encourage reflective discussions and projects on how light pollution could be used to protect local biodiversity. This approach promotes active learning and fosters a deeper appreciation for preserving the natural environment.
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I think children would really enjoy using a webcam to try catch a glimpse of nocturnal animals. The impact of artificial light on moths and other insects could also be documented by video and they could watch how insects are attracted to light and how this could have a knock on effect further up the food chain for bats or barn owls feeding.
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The idea of a webcam is brilliant. I recently heard Derek Mooney talk about his famous camera in the blue tit nesting box. He has had it for many years and it was interesting to hear him talk about the patterns of behaviour of the birds over those years. What a great resource for a primary school especially if data was collected over a period of time.
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Hi Sarah. Like you I think this area has so many opportunities for the children to be hands-on and active learners. I really like the idea of a nature walk and allowing the children to observe their local environment and surroundings. I especially like the idea of the light traps to look at the insect population.
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I would love to have web cams to catch what goes on in our school garden, however IT is poor in my school and money would not be spared for anything remotely close to night cams! I would use you tube clips to show then how much activity goes on at night. I have never done this and think it would be very exciting for them to realise how much nature comes to life at night.
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School Audit on Biodiversity: Animal Life; Habitats; Ecosystems.
List the animals found in and around the school grounds.
Number of animals/habitats found.
Overall health/cleanliness of each habitat/ecosystem.
Photos/Drawings of observations.Challenges to Biodiversity:
List any factors of circumstances you may think be of harm. Identify and record some of the challenges (photos/drawings).Can you think of some steps pupils and teachers can take to deal with the hazards or damage to the biodiversity of the school?
Can you think of some steps other people in the community can take to deal with these challenges? -
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To encorporate the needs of nocturnal species into school biodiversity plans, I would focus on education, hands-on projects, and community involvement. I would introduce the topic through engaging lessons that highlight the importance of dark skies for nocturnal species like bats and owls, showing how artificial light disrupts their natural behaviors.
I would organize night-time field trips for students to observe nocturnal animals in their habitats, including activities like bat watching with detectors and stargazing.
In school, we could create a “dark sky garden,” planting night-blooming flowers to attract nocturnal pollinators and serve as a living lab for student observations.
Lastly, I would involve the community by hosting workshops on reducing light pollution and collaborating with local authorities to promote better lighting practices, such as using shielded fixtures and dimming unnecessary lights. These efforts would help foster a commitment to protecting nocturnal biodiversity among students and the community.
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I would incorporate the needs of nocturnal speci,es especially those that rely on dark skies, into our school biodiversity plans in the following ways;
Firstly, we would conduct a survey of lighting of the school building and exterior in the evening and night time. All interior lights to be switched off overnight and any exterior lighting to be converted to motion lights. The exterior motion lights should be of a design that causes the least amount of light pollution.
Secondly, we could build bat boxes and place them around the grounds of the school. This activity would ideally lend itself to classroom projects on nocturnal animals in our immediate area and the study of the Irish bat and the need to protect it.
Finally, we could create an information campaign within the school involving all classes. Each class could produce a posters informing the school community of the need to protect nocturnal creatures from light pollution. -
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
There are so many ways we can incorporate biodiversity within our primary schools setting. I am very lucky to work in a rural school where we have really been putting an emphasis on exploring the natural environment.
Having a ‘no-mow’ area of grass really allows for children to see the bees in action and allows for a plethra of Irish wildflowers to grow and be explored by the children. We are lucky to have a nice size patch but it can be done with any size patch of grass to allow children to explore bugs it also ties in with the pollinator plan and provides ample opportunity to discuss the importance of bees. Also to observe any local rivers/lakes/beaches, I think linking into the local natural environment is so important as the children will be the ones utilizing these natural resources and we want them to do so responsibly. Making maps of local area to familiarize the children with the features really allows them to recognize in depth what is in their area and prompts discussions at home and school on how to protect our beautiful environments. -
Hi Mairead
That is fantastic that you are already allowing wildflowers to grow naturally in your school by reducing mowing and you are so right that almost every school has the opportunity to do this even on a small scale. Not only are you helping to provide for pollinators and other insects and also for birds, but you are also providing a valuable learning experience for the children. and hopefully also spreading the message home to families about how to protect and preserve our native wildlife.
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Including Nocturnal Animals in School Biodiversity Plans
To begin with children need specific lesson to learn About Nocturnal Animals
– Introduce children to animals that are active at night, like owls, bats, and certain insects.
– Read stories and watch videos about these creatures.2. Create a Night-Friendly Habitat
– Build shelters or plant gardens that attract nocturnal animals, like bat houses or night-blooming flowers.3. Night time observations- this will need to be done in conjunction with the school management and parents council
– Organize evening or nighttime school events to observe nocturnal animals in their natural habitat.
– Use flashlights with red filters to avoid disturbing the animals.4. Dark Sky Awareness:
– Teach children about the importance of dark skies for nocturnal animals.
– Discuss how too much light at night can make it hard for these animals to hunt, navigate, and find mates.5. Reduce Light Pollution
– Encourage the use of outdoor lights only when necessary and to point them downwards to minimize sky glow.
– Implement “lights out” times at school to help protect nocturnal species.By incorporating these steps, children will learn how to support nocturnal animals and understand the importance of dark skies in maintaining healthy biodiversity.
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Hi Patrick, I like the the idea of setting up the nature cameras to see nocturnal animals on school grounds. Last year we had a bird that built her nest and laid eggs outside one of the SET classrooms. The teachers set up a simple webcam near the window and shared short videos of the eggs hatching etc. It was amazing and loved by the children, parents and staff.
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To engage pupils in biodiversity, I would use a starter video on biodiversity from the Nation History Museum . Pupils would be encouraged to identify the key facts on Biodiversity. Pupil would then in groups brainstorm the biodiversity examples in our locality.
A biodiversity survey would then be carried out around the school and around our school locality. The information documented from this survey would help pupils create group posters/projects on biodiversity in their locality. These could be used to raise awareness of biodiversity with other classes in the school.
To introduce the topic of light pollution affecting biodiversity, the pupils need to learn about nocturnal animals first. A video on Nocturnal animals would be used with a leaflet to help pupils in groups create a concept map on Nocturnal animals. For homework, the pupils could conduct a nocturnal animal survey at home to see what animals, insects and birds come out at night. Findings would be discussed and I would lead this discussion to identify what they noticed in more light up areas around their house.
Groups would then participate in group projects. Each group would research and create a project on one of the following topics:
-Bats and Light Pollution
-Birds and Light Pollution
-Light Pollution and Plant Growth
-Insects and Light PollutionPupils would then work on identifying how our school could help biodiversity around the school, by making bug hotels, make bat boxes, plant tress and native hedgerows, bird boxes etc. The class would start a campaign to
implement these steps to support biodiversity around the school, and educate the school on how to reduce light pollution. -
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.The first step to explore biodiversity is our school’s local area would be to ensure that the children know what biodiversity actually means. There is a lovely (very short) David Attenborough video clip called ‘What is Biodversity?’ which is great for generating discussion around the topic. It is really important then to shift the discussion to a national level – what biodiversity exists in Ireland? and then to our immediate locality. The next step would be to have the class conduct a biodiversity survey or Bioblitz and identify what biodiversity exists in our locality. Our school is in Dublin’s inner city and we have very limited outdoor space. We do have a small park nearby and a pond a little further away. I think I would encourage the class to look at these 3 areas – school, park and pond both separately and then as a whole. Once we have established what biodiversity exists I would have the class make posters explaining this to the rest of the school. A celebration of the biodiversity in our urban landscape. Once there is an awareness of what actually exists in our area the next step is to make a plan for what we want to improve. While we may not have space for wildflower meadows or tree planting we could possibly set up insect hotels, bird feeders or bat boxes. It would be interesting to conduct a bioblitz the following year and see if anything has changed. It would be fascinating to set up a night vision motion detection camera near the school to see what nocturnal animals visit. Perhaps linking up with a school in a less light polluted area and comparing night camera footage would get children thinking about the effects of light pollution on nocturnal animals.
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Hi Tara – that’s a really good point about giving the children the understanding of biodiversity first. We were doing a green flag activity in our school this year around biodiversity and found that exact thing: the first step was establishing whether the children actually understood the concept and then providing opportunities to explore the meaning.
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I have great admiration for schools like yours Tara that are located in urban settings with not much access to outdoor space, in particular green areas, in terms of how creative the school community can be with developing the space they have and using what is in the local area. You talk about the pond and it is great that at least you have this natural amenity in the area as a starting point. In many ways it would probably be less of a challenge for a school that it is in a more rural setting with access to more green space to develop spaces for a wildflower meadow, etc as you mentioned, but I have seen urban schools in my area set up small gardens with things like big hotels, bird boxes, and wildflower patches in small spaces. It may also be easier for a school like yours to assess if your actions have increased biodiversity as it might be more obvious in an urban setting compared to a rural one if there are more birds, pollinators, etc in the area.
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I love the idea of night motion cameras to observe the nocturnal animals at night. It would really allow pupils to really see how the biodiversity lives at night and give them a great understanding of how light pollution affects the nocturnal animals. Linking up with another school would be super interesting for pupils and give pupils a lot of scope for comparing and contrasting the two localities. Projects could be completed on both localities and light pollution.
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Hi Tara,
I’ve just been looking at the David Attenborough video on What is Biodiversity and then Why it is important. They’re a great find. I’ve bookmarked them for use with my 6th class next year. Thank you.
I agree with you – starting from the beginning, and just finding out what biodiversity exists already in you school is a very worthwhile and eye-opening exercise. It is a great start to the discussion and as the pupils become more familiar with what is around them during the day, it won’t be such a huge step to bring their thoughts to the nocturnal world.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
There are a number of ways I would engage my class to explore biodiversity in my locality. Firstly, I would introduce what biodiversity and light pollution were. I would do this by by getting the groups to discuss what they think it was. I would then show them a video or presentation explaining and see how close they were. I would encourage all pupils to discuss their experiences and observations related to local wildlife and light pollution.
We would then go on a nature walk to identify any wildlife in our local park. Pupils will document any species of plants, insects, birds and any other animals. If possible I would invite any biologists, bird watchers etc to come and talk to the children about the impacts it can have.
If possible, the children could go on a night walk with an adult to the same park and observe the use of artificial light in the area. They could also observe any nocturnal animals in the area. Pupils would be invited to discuss their findings with the class. To make it more graphic for the children, pupils could create art projects of the affects that light pollution can have on local wildlife.
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How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans.
- Schools can be important historical roost sites for bats. The building can act as a safe place for bats to roost at a time where many of their roosting areas have been destroyed by human intervention. The school building may have supported the bat roost for many years, as bats are faithful to their roosts, returning each year to raise their one pup.
- It is sometimes possible to attract bats to roost in an area by placing bat boxes on walls, posts or tree trunks. Bat boxes can create additional roosting places for bats where roosting options are restricted. Bats benefit a locality by controlling insect populations.
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Create a bug hotel using old timber pallets and this in turn will provide food for the bats and perhaps any hedgehogs that might frequent the grounds.
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Having a bat roost and a bug hotel is a nice opportunity to teach children more about these amazing creatures and to introduce them to wildlife in their local area.
- Learning about bats early on can help dissuade some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding bats.
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Hi Lora,
Welcome to the course, and thanks for your post!
Your plan is a great way to encourage bats to your school, and the addition of bat boxes will provide them with much-needed support in the form of habitat.In our bid for a clean aesthetic, so often not even a leaf is left on the grass, or the grass is not allowed to grow a little wild, which is a great pity for the wildlife it can support and, in turn, the other native species these bugs become a food supply for. There is so much that can easily be done to help native wildlife thrive.
I think it is great that you also plan for a bug hotel, as it also teaches an important lesson that biodiversity does not occur without a web and that each species in this web has a role to play, including bugs, bats, and hedgehogs, to name but a few!
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We have a bug hotel too and it is on the yard for the Junior Classes. They love looking in and seeing what’s going on, but lately there haven’t been many guests at all for whatever reason that may be?!
We also have a school garden with seating around the sides, big tractor tyres serve as flower beds and raised beds for planting vegetables. the best reward is getting to have lunch in the School Garden – it is their highlight. It’s just a pity with the weather most of the time!
Our school is in a rural area and I just love the idea of a night motion camera. It would be so interesting to see what’s lurking in the middle of the night on the school grounds and down on the grass pitch!
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Module 4 Assignment
How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?
The Laois Co Council videos, books and colouring books on biodiversity in the garden look really nice and it is great that they can be ordered free of charge for the children and/or for the class library. I would start with these and the David Attenborough video recommended by Tara in an earlier post on this forum.
The more the children realise that every creature has its role to play and has a valuable contribution to make to our planet as a whole is so so important. We are all interdependent on each and all ecosystems and biodiversities and the services they provide for life to continue.
We need to protect the environment by preventing pollution and climate change and eliminating all threats to biodiversity. If we start by doing this at a local level, then it will naturally spread to the wider world. A lot of local birds and bees and other creatures and plants are currently under threat in Ireland and this needs to be addressed first. By teaching the children about their local areas and encouraging them to just look around and observe the nature around them we can get them invested in learning how they can protect the beauty around them.
The RTE clip about the long eared bat was very interesting. They suggested a good website to look up the 10 different bat species that are found in ireland.www.batconservationireland.org and learnaboutbats.com.
Who knew! I would have always considered bats rodents with wings but I have changed my mind. The video about the conservation of the lesser horseshoe bat in Mayo was very interesting too. The children will be inspired to protect the bats after researching all the different types and the threats they face, especially the threats from light pollution. Plus they will love playing the Bat Moth Game and will give them a greater appreciation of echolocation.
The ESERO day and night in the world 30 resource suggests a lot of different activities to teach the kids how light pollution can impact on plant grown and on different creatures in their every day lives to hunt, eat, sleep and to survive!
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
To begin, I would facilitate a class discussion about biodiversity to elicit the children’s prior knowledge on this topic. I would then delve into this topic through the use of factual videos, I.T., and presentations to inform the children of the various definitions, flowers and fauna that they will be engaging with over the course of this topic. There is a park with a river running through it within walking distance of the school. I would print out/ask the children to draw a map of the park and mark where they spot animals/insects/flowers on their maps. They would also record the names of the animals, insects and flowers separately. Apps such as iNaturalist and Seek can be used if children are unsure of names. Using separate maps, the children could mark street lamps and lights in the park, and return later on in the evenings and record their observations under the supervision of an adult. We would then compare the results, identifying animals and insects that appear at different times and further discuss why this is so.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.Engaging the pupils to explore biodiversity –
Our school has been involved with Heritage in schools over the past 10+ years. A member of the forum mentioned in her post how important it is to explore the term biodiversity with our pupils before we delve deeper into the theme and create a clear understanding.
The Heritage in schools, along with tidy towns members and foróige group leaders have all helped the local kids in the area develop a good understanding of biodiversity and how important it is.
Trees have been planted, wildflower meadows created, a beautiful walkway along the river close to the school is currently under construction with the pupils from 3rd class and above helping with this. As the work continues the children are made aware of what animals are in the local area, moth traps have been set up with the children getting to see what types of moths are in the area. Children have helped with the designing and location of bat and bee boxes. We do an annual survey of living things in our local area. This is added to each year and it is great for the pupils to see the difference and increase in both plant and animal life in an around the school and local area.
Impacts of light pollution in our local area –
We recently had an information night in our area and it was all about biodiversity after dark. It was really interesting and the main theme of the night was detecting bats in the area. The lady organising the event works for bats convervation Ireland. She offers free talks to schools also so a great way for us help engage our young learners in this topic.
The talk informed us all about the affects of light pollution on the bats in the area.
We were lucky that the walk we went on that night took us through a very dark area with only minimal lighting, perfect for detecting bats. There was so much emphasis out on the fact that light pollution does not help our nocturnal animals and we must try hard to keep our light pollution to a low level.
That night we got to see how the landscape around us was ideal for bats and how the bats can help us. We were all happy to hear that bats eat over 3,000 midgies each night : – ) We got to hear about how these nocturnal animals are right on our doorstep and how they can help improve our mental and physical health.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity
I have Senior Infants at the moment and while many of the resources in this module were pitched more at middle/senior classes, the early concepts were definitely adaptable to the younger classes.
To engage my senior infant learners in exploring local biodiversity and the impact of light pollution, I would use the following steps:
Engage
Nature Walk: Carry out a guided nature walk in the local area near the school, encouraging students to observe and collect natural items like leaves, flowers, and small insects.Explore
Observation Stations: Set up stations with magnifying glasses, bug jars, and plant guides. Let students examine their collected items, identifying different species.
Night vs. Day: Show pictures of local wildlife active during the day and at night. Discuss how light pollution might affect nocturnal animals. See ESERO 30 Day and NightExplain
Story Time: Read a storybook about animals affected by light pollution e.g. Lights Out by Marsha Diane Arnold or https://youtu.be/2XET6_G1dls?si=c9RcGCkgFf-20Uvw from 3:58
Simple Explanation: Discuss how too much light at night can confuse animals, making it hard for them to find food or mates.Elaborate
Craft Activity: Have students create drawings showing healthy vs light-polluted habitats.
Guest Speaker: Invite a member of the local Tidy Towns committee in to the class to talk about local species and answer questions (The committee have won awards for Biodiversity in recent years at the Tidy Towns competition)Evaluate
Show and Tell: Children share their drawings and explain what they learned.
Reflection: Ask questions like, “Why is it important to protect our night sky?” to reinforce their understanding. -
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To engage my 5th class in exploring local biodiversity and the impacts of light pollution, I would start with a nature walk around our area. We would observe and record different plants, animals, and insects we find. I would explain how light pollution affects their natural behaviors, such as feeding. We could use flashlights to simulate how artificial light disrupts their routines. In class, we would watch videos and have discussions about light pollution’s impact on wildlife. Students would then create posters showing how to reduce light pollution and protect local biodiversity. We could present these posters to the school community to raise awareness and try to implement some of our ideas in the school grounds.
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Module 4 Assignment
How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
To begin, I would have a talk and discussion session with the class in relation to what biodiversity means and how it relates to our daily lives. We would talk about aspects of biodiversity that we see in the area, negative impacts on this biodiversity, identify our positive inputs to diversity in the area, and what we can do to further improve biodiversity in the area.
From there, we would go on a biodiversity trail of the area, using the ‘Wild Things at School’ resource to become more familiar with local plants, animals and habitats in the locality.
We would recap on the observations previously carried out on light sources and possible light pollution in the area. We would discuss possible solutions which we could put in place in the school grounds to help with light pollution and decrease our impact in this area.
Having explored biodiversity in the area, the class would break into groups to identify what is working well in relation to positive impacts on biodiversity. We would look at how we could further improve in this area, e.g. our school field is regularly cut and we do not necessarily need all of the space. Is there a section in which we could plant wild flowers to encourage pollinators in the area?
Each group would report back to the class on what they came up with and together we would come up with a timeframe in which we would try to achieve some of our goals and a date on which we would assess our progress/success in this area. -
I feel schools have become better at creating a better environment for insects by building bug hotels or planting with flowers that attract certain insects. However, I don’t feel schools think about biodiversity outside the regular school hours and I feel there is a lot we can do.
It begins by educating the students about the biodiversity in the local area and what we can do to help. In reality, school grounds are ideal as they are areas of quiet at night and can provide a tranquil place for nocturnal animals to thrive.
Regarding bats, bat houses could be installed on the grounds in a quiet area way from busy yard time areas. Likewise, owl nesting boxes could be houses in large old trees on a campus. Late night blooming flowers would help moths, providing them with a source of nectar after hours. Finally, hedgehogs could be welcomed into an area by providing them with space to nest along with a source of food.
Of course, it would be important to educate students on how to treat with these areas with respect during the school day. The use of webcams would be fantastic, allowing students to view what biodiversity exists in the school campus after hours.
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Brilliant ideas presented here, Brendan.
Setting up a webcam to see what biodiversity exists in the school area at night would really stimulate the pupils to take more care of the environment around them so that the local ecosystems can thrive. This is something that I would consider for my own class when I begin teaching this concept.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
I teach in a Junior school – we would start with introducing biodiversity by going on a walk to our green space / garden and asking the class to draw as many living things they think might live, walk through, share this space. Have children share what they think. Let roll over some sticks, logs, stones see if we can find anything else that we may not have drawn or tried to write. Think of creatures who might fly in? walk in? jump in? use this space?
The next day … produce all the sheets and make a big list of things that might use this school green space – then move onto explaining biodiversity. Having given them a concrete activity first in my opinion gives them time to think and an opportunity to chat amongst peers about their shared experience in the garden. Compare and again chat / discuss. Make posters we can share outside on our display board and encourage other classes to come look at what the Junior infants are learning (share our learning)
Next, we would go on a walk around the school adding to our biodiversity on our school grounds. We would discuss about how we can protect the living things on our school grounds. We are in charge … how can help them and what do we do as a school community that might not help them?
We have plenty of ‘corners’ of long grass in the school. These provide a great space for our living creatures that we rarely go near. We could make biodiversity signs. Get the help of our caretaker to plant them. Talk about the school as a community and that we all need to play our part. Who else might we need to talk too? I hope they would suggest the Principal and we could have her in for a biodiversity Q&A so the children know this a serious issue.
I would teach how artificial light affects biodiversity – birds who use it know when to sing, bats using it to come out at twilight. Teach the beginnings of understanding how important natural light is to our biodiversity. Make bird boxes / bat boxes / bug hotels and place them on our variety of long grass green spaces sides and again do projects that we can tell our school community about. Have Junior infants do something and tell older classes about it. This instils confidence and knowledge in these our youngest students.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?
Engage -I would ask questions to engage the infants interest .
Is there anything living in our school grounds during the day and during the night. Brainstorm answers. Make a list on the board. We will refer to our prediction list later.
Get the children to draw pictures of what they expect to find when we go on our fact finding walk.
Investigate and explore ;Making groups of 3 the children go on a fact finding mission armed with bug jars, collection boxes ,an i-pad per team , tweezers, gloves (for the squeamish) .
Analyse : On return to class the children will use magnifying glasses and sample picture sheets to identify what they found .All insects found under the caretakers woodpile will be returned unharmed .
We will have a discussion about biodiversity and what they think it is .We will discuss the conditions that best suit our specimens – plants ,birds and insects.
I will read the book ‘Can you see the stars tonight ‘ by Anna Terreros where the Pufflings get lost and can’t find their way because artificial light confuses them. I will explain that too much light at night confuses some animals.
We will make a list of animals that may be affected by artificial light .
Birds singing at night because they think it is day/Bat hunting at the wrong time because they are confused /Bugs attracted to blue light etc.
Get the children to be more aware of light pollution in their environment and demand change even if its turning off lights at home .
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
We have been very lucky that we have moved schools this year, we are now located near a local pond and stream. We have been able to create a green house and have started a vegetable patch. All of these give great opportunities to explore biodiversity with my learners.
- First, I would ask students to map our school grounds, adding in the different plants.
- Next, time we would go out and explore the wild life we see, through a bug walk and we would use the umbrella trick for shrubs and trees. We would add these to our plant map.
- Finally, we would go out again, but now focus on light pollution. Can we map the light pollution. Can we build shields to protect biodiversity. We could discuss with the caretaker about ensuring lights are off when not needed.
- I would then take the learning outside the school grounds. During the next two lessons we would go to the local pond and follow out the same steps, first mapping the plants and then the animals. We are very lucky to have swans and ducks at our pond.
- We would take note of the light pollution. Can we do something about it? Contact the local council to ask for light shields? Make a petition to ask for lights to be switched off when not needed, could sensors be applied for example?
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
To engage learners with the biodiversity of the locality, there are several effective strategies. Children can participate in surveys of the school grounds, research native species in the area, and hear from guest speakers about the local ecosystem. However, I believe that using nocturnal wildlife cameras would be an ideal way to explore biodiversity and light pollution. By setting up motion-activated cameras throughout the school’s green areas, including the forest school and grassland sections with native wildflowers and rewilding spaces, children can discover the variety of species that inhabit their immediate environment. The nighttime footage captured by these cameras provides a unique opportunity for children to consider the impact of light pollution on local wildlife. By conducting a survey of light pollution near their homes and comparing it to the footage from the cameras, children can directly observe how light affects moths, nocturnal insects, and potentially even small mammals in the school grounds. This hands-on approach can be complemented by child-led research into specific species of interest, allowing them to delve deeper into the effects of light pollution on those species and become empowered to make a positive impact on their local environment.
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Hi Lisa, I think the idea of setting up night vision cameras is an intriguing one and the kids would be completely fascinated by this! I wonder if these can be rented for use? Or perhaps borrowed from a member of the parent body. Definitely something I’d like to try on our school grounds. We are in the city suburbs but I bet we’d be pleasantly surprised by many night-time visitors!
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To engage my 6th Class to explore biodiversity in our local area [Cork city suburbs] I would first pose the question what is biodiversity? As a whole group we could begin to fill in a KWL chart detailing what we know and what we want to know. Next, we could do some research in pairs using our tablets. Scoilnet or Britannica Schools are excellent, trusted search engines for primary pupils. Using post-its I would ask the pupils to create a pyramid or diamond pattern with facts and interesting info on biodiversity. As a group we could then write bullet points on what we have learned to complete the KWL.
A local group of environmentalists, Cork Nature Network has a mission to restore nature and ensure urban green spaces in Cork for future generations. Their work shows just how impactful our efforts can be when community comes together to benefit our shared environment. I would be keen to connect with this group and organise a workshop with my class to explore the idea of rewilding some of our school garden. Currently what green space we do have on our grounds is tightly manicured. It would be interesting to get feedback from the pupils and also the experts on how best to do this and over time observe and track an increase in insects and wildlife to the garden.
Our local Beaumont Quarry is an oasis in Cork city. It has a rich biodiversity and is an ideal spot for a Botanical Painting field trip with local artist Sarah Rohu. Creative Ireland are making these workshops possible and encouraging schools in Cork to engage creatively with the biodiversity of Beaumont Quarry.
From the point of view of light Pollution and its impact on local biodiversity it would be worth talking about the Dean Hotel on Horgan’s Quay which was completed in 2020. It’s radical design made it instantly stand out in the city landscape but after dark the hotel also stands out thanks to towering lights beamed high into the night sky. If local residents are mistaking the huge spotlight for the moon and referring to it as a ‘nuisance’ then surely from an environmental point of view it has the potential to confuse and disorientate nocturnal creatures. I would introduce my class to the Kelvin Scale which is a measure of the colour temperature of lights. We could contact Cork City Council to enquire if public lighting in Cork operates in line with best practice of no more than 3000 kelvins according to the International Dark Sky Association.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
I would start with a brainstorm to elicit prior knowledge from the pupils. The video clips from Dun Laoioghre-Rathdown and Laois Co. Councils on biodiversity would be an ideal start point to focus the minds and start the pupils thinking about the meaning of biodiversity and where they can see this in their own area.
We would be looking at rural and urban biodiversity as we have pupils from both settings which I feel would add greatly to this activity. We would compile a list of all of the examples of biodiversity in both settings and then consider the setting of our school and identify biodiversity there. We do have small raised beds for each class in our school that have inadvertently become re-wilded so I am sure there is plenty of biodiversity to observe!
I think it would be extremely important to gather information on the effects of the loss of biodiversity. Pupils can look at financial, health, social, impacts of the loss as well as the damage to flora and fauna and the knock on impact of those on our communities.
In terms of light pollution, pupils can research their own home settings and examine what changes could be made either in their own houses, on their streets, parks, etc. that could help to reduce light pollution.
Remaining solution-focused is so important so that they feel they can actually affect change even in some small way at home. As in previous activities, the pupils need to feel a sense of empowerment and thus be motivated to do something about this loss. If they feel there is a solution and some hope, they are more likely to act.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?
At the start of October last year, we had a session with a a man named Micheal Bell from Nature Learn who gave a fascinating talk about Biodiversity with each class. He presented my class (First and Second) with a PowerPoint presentation featuring all the local wildlife in the area where the children live. He gave each of them a bkkloet on Irish birds and even brought in a a stuffed pine Marten called Martin!
He followed on with an intersting workshop that focused on the local natural environment and showed us all the various types of living things (plants and animals) that live around our school and in the wider community.
We listened to the different chirps and tweets of birds and Michael was able to identify them by sound. We looked at the plants and insects living in our school garden and we had a look at our bug hotel to identify different living creatures there. We spotted a nest near the top of the roof on one school building and witnessed the mother bird flying in and our with food for her babies.
It was an excellent, hands-on and very relevent workshop. The children really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. It would be lovely if he pays us another visit it in the future!
Regarding teaching further on the effects of light pollution children could be enouraged to carry out a survey, gather information through media sources, explore the presence of artifical light in their area by going on a ‘light pollution hunt’ and figure out first hand the sources of this pollution and then create a list of ways that we could help minimise it. There were some great experiments, resources and web links and the Bat Moth Game that the children could do to investigate light pollution in their local community in this module too. -
How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.I would begin by asking the children their understanding of the term biodiversity. Next I would get the children to survey the school grounds. We are an urban school with limited grounds around. We do have a small school garden and some trees around the staff car park.
next i would ask the children to identify what causes light pollution and get them to come up with ways that we can help limit our footprint in this. I was fasinated to read about the impact of light pollution on birds in this section. I would never had considered that their waking hours are impacted and that this can impact their health and wellbeing. We have also planted wild flowers in the past in the school grounds but I don’t think we considered if they were native species to Ireland.
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Hi Grainne
Getting the children to survey their school grounds is a great way to get started on understanding biodiversity. The fact that your grounds are limited might make the survey part easier and then you could go on to get the children thinking about how to make their small space more biodiversity friendly. The All Ireland Pollinator Plan has some great resources for managing grass cutting to encourage native wildflowers but also on pollinator friendly planting for a range of different spaces including the Pots for Pollinators resource and this one https://pollinators.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Top-Ten-pollinator-plants-Guide-WEB.pdf which covers plants for small gardens, pots and beds among others. Many of these plants will also be good for birds by both providing berries and also increasing the amount of insects and invertebrates they can use for food.
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To engage primary school children in exploring local biodiversity and the impacts of light pollution, you could start with an engaging nature walk, firstly around the school and in our wooded area near the school, followed by the park about 15 minutes away by foot. They could be provided with magnifying glasses, binoculars, and simple field guides to help identify plants, insects, birds, and other animals in the vicinity. They can document their findings through drawings, notes, or photos, making the experience both interactive and educational.
After the nature walk, I would introduce the concept of light pollution with a classroom activity that explains how artificial light affects the natural world. I would use some of the videos from the previous module or stories that highlight the impact on nocturnal animals or even local plant life. We could discuss how plants and animals rely on natural light cycles to survive and thrive.
To illustrate these concepts practically, you could try organize a stargazing event in the evening. Some children could observe the night sky in an area with minimal light pollution and contrast it with observations in a brightly lit area using the light pollution map to find suitable areas. They could use a guide to notice differences in visible stars and the behavior of nocturnal animals. Finally, the next day pupils can discuss how artificial light affects these observations and the broader environment.
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To get students excited about local biodiversity and the impact of light pollution, I’d start with some fun, hands-on activities. We could go on nature walks around the neighbourhood or nearby parks to spot different plants and animals. Giving the kids simple tools like notebooks, cameras, and field guides would let them document their findings and share their discoveries with the class.
For light pollution we could compare star visibility and nocturnal wildlife activity in areas with lots of lights versus darker spots. This would show firsthand how excess lighting affects animals.
Bringing in a local ecologist to talk about these issues can also spark interest. They can explain how light pollution disrupts animal behaviours, like birds’ migration patterns or nocturnal animals’ routines.
Back in class, we’d discuss our findings and maybe even start a project to promote dark-sky initiatives in our community. These activities not only teach students about biodiversity and environmental issues but also encourage them to think about solutions and get involved in their local area.
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Hi Matthew, I read on a previous post that you can request a free bat walk, talk or other event from Bat Conservation Ireland.
https://www.batconservationireland.org/get-involved/request-bat-walk-talk-event
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Incorporating the needs of nocturnal species into our school’s biodiversity plans is important for understanding and protecting our local wildlife. I would start by teaching students about nocturnal animals, like bats, owls, and moths, and how they need dark skies to thrive. We’d learn how too much artificial light can mess up their natural behaviours. One way to help would be to create a “dark sky zone” on the school grounds. We could plant trees and shrubs to give these animals a home and install special lights that don’t shine as brightly. This project would let students take action and feel responsible for their environment. We could also organise night-time trips or observation sessions so students can see nocturnal animals in action. To make this a bigger part of our biodiversity plan, students could join citizen science projects to track local nocturnal animals and measure light pollution. They could share what they find with the school an
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Incorporating the needs of nocturnal species into our school’s biodiversity plans is important for understanding and protecting our local wildlife. I would start by teaching students about nocturnal animals, like bats, owls, and moths, and how they need dark skies to thrive. We’d learn how too much artificial light can mess up their natural behaviours. One way to help would be to create a “dark sky zone” on the school grounds. We could plant trees and shrubs to give these animals a home and install special lights that don’t shine as brightly. This project would let students take action and feel responsible for their environment. We could also organise night-time trips or observation sessions so students can see nocturnal animals in action. To make this a bigger part of our biodiversity plan, students could join citizen science projects to track local nocturnal animals and measure light pollution. They could share what they find with the school and suggest ways to help, like using motion-sensor lights and shielded fixtures.
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Biodiversity:
Our school is located in an urban area and we have very little green space. However, over the years, we have incorporated small changes to our biodiversity plan. As suggested in the video by Laois County Council, we can feel helpless when it comes to biodiversity, but we can all do something to help it and it starts on our own doorstep. It is good to show the children that changes can be made even in limited and challenging circumstances. Our school, as part of the Green Schools programme, has installed bird and bat boxes to the school building. We have had birds nesting and it is joyful to hear and see birds in our school surroundings. We hang bird feeders outside classroom windows or on the balconies. One of my colleagues had a wormery on the balcony, which got children and teachers from all classes involved. Growing vegetables in window boxes is something that is in our plans to create ecosystems. We are and want to do more to promote biodiversity in our urban school, they may be small changes, but very worthwhile for the school community.
We know from module 3 that light pollution has a big impact on our nocturnal birds and animals, affecting their breeding and migration. They don’t know night from day. They have disturbed sleep and can get disorientated. They can end up being preyed on, trapped or even killed.
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Some lovely ideas in this module on how to introduce the idea of biodiversity to children and then to encourage them to explore the plants & animals (especially the mammals, birds & invertebrates) inhabiting the local area.
I would encourage the children to go to their garden or local area at night with their parents and record what species they see on a sheet. I would also ask them to leave a light in a window and record what insects are attracted to it.
Then in class we would discuss the results, chart them and explore the following in relation to the possible impacts light pollution might be having on local biodiversity:
1. Was it bright or dark outside their particular home?
2. What colour were the streetlights?
3. How well could they themselves see in the dark?
4. Would they expect to see more or less in a different area?We would then record the results of the biodiversity identified on the biodiveristyireland.ie website.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
Exploring biodiversity in your local area and understanding the impacts of light pollution on it can be an engaging and educational experience for learners. Here are some ways you could engage your students in this exploration: (These activities could be done at school and at home)
BioBlitz Event: Organise a BioBlitz event where students, teachers, and local experts come together to identify and document various species of plants and animals in a specific area. Encourage students to take photos, make observations, and record data. (link with maths)
Field Surveys: Take students on field surveys to different habitats in your local area, such as parks, forests, or wetlands. Have them identify and document the biodiversity in each habitat and discuss the importance of maintaining diverse ecosystems.
Nighttime Biodiversity Surveys: At home, the children could conduct nighttime surveys to explore nocturnal biodiversity. In school, they could then discuss how light pollution can disrupt the behaviour and habitats of nocturnal species, such as insects, bats, and certain birds.
Research Projects: Assign students research projects on the impact of light pollution on local biodiversity. They can investigate how artificial light affects the behaviour, reproduction, and migration patterns of different species in your area.
Habitat Restoration: Engage students in habitat restoration projects to create or improve habitats for local wildlife (maybe an overgrown area on the school grounds). They could also discuss how reducing light pollution in these areas can benefit biodiversity.
Guest Speaker or Virtual Tour: Invite a local biologist, ecologist, or conservationist to speak to the class about the importance of biodiversity and the threats posed by light pollution. Alternatively, arrange a virtual tour of a local biodiversity hotspot.
By actively engaging students in exploring biodiversity in their local area and understanding the impacts of light pollution, they can develop a deeper appreciation for the natural world and become motivated to protect and preserve local ecosystems.
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I really like the idea of organizing a BioBlitz event! It’s an exciting and hands-on way to engage learners in exploring the rich biodiversity of their local area while also understanding the critical impacts of light pollution. Such an event not only brings students, teachers, and local experts together but also fosters a sense of community and shared responsibility towards environmental conservation. By involving students in activities like species identification, data recording, and nighttime surveys, they can gain valuable insights into how artificial light affects various species. This multifaceted approach can spark curiosity, enhance learning, and inspire proactive steps to protect and preserve local ecosystems.
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Hi Michael
That sounds like a great plan for exploring Biodiversity in your school and the wider area. BioBlitz events are a fun way to get children involved in exploring their local plants and animals and involving other local people is a lovely idea. this would be a great inspiration for exploring other areas for comparison. Exploring biodiversity at home, engaging in habit restoration including your idea for allowing areas of the school to become more overgrown to encourage biodiversity researching local biodiversity and inviting guest speakers are also great ideas for helping children to understand all of the issues around biodiversity.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.I would begin by having class discussions and brainstorming about our own natural spaces surrounding our school building and the natural spaces that we have around our own homes. Ask students about how they think the huge increase in infrastructure and buildings in the last 15 years (light pollution) might have on local biodiversity in our area.
From here, the children would work in groups of 3 to study satellite photographs of their community before and after the amount of housing estates and roads were built. (Observation and data) They would also use tools like the EO browser to assess urban development in the area. A map of the local community would then be divided up into separate areas and numbered. Each group would be assigned an area to study, observe and document. Students would do a biodiversity study of the assigned area. “What native plant and animal species can we find? ” “Think of other animal species who might use the area?” “How could we find out about nocturnal species.
I would invite local environmentalists and community members to speak to the children about the changes that they have observed in the community and to hear the local impact of reduced natural spaces have had on our community. -
How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
The biodiversity in the local area where my school is consists mainly of birds and insects. We are based in the city with few green areas nearby. One way we could improve the impacts of light pollution is to introduce bat boxes. These would provide a dark space for bats to locate away from the harsh street lights and building lights. Another way we could explore biodiversity is by creating a bug hotel. This would give children the opportunity to observe insects co-habiting with each other and to see how they eat, move, grow. This could be further develop by creating a compost heap to help fuel the bug hotel. This would then create a whole system for which biodiversity would flourish. -
Exploring the Impact of Light Pollution on Biodiversity with 5th Class Students in Dublin
Engaging my 5th class in understanding light pollution’s effects on biodiversity is both educational and inspiring. I will start with a classroom session recapping about light pollution—its sources and environmental impacts—using visuals to make the concept tangible. I will facilitate a discussion on how light pollution might affect nocturnal animals and plants, using familiar examples like streetlights and asking the children to draw on their observations from when we were working on light pollution in the local area. I will divide the class in groups focusing on moths, bats, mini-beasts and plants. I plan to cover this topic late November/December so the children can observe the nocturnal behaviour but it will not be too late at night.
Moths: I will help the group investigate how artificial lights attract moths, disrupting their behaviours such as navigation and mating. I will help the group source images or videos to illustrate this. I set the group the homework task of moth observation where students can see how different lights affect moth behaviour, noting their observations.
Bats: I will help the group investigate how bats rely on darkness to hunt and how light pollution disrupts their feeding. They will research the role bats play in controlling insect populations. I will try to arrange a bat-watching evening in a less lit area perhaps with a bat group or expert who can explain the use of bat detectors that will help students hear and identify bats, observing the impact of light on their presence.
Mini-beasts: I will help the group explain how light pollution affects mini-beasts like beetles and spiders by altering their habitats and behaviours. I help the group conduct an insect count in different areas of the school grounds, comparing well-lit and darker spots, and hopefully the students will identify the impact of light pollution on these creatures.
Plants: I will discuss with the group how artificial light affects plants, particularly those that rely on nocturnal pollinators. I will help the children set up an experiment where they can grow plants under different light conditions, observing differences in growth and flowering.
I will encourage the groups to undertake their research projects on the specific impacts of light pollution on these species which promote independent learning throughout the investigation. As part of the project the students may like to engage in reflective journaling and share their thoughts and observations during class discussions. Following the project the groups could create an awareness campaign within the school community about light pollution’s impacts. They could create information posters and display them around the school.
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I am very lucky when it comes to biodiversity in our school. We moved into a new school last year and it was designed with biodiversity in mind. We have a wildflower meadow and use rainwater to flush our toilets. The children are already familiar with the importance of biodiversity, and we encourage the no mow May campaign in our school. I would like to explore how we could build on this. Perhaps we could rewild an area or plant some hedging around the perimeter of the school. When the school was built the existing hedgerows were destroyed so it would be wonderful to restore them.
I would like to build on the last lesson and explore the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity. Our school is equipped with CCTV which we could use to monitor its ground at night. This would allow the children to compare the nocturnal activity of animals in the area and compare the difference between the areas with natural and artificial light. I think the children would be really engaged with this lesson and seeing first-hand the impact light pollution has will only further encourage them to try reduce their use of artifical light.
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Hi Susan
It is such a pity that the existing hedgerows around your school were destroyed. This would have been an enormous loss to biodiversity and planning to plant a replacement hedgerow would be a great plan, particularly if you choose native flowering and fruiting trees. One of the newly developed Curious Minds resources https://www.sfi.ie/site-files/primary-science/media/pdfs/col/curious-minds-resource-investigating-hedgerow-habitats.pdf includes an exercise on planning a new hedgerow for your school. Using the cctv around your school is a good idea to investigate nocturnal wildlife.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?
I would begin by engaging the pupils with a trigger question and by showing the class one of the videos explaining what biodiversity is. After that we would investigate biodiversity in our school grounds. We could do this by exploring a specific area (2 metre squared) and record what is found(plants and animals).
Following that, we will investigate the lighting on the school grounds. I am aware that there are lights on throughout the night and this might effect the biodiversity. We will then approach the principal and ask if the lights could be changed. If yes, and the lights are changed, we can then repeat our investigation and hopefully there would be an increase in the number of species.
An extension would be to explore other ways to protect and promote biodiversity in our school.
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Hi Mary
I love your approach here. Recording what you can find, making changes to the lighting and then recording again is a great scientific approach to a problem. Hopefully you will be able to make changes to night time lighting in the school which should hopefully have a positive effect on biodiversity. Your idea of focussing in on a sample area of 2m x 2m is a good one. Ecologists often choose smaller sample areas to survey that are representative of the wider habitat. I would however, consider expanding it out to more than one sample area as even in a school yard, there are likely to be variation in habitat, such as shorter / longer grass areas, planted flower or vegetable beds and areas with trees or shrubs. Perhaps consider selecting a range of sample areas and have groups of children survey each one.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
To engage learners in exploring local biodiversity and understanding the impacts of light pollution, I would start with a nature walk around the school to observe and collect various natural items. We wpould set up observation stations with magnifying glasses and plant guides to help children identify different species. I wpuld enhance their understanding by setting up motion-activated nocturnal wildlife cameras around the school grounds (if plausible!), allowing students to see the variety of species active at night and observe the impact of light pollution on these animals.
I could introduce the concept of light pollution with visual aids, such as night vs. day wildlife pictures, and read stories like “Lights Out” by Marsha Diane Arnold. I would discuss how artificial light affects nocturnal animals’ behaviors, such as feeding and mating. Activities like the Bat Moth Game may be useful here.
I would incorporate hands-on projects, such as drawing healthy versus light-polluted habitats, and invite local experts to speak about local species and biodiversity conservation. I would make use of resources like the ESERO day and night activities. Encouraging students to perform light pollution surveys at home may help them reflect on how they can protect local biodiversity.
By combining these activities with engaging discussions and real-world observations, students could develop a deeper understanding of biodiversity, the specific threats posed by light pollution, and practical strategies to mitigate these impacts, fostering an appreciation and stewardship for their local environment.
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Hi Padraic
that sounds like a good plan for exploring Biodiversity. I like the idea of the nocturnal cameras but not that you have added the provision “if plausible”. Wildlife cameras could be an expensive buy for a school especially if you have a few of them to increase your chances of seeing nocturnal wildlife but it might be worth reaching out to the school community and any wildlife enthusiasts in the local area and see if anyone would be willing to lend them to you or help to set them up in the school for a period of a week. They have become quite popular over the last few years so it is possible that people will have them and would be willing to help you investigate nocturnal wildlife.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?
Engaging the children to explore biodiversity and the impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity can be engaging and hands-on. I found the videos about What is Biodiversity and the Gardening for Biodiversity booklets a great starting point to introduce this topic to the class. The children’s book and colouring pages could be sent home as homework to encourage the children to ask at home about biodiversity in their own gardens.
In the previous module, I discussed how the topic of Light Pollution could be introduced to the children. We would recap on this information to ensure the children are clear on how this can affect wildlife.
In order to really engage the class, we would conduct hands-on activities and data collection. We would do nature walks and explore the biodiversity in our local area. We could participate in projects such as insect surveys and plant identification.
Using the light pollution mapping activities that we completed in previous lessons, we would assess what hotspots of light pollution exist and their proximity to animal habitats. If we find this to be the case, we could write letters to local TDs discussing this issue.
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How to incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
We have a biodiversity plan but I never considered this before. On reading the material in this course I found out that Light pollution, the excessive or misdirected artificial light at night, has significant impacts on nocturnal animals. These animals, adapted to the dark, rely on natural night-time conditions for foraging, navigation, mating, and avoiding predators.
To protect nocturnal wildlife from the adverse effects of light pollution on school grounds several measures could be implemented:
Shielding Lights: Use fixtures that direct light downward and reduce glare.
Dimming Lights:Reduce the intensity of outdoor lighting
Using Warm Lights: Opt for lights with longer wavelengths (e.g., amber LEDs) that are less disruptive to wildlife.
Creating Dark Sky Reserves: Designate areas where artificial lighting is minimized to preserve natural night conditions.
Timing Controls: Implement motion sensors and timers to ensure lights are on only when necessary.
This is not without budgetary and security implications though for schools.
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Number 1: How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
There are many ways of engaging my pupils, and indeed school community, in exploring biodiversity in our local area; having completed our Green School Flag-Biodiversity in recent years some steps have been taken in this areas but from completely this module I now see there are many more aspects that we could further develop. To begin with we would revisit the topic of biodiversity to ensure all pupils have a good understanding about what it is. (A student shared a wonderful David Attenborough short video in the forum which I think would be a wonderful way to recap the topic and engage pupils). Light pollution is not something that has been covered with our pupils to date, but I now feel well equipped to the lead the learning in this area. The next step would be discussions and observations in our local area relating to the local wildlife and light pollution. We are lucky for such a small school to have large school grounds and this includes hedgerow and a small woodland area. Being a rural school we have access to local streams and woodland walks also. Pupils would really enjoy recording and documenting local species, then researching their nocturnal habits and the effects of light pollution on them. I can think of a local man who is full of knowledge in this area who may be willing to share his time and expertise, if not heritage in schools has local experts who will come to the school for a small fee to further develop the learning. -
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I am lucky to live in an area that boasts a diverse array of ecosystems and species, influenced by its coastal location, varied terrain, and temperate climate. Here’s a glimpse into the biodiversity of Tralee:
Coastal Habitats: Tralee Bay and its surrounding coastline are home to a range of marine and coastal species. Seabirds such as gulls, terns, and cormorants can be spotted along the shores. The bay also supports a variety of fish and shellfish species.
Wetlands and Rivers: The River Lee and its tributaries provide habitats for freshwater species. Wetlands, such as those found in Tralee Bay Wetlands Nature Reserve, are important for migratory birds, waterfowl, and aquatic plants.
Woodlands and Parks: Tralee is dotted with woodlands and parks, including Tralee Town Park and Ballyseedy Wood. These areas support a mix of native and introduced tree species, providing habitat for birds, mammals, insects, and plants.
Flora and Fauna: The biodiversity in Tralee includes a variety of plant species adapted to the local climate, from coastal dunes to inland woodlands. These support diverse insect populations, which in turn are crucial for pollination and ecosystem health.
All of these are impacted by light pollution are previously detailed in module 3. Use of sensors, dim lighting, led lighting, timers and light pollution plans would help.
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I think we have learned so much about biodiveristy in recent years and the older classes will already have a lot of knowledge banked about the topic. We can continually develop and expand on this each year. This year in my own class I had a guest speaker in talking about biodiviersity in general first and then in particular marine life, it was very interesting. Building on this I brought my class on a sea safari and we studies the biodiveristy of the local coastlife, we completed projects first and then went out on a field trip to the beach with Sea Synergy Ireland and conducted a seashore safari. The kids were fascinated by what they found and it sets the seeds early about protecting their local environment. Building on this next year, we could discuss light pollution to plants and animals in the area. We could list all the areas that are rich in biodiveristy in our locality and how we can utilise better strategies to enable better biodiviersity.
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Hi Claire
Your sea safari sound like a lovely experience for the children. Marine Biodiversity is not something I have a lot of experience in myself but I am always fascinated when I can look into rock pools and see a variety of life inside. I had an opportunity lately to explore some fantastic rockpools in Tramore where we saw a variety of sea anemones opening and closing as well as a tiny crab. Completing projects in class is a lovely idea so the children know what to look for, as is having a knowledgeable person to help the children choose the right locations to search.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in yoHow you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?
Firstly I would show the children photographs of the local area buildings ,grassy areas , stream , wildflower areas and ask them what they see. This will act as a trigger engage the children in conversation about their local area . I would then show them a video perhaps David Attenborough’s on biodiversity to give the children more language on the area.
I could then give them a simple map of the area and working together on the IWB show what is in the area using a key. Perhaps numbers and then written what each number stands for .Kids could then using a new map and clipboard go outside and do the map from first hand information , This work could be conducted in small groups.
We will keep these maps when complete .The nest step would be to divide into groups and go to certain areas e. old stone wall, rockery etc and using ipads record the insects they see by taking photographs .
We could then discuss biodiversity and what it means and what we seen in our local area.
We look at th stone wall in two different places one in dark corner and the second section where a security light shines .Is there a difference in the number and types of insects found in each area .
This leads on to light pollution and how it affects plant and animal life .
We could finish off with the following ‘Can you see the stars tonight ‘ by Anna Terreros where the Pufflings get lost and can’t find their way because artificial light confuses them. I will explain that too much light at night confuses some animals
ur local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?Firstly I would show the children photographs of the local area buildings ,grassy areas , stream , wildflower areas and ask them what they see. This will act as a trigger engage the children in conversation about their local area . I would then show them a video perhaps David Attenborough’s on biodiversity to give the children more language on the area.
I could then give them a simple map of the area and working together on the IWB show what is in the area using a key. Perhaps numbers and then written what each number stands for .Kids could then using a new map and clipboard go outside and do the map from first hand information , This work could be conducted in small groups.
We will keep these maps when complete .The nest step would be to divide into groups and go to certain areas e. old stone wall, rockery etc and using ipads record the insects they see by taking photographs .
We could then discuss biodiversity and what it means and what we seen in our local area.
We look at th stone wall in two different places one in dark corner and the second section where a security light shines .Is there a difference in the number and types of insects found in each area .
This leads on to light pollution and how it affects plant and animal life .
We could finish off with the following ‘Can you see the stars tonight ‘ by Anna Terreros where the Pufflings get lost and can’t find their way because artificial light confuses them. I will explain that too much light at night confuses some animals
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How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species into biodiversity plans- I think I would start by getting the school community involved in doing an assessment of biodiversity on the school grounds, such as the bio blitz that feature in this module. Different class levels could get involved in different aspects of this according to their age and level. Next it would be important to ensure that children know what is meant by the term ‘nocturnal’ and what nocturnal species can be found in Ireland. By the fact that they are active at night it may be difficult to identify what nocturnal species there are in the immediate area of the school, but by using resources available, such as the biodiversity map and even by collecting local knowledge, it should be possible to identify what nocturnal species are likely to inhabit the area. We could then assess the situation as regards light pollution as we did in the previous module and see what actions could be taken to minimise the effects of light pollution so as to make the school grounds a suitable environment for these creatures.
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How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
To incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those relying on dark skies, into school biodiversity plans, it’s essential to educate students on the importance of preserving natural night environments. Organizing nighttime excursions outside the city can provide hands-on experiences to observe the contrast between natural night skies and light-polluted urban areas. By discussing the effects of light pollution on ecosystems and human health, learners can understand the significance of protecting dark skies for nocturnal species. Encouraging students to research light pollution levels in different areas of the city can help them identify areas needing improvement. Students can propose solutions such as using energy-efficient lighting and implementing light reduction measures in certain areas to mitigate the impacts of light pollution and create a more suitable habitat for nocturnal species in school biodiversity plans.
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Your plan to educate students about nocturnal species and light pollution is spot-on. Nighttime excursions and research activities will give them a practical understanding of the issue. Encouraging them to propose solutions, like energy-efficient lighting, is a great way to empower them to make a real impact.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
I think that an awareness of local biodiversity should be an essential component of our primary school curriculum. Last year, for the first time, I put aside a weekly time slot for biodiversity lessons. I used the ‘bitesize biodiversity’ resources from the Irish Schools Sustainability Network. Every week we would look at a slideshow of a different organism and take notes in a dedicated nature copy. An essential component of the lesson was that we would leave the classroom and go outside, either in the grounds of the school or nearby.I felt it essential that the creatures we studied in the class could actually be encountered by the pupils. I would select the lesson based on time of the year and what I knew was growing in the surrounding area. In this way the children had real world experiences of actually holding woodlice, slugs, snails, worms, hawthorn and alder trees etc. It was a highlight of the weeks timetable and I will absolutely be doing this again next year.
Following this course I will try to integrate lessons about light pollution into these lessons. We could do a lesson on bats and on the nature walk section of the lesson we would look for sources of light pollution as well as areas we think would be good feeding grounds for bats. I could then assign bat observation homework, asking the children to observe the sky around their homes for bat activity. Some of the children live very near the school and could even observe the school grounds.
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Hi David,
Thank you for sharing your ideas and your approach to biodiversity using the Irish Schools Sustainability Network. I agree that it is essential for pupils to encounter the organisms that they had learned about in class. It allows for meaningful connections with their learning.As the class have explored the creatures in the local area, they could then observe these creatures from a light pollution perspective. Having pupils living near the school would allow for even more observation of the school environment that would be relevant for all pupils.
I hope you enjoy the course.
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Thank you, David. I will be adding the bite-sized biodiversity resources from the Irish schools sustainability network to my resource pack! I also think a dedicated biodiversity journal that may follow them throughout their school life would be a fabulous record for them to keep and ensure that future biodiversity wellbeing is in good hands!
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How would you engage your learners to explore biodiversity in the local area?
Having explored the topic of biodiversity, what it is and why it is important, with nature walks in our local park, I would use some of the activities from the Laois County Council booklet – ‘Gardening for Biodiversity’, as they are all very simple and achievable, yet effective. I think actively engaging in encouraging biodiversity, especially with the aid of a book produced locally to the school, would really engage young learners. I especially liked the suggestions –planting pollinators, wildflower patch, plant native trees – grow willow from cuttings, and Bird feeders, as they are all ideas that could be easily implemented around the green areas of our school.
To then look at the possible impacts of light pollution of biodiversity, I would introduce the topic of nocturnal vs diurnal animals, using the Esero lesson 30 plan and resources. I would then encourage the children to engage in the ‘exploring’ section – leaving on a light at a window and observing what insects are attracted to it, or taking a walk after dark to observe if any bats/insects are attracted to streetlights they see, and take note of what type of lights they are, and what colour.
Based on any findings made, we would then have a class discussion on the effects of light pollution on insects we have observed, and from there we could discuss the possible effects on nocturnal birds and animals that can be found in our locality.
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Hi Carrie
Using the Gardening for Biodiversity book as inspiration for encouraging Biodiversity in your school is a lovely idea. I don’t know if you are aware yet, but Laois Education Centre now have a new Biodiversity garden created with a range of different areas to provide inspiration for schools of different sizes, with signage to explain each area. I haven’t seen it myself yet but the photos look amazing. It should be a great source of inspiration to you and other schools in the Laois area and hopefully something that other Education Centres around the country will implement too.
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First of all as a class we would research and identify nocturnal species in the area. In addition to this we would carry out a light pollution assessment of the school grounds. As a result of this we could adapt our lighting as necessary so that it is more dark sky friendly. Equally rather than leaving lights on all night long we could arrange for lights to turn off after a certain time or perhaps invest in sensor lights. However as my school is at the end of its own cul de sac this should not be a problem after school hours as it is not in use. After we have completed the above then we could move on to creating suitable habitats for the nocturnal creatures. These would include bat boxes, bird nesting sites and bug hotels. We could enhance it further by planting native species that would attract wildlife to the area. It would be a nice idea to organise workshops from Heritage Ireland or other wildlife experts to explore the area further with the children. It would also be an idea to set up a night cam to watch back the animals that appeared. I know the children from my school love getting involved in campaigns so designing posters etc highlighting what we were trying to achieve would raise awareness at home and in the local community.
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Incorporating the needs of nocturnal species into school biodiversity plans is essential for fostering a healthy ecosystem. One effective strategy is to minimize light pollution, which can disrupt the natural behaviors of bats, owls, moths, and other nocturnal species.
First, the school can implement a “lights out” policy in non-essential outdoor areas during nighttime. This involves turning off or dimming lights in playgrounds, sports fields, and parking lots after school hours. Installing motion-sensor lights can ensure that security is not compromised while still reducing unnecessary illumination.
Second, using shielded lighting fixtures that direct light downward can prevent light from spilling into natural habitats. This helps maintain the darkness needed by nocturnal animals to navigate, hunt, and engage in other vital activities.
Additionally, the school can create dark sky zones by planting native vegetation around the perimeter. These areas provide natural cover and reduce light intrusion. Educating students and staff about the importance of dark skies through workshops and activities can foster a culture of respect for nocturnal wildlife.
Involving the community in initiatives such as “Dark Sky Events” can further enhance awareness and support for preserving nighttime environments. Through these measures, schools can significantly contribute to the conservation of nocturnal species and promote biodiversity.
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I would first ensure that the children understand what biodiversity is. The dublin community growers website offers very interesting information on biodiversity and the various species in different areas. I would have the children research the biodiversity maps in groups and share their findings with the class.
I like the idea of focusing on a specific animal and the module offered great resources for learning about bats. I think the children would really enjoy the bat and moth game to develop an understanding of the importance of sound for animals. I like the activities that they can do in their garden at home as it allows for ownership of learning and allows parents to get involved in projects the kids are doing in school. Because our school is in the city centre, I think it could be interesting for the kids to partner up with a school in a rural area and discuss the differences between the biodiversity in the areas. Both schools could set up a night cam and compare findings.
Also, the class could work with the Green School committee to ensure that we are minimising light pollution. They could work on ensuring lights are on timers and there is no unnecessary pollution.
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Hi Clodagh, I agree with you when you suggested focusing on a specific animal to encourage maximum engagement from the students. The bat is a very interesting animal, and as they are more closely related to humans than mice, they are even more relatable. The bat/moth game seems like a fun activity and also could spark a discussion about diversity and inclusion among the children themselves. The link with light pollution and the impact it has on bats is important and drawing the children’s attention to the repurposing of vacant houses as artificial hibernation sites for bats could encourage their awareness of their local environment.
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Hi Clodagh,
I think it’s a great idea getting the green schools team involved. We have a very active one in our school community and it would be something that they would really enjoy. Again, it doesn’t isolate this lesson of biodiversity and Light pollution to the classroom, but seeing it as a whole school approach.
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• How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
Our school biodiversity plan would encourage biodiversity in general but I can see the value of mentioning nocturnal animals as they may otherwise go under the radar.
Here are some ideas to incorporate the needs of nocturnal animals:
A Bio Blitz event to understand what biodiversity we currently have in our playground or locality and gather a record of such.
Involve the children in this process by equipping them with identification booklets, sketchpads, cameras. Equipped with this info we could create a biodiversity map.
We could then build on this information and seek to recognise where in the yard we could increase biodiversity levels. This could be bug hotels, bat boxes, wildflower areas, tree/ bush plantation, etc. many of these could be built or created cheaply with the children’s help.
To motivate the community further in terms of nocturnal living things, the installation of a motion camera could add excitement.
The ‘Wild things at school’ books by Éanna Ní Lamhna and the Esero 30 ‘Day and Night’ could provide further reading, resources and ideas to build on the terms around biodiversity and nocturnal too.-
Hi Sinead
You have some great ideas there for monitoring biodiversity in your school and then using that information to make a biodiversity map to help plan your improvements. If you loom after biodiversity in general, this will also benefit nocturnal species but learning about nocturnal species and considering their needs is a nice touch when making plans. A wildlife camera could be a nice addition and hopefully a lovely way for the children to see some nocturnal visitors. Just be warned that you may have to experiment with locations and move the camera a few times before you spot something.
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The boys I teach would be fascinated in learning about bats and owls in particular. Firstly I would ask them what they already know about bats and how they exist in the world around us. I would be keen to see if they think bats are just in movies, or realise bats are actually around. I would ask why do we not see them if they are there, and use this to explore the idea of nocturnal animals. Then we would watch the RTE Gone Wild – Bats video and have them explore the concept of how bats
see and then ask them to consider how artificial lighting in our outside environment might harm their ability to see.Then I would introduce Investigation 1 which they would do at home. To begin, the
starter question Will closing my eyes for 30 seconds help me to see better at night
? To help them with this I would ask, when you open your eyes during the night in your very dark room, can you see things right away? What about after a minute? Can you see then? Why? Then I would ask them to make a prediction about whether it is easier to see at night with or without artificial light/ will it be easier to find your way if you close your eyes for 30 seconds before starting walking?
Finally, I would ask them to go home and walk around their garden once dark, or with a parent walk a short route around the block once dark. I would ask them to notice what light sources are around them, and how that might impact bats and other nocturnal creatures. The next day we would come together again to share ideas and the children would be asked what they think could be done to address this. -
Module 4:
To engage my students in exploring biodiversity and the impact of light pollution in our local area, I would start by showing them video clips explaining what biodiversity means. Then, I would take the children on a nature walk around the school or our nearby park. I would give them clipboards and magnifying glasses to observe and document various plants, insects, and animals they encounter. Each year, we engage with a local ecologist, and I would invite him to join our nature walk if possible to help the children with this identification. We would discuss the importance of each species and their roles in the ecosystem.
After the nature walk, we could discuss various ways to improve biodiversity in our school, such as planting a wildflower garden, participating in “No Mow May,” designing a bug hotel, or building bat boxes or boxes for a barn owl (if a suitable location exists on the grounds).
I would introduce light pollution through a simple experiment: comparing observations of the night sky from a brightly lit area and a dark area. I would highlight how artificial lights affect nocturnal animals like bats and moths, using storytelling to illustrate how light pollution disrupts animal behaviours, such as hunting and mating.
I would encourage my class to create posters or drawings showing their findings and present them to the class. Additionally, I would initiate a project where they design solutions (in groups or pairs) to reduce light pollution, such as creating awareness posters for the community or writing letters to local authorities advocating for better lighting practices.
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I teach Junior Infants and as much as possible I try to incorporate nature and wildlife into everyday teaching and learning. We have a few garden areas in our school and some wilder patches too with long grasses that I love to let the children explore in. I use these spaces for Integrated Learning Through Play. The children learn so much by just being outdoors and will ask questions all that time about what they find. This year a child in my class found and held a ladybird for the first time and for weeks after kept telling the class that he was finding more in his garden everyday. Next year all children in Junior Infants will have wellies and I hope this will make outdoor learning more accessible throughout the year.
We learn about hibernation each year and I think this would be a good link to discussing light pollution and the effect it has on hibernating and nocturnal animals.
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Hi Catherine,
Thank you for sharing your own experience with Junior Infants, having wellies in school will definitely make outdoor learning more accessible. I had wellies in the cloakroom for my own infants and it was great for outdoor learning without the fear of getting wet. Children love the opportunity to explore the outdoors and it sounds like your school has lots of outdoor areas within the garden for exploring. Through exploring your own local area you could look for nocturnal animals in your area to allow for meaningful connections for the children.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
To introduce the concept of biodiversity I would engage the children to complete a KWL chart about what they already know about the flora and fauna of their own immediate environment. I would hope to gather all of the prior knowledge from the children and combine the information into a shared mind map, subcategorising items into insects, birds, amphibians, mammals, their habitats and their impact on us. I would like to make the links between the need for clean water, pollinators and wild flowers, and the mutualism/ symbiosis needed to sustain native wildlife and human kind. Showing the interconnectivity between nature and people and how as soon as one link is missing, the whole system falls apart. I would encourage the students to make a birds eye view of the school, and by using a key and symbols, detail the types of plants and animals seen in their immediate environment. Along with the wildlife and plants, I would also like for the students to make note of artificial lights in the locality. They would be encouraged to predict the impact light pollution has on the animals around them. Light pollution plays a huge role in the health of an ecosystem. Insects mistake artificial light for the moon, gathering in large numbers, ready to be predated upon. Bats circadian rhythms are thrown out due to light spillage from houses with open curtains. Birds like owls have less foraging time due to late emergence. Taking this into consideration, I would like to make the children aware of the larger impact the small changes can make and to allow them to become global citizens while minding their own space on the planet.
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Hi Doireann,
I like your plan to create maps of the own immediate environment and explore habitats and biodiversity in these maps. Within the map you also want to add the artificial lighting and this would encourage the pupils to reflect on the artificial lights and the impact it has on the insects and animals around it and developing links to biodiversity also. Pupils can be made aware of small changes they can make at home and in school to support the wildlife in their own local area.
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Engaging learners in biodiversity and understanding the impacts of light pollution on local ecosystems can be both educational and exciting. To start, placing a bird feeder outside the classroom window can attract various bird species. Students can identify these birds using websites and posters, fostering observation skills and species recognition. This real-time interaction with wildlife can stimulate interest and curiosity.
Organising an insect hunt around the school grounds allows students to explore and identify different insects. Providing them with identification guides or apps can make this activity more interactive and informative. Setting up a wildflower area in the school can attract new insect species, which students can monitor and document, enhancing their understanding of plant-insect relationships and habitat creation.
In the classroom, learning about local bat and owl species can be particularly engaging. Discussions on how light pollution affects these animals, such as by attracting their prey to lights, can highlight the broader ecological impacts of artificial lighting. This can lead to critical thinking about human activities and their effects on biodiversity. -
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To explore biodiversity I would start with nature walks in nearby parks, using magnifying glasses and field guides to help students document different plants, insects, and animals. They keep nature journals filled with drawings and notes. To address light pollution, we conduct night-time observations, teaching students about nocturnal wildlife and how artificial lights disrupt their natural behaviors. Experiments demonstrating light’s impact on insects or plants make the learning hands-on. Guest speakers, such as local biologists, add depth to our exploration. Combining these activities, students gain a profound understanding of their local ecosystem and the importance of preserving natural habitats. This immersive approach not only educates but also fosters a lasting appreciation for the environment.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
I would plan a series of lessons introducing the pupils to the term biodiversity. We have a green schools’ committee in our school so I feel it would be good to link in with them for this. I would facilitate a classroom discussion and presentation on biodiversity focusing on what it is, its importance and examples of local species in our town. We would then progress to visiting the local park to observe and identify various plants, animals and insects. On returning to the classroom we would take the information gathered at the park and create map of the town showing where we observed the different species. We would then split into small group and research different aspects of our local biodiversity such as birds, plants, insects etc. The groups would then present their projects to the class.
Following on from that busy week of biodiversity learning we would commence our light pollution learning. Like the previous week, I would plan a series of lessons introducing the pupils to the term light pollution through classroom discussion and videos on light pollution (great examples in this module). We would then explore how light pollution affects humans and wildlife. Where possible (using our overnight trip as mentioned in module 3’s assignment possibly) we would carry out a night sky observation in a lesser light polluted area and compare it to the town where our school is. We would carry out observations on nocturnal wildlife in our area and research how artificial light affects their behaviour.
We would then do a whole class research project on how light pollution affects local species such as bats.
By teaching the above lessons and providing the pupils with the opportunities to observe and research I would hope the pupils would become well informed and could then spread the important information to those around them. This in turn would hopefully make the community more aware of the impact on the local environment that the artificial light in the town is causing. Perhaps even prompt the community to look into changing the lights the improve the light pollution. -
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity:
I would first use the video What is biodiversity to introduce the idea to the children in my class. After watching the video I would discuss the need for human space versus nature space. Is there anything we can do, to provide more space to aid our local habitats?
• Why are plants and animals important?
• Do they help the environment?
• Do they help us?This time I would show the more detailed video ‘What is biodiversity’. This should cement home how important biodiversity is to humans. It will also highlight what humans are doing to threaten biodiversity and how this is having an adverse effect on our environment, rising costs, adverse weather conditions etc. As a class we can then come up with the threats to biodiversity and design a poster to highlight these threats. The children can display these posters in school to raise awareness of biodiversity in our school.
In my next lesson, I would focus on local nocturnal animals using the Long Eared Bat video. I would discuss how nocturnal animals adapt to their environment. This should spark a curiosity to investigate their local area. For homework I would ask them to take a walk with an adult in the dark or to investigate in their back garden. Can they spot any nocturnal animals e.g. bats, moths? How are you able to see in the dark? Is there any natural light? How many street lamps and examples of artificial light can you see?
To Investigate: I use one of the starter questions in Esero framework for enquiry. These questions are easy to investigate at home. They can then predict the outcome and repeat the same question a number of times to make sure it is a fair test.
Children can then interpret the data: Does artificial light effect our ability to see in the dark?
Is it a positive or negative effect?
Is it easy to adjust to changes in lighting?
What about nocturnal animals?
Problems caused by excess light?We could also play the bat and moth game to show how people can navigate by sounds.
At the end of these series of lessons: We can begin to design how we can make our own biodiverse area.
1. Survey out local area.
2. Make a plan of things we need to consider is there an area in our school that can aid biodiversity.
3. Make bat boxes, bird boxes and look at how we can change the lighting around the school.
4. Evaluate: Have our actions helped? -
How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.We are very lucky where we live because there are many areas close to use with rich biodiversity to explore. We Have a wetlands area within walking distance and a forest a short distance away.
The school itself has a very rich biodiversity as we have a very active green schools and horticulture committee. Major works have been done around the school over the past number of years. I would begin with a walk around the school grounds and ask the children what plants and insects they can see. Each child would have a map of the school grounds where they could write or draw what they found. We have different areas in the school that we can explore – The pond area (man-made!) the wooden area, the teachers garden, the polytunnel and the hares corner. We will compare the different areas and explore what we found in each.
We have only recently added a hares corner but already there is lots of wildflowers and plants growing.
I would show the children videos explaining biodiversity and chat about the examples we found in our school. We would discuss what else we could do to add to it – a bug hotel maybe..
We would then think back to lessons on light pollution and explore what effects it is having on the biodiversity in our school grounds and on the other areas near the school like the wetlands and the forest. -
Engage learners to explore biodiversity in the local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity
I think it is very important to discuss biodiversity with students as there is a decline in plant and animal species in Ireland and all over the world. It can be as simple as getting them to start to observe living things on their own doorstep. When introducing my students to this topic I will bring them outside to study our local biodiversity, getting them to notice what plants and animals they can see. This is also a good way to cover several curriculum areas.
Light pollution can have a negative effect on our local biodiversity. It can effect many animals including bats, owls, birds and insects. Like humans it can effect their circadian rhythms, foraging times, mating and migration. Light pollution can also effect plants, it can effect photosynthesis, early bud bursts, cause more growth and fewer flowers. There are lots of great websites which I will share with my class on the effects of light pollution on biodiversity such as Dark Sky, BBC News, Science Daily and Youtube.
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I think that the video from Dun Laoire/ Rathdown County Council , “What is biodiversity?” would be an excellent trigger or starting point for my 5th Class project on the subject of the impact which light pollution is having on biodiversity in our school area. We would also need to give a definition on what we understand with Light Pollution i.e. excessive artificial light which is not necessary or which is lit extensively, and which shortens the darkness of night.
I would show the video and then split the class in groups perhaps 4/5 groups to brainstorm on ideas they could carry out to do this project. We would need one group to list all the lights which are lit in the area and how long they are lit and whether they are the old yellow lights or the new blue led lights.
We would have the second group listing the main mammals in the school area e.g. foxes, cats, squirrels and what impact these excessive lights have on their habitats and foraging hours. The third group would list the birds in the school environment and especially the endangered birds on Bird Watch Ireland poster and also the robin, who is very negatively affected by Light Pollution in his early morning singing. The fourth group would list the invertebrates they can observe in the school area and how the lights/ lamps affect them.
The fifth group would explore how we could amend the lights / bulbs/ sensors to reduce Light Pollution. The account by Alyn Wallace on how the Welsh managed to reduce Light Pollution by changing to amber led lighting (2000-3500) from the blue led lighting, and the plantation of many trees for shielding from lights and thus managed to get 3 Dark Sky Accreditations for their conservation work would be very informative as a conclusion.This would show that action can be positive and very effective and worthwhile in the real world.
I would conclude by showing the class the many beautiful images that Alyn Wallace has photographed of The Northern Lights and Zodiac Lights etc. and these can be viewed in his video “The devastating impact of Light Pollution”.
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To engage children in exploring biodiversity in the local area I would first build some context by exploring the biodiversity of the school grounds through a biodiversity survey to identify as many plant and animal species and by making a biodiversity map to show the different habitats in the school. Children then could plan what improvements need to done in the school e.g. reducing mowing, allowing certain areas to become overgrown, encourage more bird species to the school grounds.
Then children will make things to implement these improvements e.g. bird feeders, raised beds for planting vegetables and herbs, consider light pollution in the school and adjust lighting accordingly.Now that the children have an understanding of biodiversity in a small area known to them, we will transfer the learning and skills to an exploration of biodiversity in the local area. I would bring them on a walk to the Lough in Cork as it is very near our school and in pairs/groups the children will do a biodiversity survey here. Back in school we will discuss what positive elements are present that encourage biodiversity for example making the correct food available for wildlife there, a Sand Martin purpose-built birdhouse which was installed in 2023 which mimics the migratory bird’s natural breeding habitat, leaving certain areas become overgrown. And then we would discuss any improvements that could be to made.
Drawing on the learning from module 3 on light pollution we would observe and record lighting in the area e.g. see if there are excessive street lights, look at direction the lights are facing and the colour of bulbs used (this could be observed by children living in the area at night). We would discuss how this might effect local biodiversity e.g. the growth of plants, the feeding habits of local wildlife.To evaluate our work, we would make regular visits to both the school garden and Lough and see if oir actions have made a difference to biodiversity.
Hopefully from carrying out these activities children will become citizen scientists and excited to observe, record and investigate the natural world around them in future including their own gardens at home.
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Module 4 Assignment – Option 2
Incorporating the needs of nocturnal species into our school biodiversity plan can enhance students’ understanding of ecosystems and the importance of dark skies. I can educate them about nocturnal species, such as bats and owls, through lessons on their adaptations and roles, supplemented by field trips or expert visits. Creating nocturnal habitats involves planting native trees and installing bat boxes and owl nests, providing shelter and food sources.
Reducing light pollution is crucial; we can achieve this by using motion-sensor lighting and shielding outdoor lights. Integrating these topics into various subjects—science, art, and geography—ensures a multidisciplinary approach. Students can monitor and maintain nocturnal habitats, learning scientific methods and conservation efforts through surveys and night-time events like bat-watching.
Engaging the community by sharing our efforts and collaborating with local environmental groups amplifies the impact. This approach not only enriches our school environment but also fosters stewardship in students, teaching them that small actions can significantly preserve ecosystems.-
Hi Daniel
You have mentioned both external visits to the school by local environmental specialists and also engagement with the local community. Both of these are very important when considering how to improve Biodiversity in your school and also when considering the needs of nocturnal species. Collaboration with environmental specialists can help you to improve biodiversity in the school grounds in a number of ways: they can help children and teachers to discover what biodiversity is already in your school; help with research on native plant and animal species and provide advice on choosing the biodiversity actions that are best suited to your space. Cooperation with the local community can give children an opportunity to share their knowledge with others to provide wider benefit for wildlife beyond the school. Night time events such as bat walks or stargazing events could then be community events that the children in the school can benefit from.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?Engaging school children in exploring local biodiversity and understanding the impacts of light pollution can be a transformative educational experience. To start, organising nature walks and scavenger hunts in local parks or natural reserves is an excellent way to introduce children to the variety of plants, animals, and insects in their community. Providing checklists and guides can turn these walks into interactive learning adventures, fostering a sense of curiosity and discovery for the kids.
Night-time excursions may not be possible but could be incorporated if your school went on overnight stays for school tours. These can further enrich their understanding by using bat detectors, moth traps, and flashlights etc. Children can then safely observe nocturnal wildlife. These activities can be accompanied by discussions on how artificial lights disrupt these creatures’ natural behaviours, such as feeding and navigation, highlighting the importance of preserving natural darkness.
Interactive workshops offer another engaging method. Children can build simple devices like light shields for outdoor lights, learning firsthand how reducing light pollution can benefit local wildlife. These workshops can be complemented with educational sessions on the science behind light pollution and its impact on the environment.
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To incorporate the needs of nocturnal species into your school’s biodiversity plan, focus on minimizing light pollution and creating supportive habitats. Install outdoor lighting fixtures that are shielded and directed downward to prevent light spill. Use motion sensors and timers to limit lighting to essential areas only. Educate students and staff about the impact of light pollution on nocturnal species and promote dark sky-friendly practices. Designate and maintain natural areas on school grounds with minimal artificial light to provide safe havens for nocturnal species like bats and insects. Incorporate features such as bat boxes, owl nesting sites, and native plant gardens that attract and support nocturnal wildlife. Include lessons on nocturnal species in the curriculum, focusing on their needs and the effects of light pollution. By integrating these strategies, I can help protect nocturnal species and enhance my school’s biodiversity efforts.
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HI Odhran,
Thanks for your post. You created a comprehensive plan for protecting nocturnal creatures in your school as part of your school’s biodiversity plan. I like how the scope of your plan includes education, which is the foundational piece to change. First, we must understand the issue, and unfortunately, this is one that few people are aware of.
The good news is that light pollution is relatively easy to solve as a form of pollution, as outlined in your plan, and comes with so many benefits, not only for nocturnal creatures but also for us humans!
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To engage my class in exploring biodiversity in our local area, I would start by taking them on nature walks in order to observe and record thedifferent plants and animals we encounter. I would encourage them to use their senses and curiosity to identify local species, noting how different environments support diverse life forms. We could create a nature journal where they record their observations , complete a biodiversity survey and share ourfindings with each other upon our return to the classroom. My local area has a lovely river walk that we could do that is safe and plentiful in this regard.
Next, I would recap upon the concept of light pollution and its effects on local biodiversity and brainstorm how light pollution can massively disrupt the natural behaviors of animals in regards to nesting, hunting, and migration. We could continue by comparing areas with different levels of light pollution, examining how nocturnal animals like bats and insects are affected. We could also use simple experiments, like observing how light affects the behavior of moths around outdoor lights. We could use cameras to record nocturnal activity in different areas of the school like the dark football pitch, street side yard etc.
The class could engage in project work to take positive action towards protecting our nocturnal species. For example they may create informational posters, organize community awareness campaigns, and install bat-friendly lighting, fostering both education and practical action to reduce light pollution.
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Biodiversity in your local area and the effect of Light Pollution
To begin the lesson, I would brainstorm with the children the meaning of the word ‘biodiversity’. I would record their responses and elicit any prior knowledge on the topic. I would than pick an animal and show them the video of the bat- I found that very interesting and child friendly. It would excite the children about the topic.
I would than look at the town we live in and get the children to think of biodiversity in their local area. We would than plan a walk close by and investigate any biodiversity in that area. When the walk concludes, we would look at our findings and share the information. We would identify which animal and plant specie really stood out to us.
Then we would recap on the topic of Light pollution and pick a specie that we found and discuss the impact of Light Pollution on these species. Children could share their responses and do their own individual research. In pairs or individually, they could share their findings with the class on the disadvantages of Light pollution on their specie in question.
As a class, we could put forward a plan on how we could significantly reduce Light pollution that would have a positive impact on the species in our local habitat.
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Hi David
I like the variety of approaches here, starting with the introduction to Biodiversity and discussing the children’s prior knowledge, moving on to a walk to investigate biodiversity in the locality and then moving on to individual species and the impact of light pollution in them. Having each child or pair pick an animal of their choosing to research would give a wealth of information on how light pollution is affecting different species. Even if information on the effect of light pollution on some of the species chosen is hard to come by, children could still find out what they can about the animal’s habitat, food and lifestyle and using what they know about light pollution draw their own conclusions about how it might affect their chosen animal. This would be a great exercise in critical thinking as they would have to combine different types of information to come to their conclusions.
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Module 4 Assignment: How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
Firstly, we were very fortunate as a school to have Úna Halpin visit us from https://www.heritageinschools.ie/heritage-expert/search-for-an-expert?setting=inperson&c=&q=#filters to help us learn all about biodiversity. They have many specialists, just check who is around your area.
This would be a great extension from learning about light pollution to investigate the impacts light pollution is having on local biodiversity. We have had an increase in injured hedgehogs showing up on roadsides in our area over recent months, the students could investigate whether the newly installed street lights are negativity impacting the hedgehogs habitat for example.
The students could research biodiversity in our area. Parent and grandparents questionnaires are always good to try identify any changes that might have occurred over time. What nocturnal animals do they remember seeing around the farm etc.
I also remember one of the students commenting last year how her dad had to take down the new lights by the sheds because the birds were causing a ruckus thinking it was daytime with all the lights.
I feel we would have lots of local and practical problems to solve in our area when it comes to light pollution negatively impacting local biodiversity.
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Hi Orla,
We had someone from Heritage in Schools visit my class many years ago and it had completely slipped my mind to do this again until this course. Using this fantastic resource to identify an expert in biodiversity and potentially Dark Skies/Light Pollution, would be great to bring to school.
Thanks for the idea!
Brendan
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I would start with a walk of school grounds, a viewing or reci. Brainstorm all we saw, what else might be there and how we could access it? (bug hunt!) I would introduce the words biodiversity and light pollution and get them to work together and log thoughts and ideas re same. Then I would show some of the videos in this and the last module. We are within walking distance of an SFI Discover Centre which host biodiversity related programmes. We would visit. Following all this we would make a plan of action. For example:
• Audit our grounds to establish what we have. (photographs might be best descriptor)
• Look at what needed to improve biodiversity value – reduce mowing, eliminate pesticides (if we find that we use them), have or extend our wild grass area and label it.
• Re-establish our bug hotel
• Look at using bird feeders, bird boxes and bat boxes
• Have a wildflower area – pollinators.ie will be our source of seed
• Check if visitors of interest would come and help / advise our team.
• Log progress as jobs are done
• Check regularly to track and log any changes
• Repeat original audit at decided intervals (monthly, seasonally or yearly) to track progress and amend as needed.Light pollution would be treated similarly. Awareness is key, to engage in exploring this, a conversation followed by showing the videos from this module, ‘What is Light Pollution?’ and ‘Exploring Colour’, the 4 categories of light pollution as well as the components of light pollution and its effects.
Investigations of their local area and wider world (though technology/ holidays/ relations/ paired schools experience). Prompts including number/ type lights, distance between them, hiding places for animals etc. What can be changed/ improved by us/ council/ community, how to raise awareness among school/ community/ positions of authority/ changes to be made, make them, compare them.
There are websites that will encourage, enlist and engage people actively in improving night pollution. Susan Geaney highlighted them earlier in the month: Participate in Globe at Night: https://www.globeatnight.org/
Participate in Earth Hour: https://www.earthhour.org/
What is the effect of light pollution on animal life? https://www.noao.edu/education/files/TheNightYouHatched.pdf
Find out about Dark Skies in Ireland and around the world: http://www.mayodarkskypark.ie/ , http://kerrydarksky.com/ and http://www.darksky.org/
Find out how assessing the lighting needs of your school is linked to Green Schools Energy Theme?
It is definitely a topic that will benefit the children’s own growth and health if they understand the impacts of light pollution and take responsibility for improving things as they grow. Our job as teachers is to empower students to see an issue, consider options and create solutions. Then to assess their solutions and see what impact if any it has made and update and amend accordingly. A sense of responsibility and ownership hopefully increases engagement and results in higher self esteem in people! So, students minding their environment are also minding their own mental health. A win win for all.-
Hi Katie,
Thanks for your comprehensive post and detailed plans on how you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.It sounds like your school already has some great initiatives to support native wildlife, and some just need a revisit and revamp, like the bug hotel. Even the simple act of leaving fallen leaves from trees in designated areas or on the grass provides bugs with much-needed shelter during the winter. Thanks for sharing the links; they are great sources for further information.
I couldn’t agree more with your concluding sentences; well said! Learners will grow holistically in response to these challenges and responsibilities, sowing the seeds for an environmentally aware generation.
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We are lucky in my school as the whole school has really focused on biodiversity in recent years, I think due to the Green Schools Flag. This means that I need to do less work on the topic of biodiversity than many other schools need to as we have a lot of the ground work done and I can focus more on light pollution.
I think what I would do is look at this topic at Christmas or Winter. In Ireland, robins are a big symbol of Christmas and I think you could focus on this in the classroom and maybe do a study and a lovely art lesson on Robins to get the children interested. Then, I would move onto the topic of light pollution and how it affects biodiversity and focus in on this article I read about the effects it has on robins. I will link this below:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38317255
I think this would really motivate and interest children and I would look at ways we can study our light pollution in the area and things we can do to help.-
Hi Laura,
Thanks for your post. It’s great to see that your school already has a firm grasp of the fundamentals of biodiversity and can focus on specific topics of interest.
I really like the idea of linking Christmas, robins, and light, creating meaningful connections with a common and much-loved bird and time of year! The robin is a great example to use, as they are adapted to hunting insects in dim light and are thought to be particularly sensitive to the effects of artificial lighting, now reported to be singing at night in cities.
The article is a great read; thanks for sharing, and best of luck with this interesting project for the coming academic year!
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How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
Incorporating the needs of nocturnal species into school biodiversity plans is essential for promoting a healthy ecosystem. First, we would educate students about the importance of dark skies for nocturnal wildlife, such as bats, owls, and moths and discuss why artificial light can affect their behaviour at night time.
Bringing in initiatives such as using motion sensors for outdoor lighting on the school grounds would help to minimise light pollution and benefit nocturnal species. Creating habitat areas with native plants that would attract insects will support species that rely on these food sources at night. We currently have a bug hotel set up on our school grounds which provides a lovely habitat for many insects. We could also install bat boxes and owl nesting sites to encourage these nocturnal predators.
By implementing these plans and getting students involved in them and in coming up with further ideas will further foster a deeper connection to and understanding of local wildlife. You would also hope that by engaging in these practices at school that children might bring ideas home and set them up in their own outdoor environment.-
Hi Louise,
Absolutely, incorporating nocturnal species’ needs into our school biodiversity plans is a fantastic approach! Educating students about the importance of dark skies and the impact of artificial light on wildlife, like bats and owls, will truly enhance their understanding and appreciation of our local ecosystem. Implementing motion sensors and creating native plant habitats are excellent steps towards reducing light pollution and supporting nocturnal species. The bug hotel is a great start, and adding bat boxes and owl nesting sites will provide additional support for these animals. Engaging students in these initiatives not only helps them connect with nature but also encourages them to apply these practices at home, fostering a broader environmental consciousness. It’s inspiring to see how these actions can make a real difference in preserving local wildlife and promoting a healthier ecosystem! I love your ideas so much
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.We have been working on a 3-part project through term 2 and 3 in our school on biodiversity in our local area and I think that it would be great to extend this in order to investigate the possible impacts of light pollution on the local biodiversity.
The three parts to our project were:
1. Pupils to ultimately create an art project demonstrating the local biodiversity through lessons, discussion and painting a giant canvas to show what they consider the current local biodiversity.
2. The wider school community, in particular grandparents, to discuss, outline and chronicling the local biodiversity from their childhoods and create a contrasting giant canvas of this.
3. Pupils, in groups, map the school grounds into zones and create, using 360 camera and VR Headsets, a virtual biodiversity tour of the school, outlining the various species etc and provide information on each plant/tree/insect etc.
4. Extending this project to include the effects of light pollution would certainly be eye-opening for pupils and their families. Potentially using rigged cameras, and a school trip to Wild Nephin National Park will enable pupils to be informed as to how they can document the impacts in their specific locality as well as the school grounds.-
Hi Brendan
That sounds like a lovely project and a wonderful way to illustrate the changes in your local biodiversity. I’m sure there was a big difference in the 2 canvases as in common with most places, I’m sure that parents and grandparents in your area have noticed a decline in wildlife since they were young. Extending your project out to consider the effects of light pollution would be a great idea especially as you are close enough to be able to visit Wild Nephin.
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Biodoversity is the theme of the next green schools flag that my school is working towards so this links in perfectly with the theme. Going on nature walks is a lvoely activity that can be used right from infants up to 6th class to get the discussion going around biodiversity. We would also use the class iPads to get into groups and choosing one species per group research different ways in which that species i being or can be affected by a variety of factors including light pollution. We would look at a case study of an area with very little light pollution to compare and contrast and look at the different impacts. We would also make posters with our findings to hang around the school and share our findings with the broader school environment.
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Hi Aisling
As you said, nature walks are great for stimulating discussions around Biodiversity. As your school are beginning your Biodiversity flag this year, perhaps you could go beyond simply a nature walk and use some of the resources in this module to encourage children to do some more in depth exploration and identification of plants and animals. I like the idea of getting the children to work in groups to research a particular species on the iPads and share their findings with others through posters. Instructing the children to choose a native Irish animal or plant will make it more relevant to them. You might be interested in a lovely resources from the Irish Schools Sustainability Network called Bitesize Biodiversity https://www.issn.ie/bitesize-biodiversity
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I would engage my learners to explore biodiversity in our local area by starting with a hands-on outdoor activity. I would organise a class trip to a nearby park where we could observe different species of plants, insects, birds, and other living things. We would make a biodiversity survey to record biodiversity in the park we are visiting. The children would bring their surveys, notebooks and four tablets would be used to take pictures. We would have some talk and discussion around the importance of each species in the ecosystem, their roles, and how they interact with each other. To consolidate their understanding, I would have them create a biodiversity map in their notebooks, marking the locations of different species. (We would have previously learned how to create a biodiversity map)
To address the impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity, I would show the children a video regarding the impacts of this on nocturnal and diurnal species. I would explain how artificial light can disrupt the natural behaviours of nocturnal animals, interfere with plant growth, and affect the migration patterns of birds and insects. I would let the children engage in some group research to broaden their knowledge on the topic and present their findings afterwards. I would question the children on possible solutions to minimise light pollution in our community, recommending changes that could be made to public lighting or promotion of public awareness campaigns. I feel this approach would give the children the autonomy to come up with an action plan for changes that could be implemented to improve light pollution in our locality. -
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Teaching a class of all boys, I’d approach exploring local biodiversity and the impact of light pollution with a hands-on, adventurous mindset. I’d start by taking the class on a nature walk around our local area to observe and document different plants, insects, and animals. We’d use simple tools like magnifying glasses and notebooks to record our findings, making the activity interactive and exciting.
To link this with light pollution, we’d discuss how artificial lights can disrupt the natural behaviors of nocturnal animals, such as moths and bats, which rely on darkness for navigation and hunting. We could set up a “Dark Sky Challenge,” where students help create a model of their ideal night sky by drawing or building it using dark paper and LED lights. They’d also investigate how different animals are affected by light pollution and present their findings to the class.
To make the learning experience even more engaging, we could incorporate a “Biodiversity Detective” game where students use clues to solve how light pollution is impacting local wildlife. This approach not only teaches them about the importance of preserving dark skies but also fosters a deeper connection to their local environment through active, hands-on exploration.
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Hi Laura
I’m glad you share my belief that active outdoor exploration is the best way to learn about Biodiversity. You have also given 2 great examples of how that active exploration can continue in the classroom too. Creating models of the ideal night sky is a great hands on way to explore light pollution and I love the idea of your “Biodiversity Detective” game. All of the hands on activity will stimulate creativity and critical thinking which will provide lots of inspiration for their research into different animals and their responses to light pollution.
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How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
As part of the school biodiversity plans I would incorporate the following elements to engage students.
Who’s awake when we are asleep
Nighttime is full of life! 🌙
Can you think of an animal that likes the night?
Some animals love the dark. They are called nocturnal animals. 🦉🦇
Install sensor nighttime camera in the school grounds
Create homes for nocturnal wildlife: Install bird boxes and bat boxes, with water feature
Now we need to give our nocturnal animals some food : plant wildflowers and edible plants including fruit trees.
A place to drink with a bird bath.
Plant some trees to give the birds and bats a place to play.
Create a butterfly garden. Raise butterflies and moths in class and release into the garden
We can help them by turning off lights in our classrooms.
Pull down blinds to ensure no light pollution at night.
Install sensors on all lights outside. 💡➡️🌟
Continue recording throughout the year compare and contrast nocturnal activity-
Hi Catherine
You have some lovely ideas for Biodiversity friendly actions in your school. Just a word of caution on the butterflies and moths. Raising one or two butterfly or moth caterpillars found in your garden and then re-releasing them in the same area can be a great way of studying life cycles, but never buy or bring in caterpillars from elsewhere for release as this can be extremely harmful to local biodiversity for a number of reasons: imported insects can spread disease into local populations, there may not be enough food for additional insects and many species are specialists and the local habitat may not support them. The best way to increase the population of butterflies and moths is to plant native flowering trees and shrubs and reduce mowing to allow native species of wildflowers to grow. If you have the space to allow for a really wild corner, nettles are the food plant for many butterfly and moth caterpillars.
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Incorporating the needs of nocturnal animals especially those affected by light pollution into school biodiversity plans: We would first conduct a light pollution survey to ensure that the lighting on the school grounds is properly shielded and targeted to where needed, no brighter than necessary, used only when useful and warm in colour. We would map out the area and include areas with trees and wildflowers for moths such as honeysuckle. We would also make sure that there is adequate tree cover for bats. The children could look into the possibility of having a bat box installed depending on the suitability of the school environment. Raising a moth as described in this module would be a fantastic way for children to appreciate the level of intricacy in the life cycle of a moth. As described in this module releasing the moth into an appropriate place is key. As other participants have said, the children could use a night vision camera to see if there is any area of the school grounds attracting moths unnecessarily.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
I think watching some of the se videos would be very interesting for kids to see the abundance of nocturnal insects and some nocturnal wildlife in their local area. Looking at moth as pollinators children could investigate their importance for pollenation as well as food for bats and other predators. I think the idea of an artificial light trap shown in one of the videos in this section or simply using a night light and webcam could show the amount of insects that are attracted to artificial light. Children could set up a webcam to capture footage of insects attracted by artificial blue light pollution. The impact of light pollution could have ripple effects on feeding patterns pollenation etc. I also think it would be an great little project to set a wild flower garden with native Irish species.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
Engaging learners to explore local biodiversity and the impact of light pollution can be achieved through hands-on activities and community involvement. First, I would organise a whole school approach where each class in the school would have a section of school grounds to observe and note the plants and animals in it. These findings could be shared at a school assembly whereby all the pupils are aware of the plants and animals in our school grounds. Next, I would organise weekly timetable of field trips where pupils can observe local wildlife and plant species first hand in our school grounds. During these field trips, encourage the pupils to take photographs and document their observations through photos and notes, fostering a personal connection with nature. Next I would implement a project-based learning approach in the middle and senior classes by having students research and present on local nocturnal species and the effects of light pollution on their behaviours and habitats. We could also try and facilitate night time observation sessions whereby parents and pupils can use binoculars and telescopes to observe nocturnal animals and the night sky, emphasizing the importance of the dark skies. Also motion activated cameras could be set up in different parts of the grounds and observed over a few weeks to see/observe the impacts of light pollution on the local nocturnal species and their behaviours. Pupils could create an awareness campaign about light pollution and its impacts within the school and local community. This would empower them to advocate for sustainable lighting practices both at school/home and in our local community.
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<p style=”text-align: center;”>Explore biodiversity in my local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.</p>
I’d like my class to create a game similar to the one the Quality of Light Teaching Kit, from NOIR Lab, cited in the resource area of the Globe at Night website. The game would show the continents of Europe and Africa.At the very beginning of the topic of biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity I will show the children the video explaining the game, and let them know that by the end of the fortnight I will expect a completed and laminated Irish version of the game, made by our class.
We will focus on learning about The Swallow and House Martin, and become citizen scientists through recording sightings of species on the National Biodiversity Data Centre .
Engage
Trigger: video Migratory Birds- the swallow
- Discuss topics focused on in the video.
- Explore the route the swallow takes (research video)
Investigate
English- Storytelling/ Listen for enjoyment Swallows Journey, by Ruth Merttens
Use of Atlas to chart and list cities and countries over which Swallows pass.
Nesting : In groups, children will discuss and research swallows, using encyclopedia, hard and soft copies, intervening family, neighbours and friends, watching documentaries etc.
Introduce children to the difficulties experienced by migratory birds
Using the video on Light Pollution and Migratory Birds
<p style=”text-align: center;”>Create a Migration Game </p>
Children will find the names of a number of migrating birds from our Amber and Red endangered species lists. They will research to find out where they migrate from, and how they breed, nest and feed. Using a shared Google Sheets collaborative file, through their Google Classroom (or similar platform) children will input positive and negative facts encountered by migrating birds. They will also source images of some examples of these birds to decorate their Migrating and Nesting playing cards, as shown below in a sample template I have begun.
Once printed, cut down through the middle black line, and along each horizontal printed line. Fold the instruction side behind the photo side before laminating. Ensure not to trim laminate too close to the paper to be sure it stays sealed.
Possible Teaching ICT moment: Using Google Sheets children will set cells to a given measurement, using the resize option when right clicking on a column or row (I prefer to use pixel measurements to resize my cells to keep them uniform). They will merge cells showing instructions of play. (note – when using chrome books a two fingered tap must be used to open the functions menu). Select four rows and columns to print.
Differentiation: Younger children may work from a shared template already measured out, for example the one above; Column width 300, title row height 30, picture row height 150 pixels).
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Hi Eithne.
Thanks for your post and plan to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity. This plan has great cross-curricular links and a fun interactive game to engage learners while deepening their understanding of the challenges migrating birds face, including the issue of light pollution.Engaging in citizen science is a wonderful way to empower learners to contribute to a database and get a better understanding of how to record data and the importance of citizens monitoring species. Inadequate resources are allocated to this work at present to provide the monitoring required, but this data is vital to shaping our understanding of the population changes underway.
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• How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.Organise a Bioblitz where students work in small groups to identify and record as many species of plants, insects, birds and other wildlife as possible within a set time frame.
Create a scavenger hunt with a checklist of various species and natural features for students to find and photograph around the school grounds and local park.
Have students create mini gardens or plant pots with native plants, then observe which insects and birds are attracted to them.
Guide students in building insect hotels and bird feeders to place around the school grounds and monitor which species use them. Encourage the children to document their observations, sketch plants and animals and write short notes on their findings.
When looking at the impact of light pollution on this same biodiversity you are faced with the challenge of having to ask parents to brings students back in to school when it is dark. Accepting that, you could arrange an evening nature walk where students can observe nocturnal animals and note the differences in animal activity with varying light levels. Organise a star gazing session on the same night, discuss light polutions impact on the night sky. Encourage children to think about how this might affect nocturnal wildlife. Encourage the students to create posters or digital presentations on the effects of light pollution, using their observations and research to suggest solutions. -
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?
Biodiversity is an incredibly important aspect of learning for the children that we teach, especially those who live in built up areas such as Dublin where they are not always naturally exposed to its elements on a daily basis. Creating opportunities for children to explore biodiversity in their local area is vital to help children to foster their curiosity in the ecosystems that live all around them.
It is important that children gain in depth knowledge surrounding the meaning of biodiversity and its importance. I would begin with this when teaching this concept so that children can gain more knowledge to be proactive in their approach to conserving biodiversity in their local area. The useful clip about ‘what is biodiversity’ is a child-friendly way to start that process effectively to stimulate interest.
Our school is in the process of setting up a sensory garden so the approaches taken by Laois County Council in the ‘Gardening for Biodiversity’ is something that i would seek to utilise with my own class to help the children to explore the biodiversity in the local area with the use of the wildflowers that expose the children to the invertebrate that will inhibit it. I would go on a nature hunt and let the children discover new plants and animals. I would encourage the children to take pictures to note what they have seen and see how this compares with a second nature hunt on a different day. The identify a bug website that we looked at in Module 4 would be extremely useful to let the children explore the animals that share the world around them. https://www.buglife.org.uk/bugs/identify-a-bug/ . I would use a project based approach to learn about the new plants and animals that they have discovered. The children will present their findings to the class using a jigsaw approach. This jigsaw approach means that all children have access to the learn and can share their findings with others.
The child-friendly ‘garden restaurant’ for birds is definitely something that I would like to do with my own class because it will ask the children to take ownership over the conservation of the biodiversity that live in our local surroundings. https://laois.ie/wp-content/uploads/Garden-Wildlife-Booklet-WEB-17MB.pdf.
To further develop and link the possible impact of light pollution on local biodiversity, I would revisit light pollution and what it is using videos and ideas presented in module 2. I would then get the children into groups to consider how light pollution may impact on animals that rely on the dark sky. The children would consider the possible impact that this may have for the animal and use their prior knowledge to come up with ways of reducing its negative impact. I would also use the useful resource to help the children to consider how plant life may be effected as a result of light pollution due to the decreased numbers of nocturnal animals. This will expose children to the knock-on effect of light pollution in biodiversity. This would enable them to promote environmentally friendly lighting techniques at home, at school, and in the local area.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.I am very lucky to teach in a school in a very rural area and we have the advantage of going on regular nature walks in the locality. Our school backs onto a country lane with an abundance of plant and animal life. Last year during National Tree Week we did an audit of tree species along the lane and in the neighbouring parkland. We could similarly do a nature walk and audit of plant and animal life to stimulate a biodiversity lesson. We could then look at our own environment and compare it to biodiversity worldwide – a savannah type area, a rainforest area, an ocean etc and compare and contrast the animals and plants native to those areas and how their needs are met by the climate and conditions in those areas. To incorporate light pollution into the lesson we would first watch the clip explaining what light pollution is and then predict and discuss which environments both local and worldwide might be most affected by light pollution.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?
Biodiversity is an incredibly important aspect of learning for the children that we teach, especially those who live in built up areas such as Dublin where they are not always naturally exposed to its elements on a daily basis. Creating opportunities for children to explore biodiversity in their local area is vital to help children to foster their curiosity in the ecosystems that live all around them.
Module 4 outlines ways of exposing children to biodiversity in the local area with the use of a bug hunt to showcase the invertebrates that are present in the school grounds and the importance of their conservation. In my own classroom, I would begin by ensuring that the children understand what ‘biodiversity’ is. The useful clip about ‘what is biodiversity’ is a child-friendly way to start that process effectively. When the children are comfortable with the important vocabulary surrounding biodiversity, I would take the children on a nature hunt to explore their natural surroundings in their local area. I would use the local park for this because there is ample opportunity to see small plants and animals that inhabit it. I would encourage the children to take photos and videos using ICT to further develop their understanding and interest. The ‘identify a bug’ website that we looked at in Module 4 would be extremely useful here. https://www.buglife.org.uk/bugs/identify-a-bug/. I would then bring them back on a different day to see what has changed from the previous experience. I would then use a jigsaw approach to get the children to research their favourite plant or animal and they will teach their peers the new learning and bring it all together to find out more about the biodiversity in their local area.
In conjunction with this, I would develop a ‘garden restaurant’ for birds in the local area as outlined by Laois County Council ‘gardens for biodiversity’ booklet. https://laois.ie/wp-content/uploads/Garden-Wildlife-Booklet-WEB-17MB.pdf . This would be a very useful way of exploring biodiversity and would ask the children to take responsibility for the birds in their local area. Our school is in the process of constructing a sensory garden so I feel like it would be a nice addition.
To link biodiversity with light pollution, I would encourage the children to consider the impact of light pollution on biodiversity. The children will look at how nocturnal animals may be impacted negatively from light pollution and the knock-on effect that this has on the plants that rely on animals to survive. The children could design and make leaflets to give out to the local Councillors and community that outlines the negative impact that light pollution has on biodiversity and solutions to its negative impact.
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Hi Cathy
You are so right about the importance of teaching children about Biodiversity. As you said, children in Dublin and other large urban areas may not have regular contact with wild spaces. Often gardens and parks are so manicured that there is very little wildlife to be seen. If we are not used to seeing wild plants and animals, we won’t notice them disappearing until it starts to impact our lives in other ways. Your plan makes great use of the resources in this module and I love the emphasis on peer learning with children researching their favourite plant or animal and teaching others about it. Incorporating the needs of birds into your sensory garden is a lovely idea and I’m sure the sound of birdsong will add greatly to your garden.
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Some fantastic ideas Cathy, I love the idea of getting the kids to research their favourite plant/animal and presenting it to the group as I think children really benefit from peer learning. I too teach in Dublin and think it is important for children to be in contact with nature and taking them to nearby parks or creating a school garden so they can observe and investigate natural wildlife and flora.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.Introduction:
Firstly I would ask them what experiences they have with biodiversity and wildlife-animals, gardening exploring different plants.
I would then introduce them to the booklet via the Curious Minds website. They booklets are called Gardening for Biodiversity and Biodiversity in your garden.
Ask them to identify where there is plant and animal diversity in their life and where it exists in their locality.Development:
How can we develop it in our locality?
How is biodiversity threatened in our area?
How does light pollution effect biodiversity?We can develop biodiversity by planting wild flowers.
Light can effect nocturnal animals such as bats. It can have an impact on their navigation and the hunting for insects on which they feed from.
Light pollution can also impact on birds. It can also confuse migrating birds and their insects of prey.
Conclusion:
This can be improved by using lights which point downwards and by reducing unnecessary bright street lights. Use shielding lights to reduce upward light spillRefer to the Dark Sky Planning Document by NSW.
Refer to the website planning.nsw.gov.au/darksky -
Module 4 – Dark skies and Biodiversity.
I chose to write about, “How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity”
I would start by taking my class on a nature walk to observe and document different species of plants, animals and insects in our local park.
When discussing the impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity, I would then introduce the concept of how artificial light at night can disrupt the natural behaviours of nocturnal animals, affect plant growth patterns, and alter the balance of predator – prey relationships. Through discussions, research projects and maybe a simulation showing the effects of light pollution on local wildlife, students can understand the importance of preserving dark skies for the well-being of the ecosystem. This approach can help students appreciate the interconnectedness of all living organisms and the significance of reducing light pollution to protect local biodiversity.
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Hi Nicole,
Thanks for your post.
Your plan is well equipped to engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity, with a nature walk a great way to truly begin any biodiversity experience.
This lesson will give learners an appreciation for how this is impacting biodiversity and the simple ways that we can all help this, in doing so, preserve the beauty of night skies for us all to enjoy and improve conditions for biodiversity. Some other posters on this module mentioned creating a poster or writing a letter, and I think it’s a terrific way to include cross-curricular links and empower learners to use their energy to create positive changes in their world.
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How would you engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
Discuss biodiversity and its importance, and introduce nocturnal animals and their adaptations for night activity.
Create a ‘Night Creatures’ scavenger hunt in the classroom or school environment using pictures or models. Students will then identify and learn about each animal’s role in the ecosystem.
Simulate light pollution with flashlights in a darkened room and discuss how artificial light affects nocturnal animals’ behaviours, such as feeding and migration.
Divide the class into groups and ask them to discuss and reflect on how reducing light pollution can protect local wildlife-share ideas with the rest of the class. Encourage students to think of ways to minimise light pollution at home and the local community.
Assign the groups the task of designing a poster to raise awareness about light pollution’s impact on local biodiversity. These posters can then be displayed around the school and local community.
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Hi Breda,
Thanks for your post. I can see that you’ve put together an effective plan to engage learners in the topic of biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
Creating posters and displaying them throughout the school and local community is a great way to empower learners. This educational experience will help them realise the impact of light pollution and the power they have to inform others of this current and relatively easily resolved challenge.
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Engaging learners and the possible impact of Light Pollution on Biodiversity
The following are activities that I believe would engage learners in the area of Light Pollution and the impact on Biodiversity:
1)Doing Field Trips and Outdoor activities:
Biodiversity Walks, Nocturnal Wildlife Surveys, Community Science Projects)
2)Classroom Activities and Projects:
Assigning Students with research projects on local species and their habitats, Biodiversity Diaries- encouraging students to keep a diary of the species they observe in their local area. Light Pollution Experiments-set up light experiments to measure light in different area and times. Children could than compare their findings.
3) Collaborative Projects and Community Involvement:
School Gardens and Habitats- Create or enhance school gardens with native plants to attract local wildlife
Community awareness campaigns- Develop campaigns to educate locals about dark skies and impact of Light Pollution on biodiversity
4) Creative ideas in Classroom:
-Art and Literature: Integrating Biodiversity and Light Pollution into art, poetry and storytelling projects
-STEM activities
-Drama and Role-play: Creating different scenarios on Biodiversity/ Light PollutionBy doing these hand on activities, I strongly believe that they would enhance a child’s understanding on Biodiversity and Light Pollution.
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Hi Emma,
Thanks for your post. You have put together a nice variety of activities to enhance your learners’ understanding of Biodiversity and Light Pollution.
I particularly like your creative ideas in the classroom list, as it is a wonderful opportunity for learners to express themselves and interweave their new found knowledge on this topic into their art, poetry and storytelling.Role play is a terrific way to engage the learners and a fun way to get the learners acting out being nocturnal creatures complaining about how the artificial light is negatively impacting them, etc
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“How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.”Our school has an urban setting, in the satellite town of Carrigaline, Cork. Despite housing estates and shopping facilities hopping up left right and centre, – we have still been blessed with fox sightings in the school playground!
A discussion on this is a good springboard for evaluating and discussing the impact of the areas development upon the foxes habitat. For example, – should we really be seeing these nocturnal/ crepuscular animals as often as we do? At times when we aren’t seeing the fox regularly, there is still evidence of fox faeces on the grounds from time to time.
We must question what might be attracting the fox to our school environs – safety, shelter, food supply, appropriate lighting etc.
The students could then come up with a school plan in order to support our urban fox to survive and thrive. Is our school approach to lighting affecting the foxes natural sleep cycle and can this effect reproduction as learnt about other creatures in previous lessons?Suggestions from the children might include planning for improved/ more natural lighting conditions and for food & water access during a hard frost or icy weather. What can we do to encourage the food chain surrounding the fox to thrive, so that it can too? (planting for shelter and food sources for example various berry bushes that bear fruit across as many seasons as possible).
We will take a similar approach to supporting the local bat populations, and perhaps work in tandem with the local ‘Men’s Shed’ group, or neighbouring Community School in order to build nesting boxes for bats, who may have reduced habitats available due to building and construction in the area.
With permission, we could combine the community to assess, design & make light shields for the local area, to encourage our urban foxes and bats – the Co-Op shop for supplies, the Mens Shed & Secondary Schools for woodwork support etc.
Again – it’s a positive action to help offset the overwhelm children can feel when faced with climate & development issues. We can make a tangible & visible change for the better! Power to the junior citizens 😊
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I would begin by writing the term ‘biodiversity’ on the whiteboard and getting the children to guess the meaning of the word. I would then play the ‘Gardening for Biodiversity’ video and then get the children to define biodiversity using what they heard and saw in the video. I would then play the ‘What is biodiversity’ video to solidify the meaning.
I would put the children into groups and ask them to brainstorm the biodiversity in our local area around the school and also the importance of the biodiversity in the area.
I would then ask children to discuss, in their groups, the potential dangers for the biodiversity.In the whole class discussion, after the group work, I would mention the threats that hadn’t been mentioned. I would then split the class into groups (changes in land and sea use, exploitation, climate change, light pollution and air & water pollution) and ask them to come up with ways that these threats could be minimised in our area.
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Engaging the children to explore local biodiversity can be both enlightening and fun. I think it would be a good idea to start with a field trip to a nearby parks/forest/ natural reserves (or whatever is available locally), encouraging learners to observe various species of plants, insects, and animals. This would be a great opportunity to explore the Living Things strand. The children could use keys to identify common species and discuss food chains. The children could document and share their findings.They could create a biodiversity journal to note observations over time.
We could discuss and explore light pollution through interactive presentations or workshops that illustrate its effects on nocturnal animals and plant cycles. Organising evening viewing sessions to observe how artificial light alters the night environment and impacts local wildlife would be a great way to get parents and the local community involved showing the children the importance and relevance of what they are learning in school. We could encourage critical thinking by having the children propose solutions to mitigate light pollution, such as advocating for darker skies or using wildlife-friendly lighting options. Many curricular areas could be incorporated here such as Visual Arts (poster making), Oral language (debates), Science (caring for the environment). By combining exploration with meaningful discussions on environmental issues, learners will gain a deeper appreciation for biodiversity and its delicate balance with human activities.
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Hi Emma,
Thanks for your post. Your plan to engage learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity is a comprehsive approach to this important topic, joining the dots between the biodiversity you observe, current lighting in your locality its impact and how to change this pollution through educating others.I like how you begin with a visit to a nearby park/forest/ natural reserves-it is only by getting out in nature that learners can begin to appreciate it and the many creatures that we rarely have the time to notice and observe.
Keeping a biodiversity journal is a great way for learners to be more conscious of the changes that are taking place throughout the seasons, and it can also be helpful as a cross-curricular link through learners creating drawings of what they observe.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your
local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.Firstly, as a class we would look at the term biodiversity. We will discuss and explore the flora and fauna that are evident in our locality. Then children will be introduced to two terms nocturnal and diurnal. We will brainstorm all of the nocturnal animals and write a list on the board.
I will get the childrens opinions on bats and why they have a bad reputation. Children will then be shown the video on the long eared bat from RTE wild on Youtube. Children will then be asked to make a profile on the bat, their appearance, diet and habitat. Children can use iPads to research for their profile. After they have done this we will explore and investigate how bats see in the dark. I think a great game to highlight this is the bat and moth game mentioned in this module. Then Echolocation could be explored and added as an adaptation in their factfiles.Finally we will look at the effects light pollution has on Bats, how it effects their navigation, feeding and foraging time. We will also look at how other animals, plants and insects are effected by light pollution.
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-How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans?
We could have push on light pollution reduction in the school, we already have motion sensors and light timers, but we could shield the lighting so that all outdoor lights are directed downward and ensure that only low intensity bulbs are used. Awareness is one of the biggest things we can change as educators. My school always has a focus on sharing CPD, sometimes during meeting hours. Using all of the light pollution resources in this unit and the last unit, I would be able to share awareness of the light pollution issues at a staff level. This could encourage planning at each class level of lessons about nocturnal species and the effects of light pollution. We could encourage student-led surveys to monitor nocturnal species’ activity in school or as a home task, which can help in understanding the school’s ecosystem and the learners’ home ecosystems. Our school already has a wildlife garden, which is very well attended and cared for. Ensuring this gets less light pollution would encourage nocturnal creatures. We could organise field trips and guest speakers to talk to the children. One example, could be a visit to the National Reptile Zoo, which is close to our school in Kilkenny. They would have experts on nocturnal and diurnal reptiles and how they accommodate them.
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Hi Kieran
It is fantastic that you plan to use staff meeting time to share what you have learned about light pollution with your colleagues and to try to implement practical changes with regards to lighting in your school especially in your wildlife garden. Spreading the awareness throughout the classes in the school and then at home through monitoring of nocturnal species and light levels. Only last night, I came across an article about a chinese scientific study on the effects of light pollution on trees. They have discovered that in areas where street lights are on all night, the leaves on the trees are toughened as a defense mechanism, which makes them inedible to insects. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/artificial-night-sky-light-pollution-trees-insects.Using a visit to the National Reptile Zoo to learn about nocturnal and diurnal reptiles is a great idea as the children will be able to see the animals up close and then apply what they have learned to thinking about native animals that they may not be able to examine up close.
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To engage students in exploring biodiversity in Wicklow and the impacts of light pollution, I would begin with a trip to the local forest which is walking distance from the school. Before the trip we would have a discussion about the wildlife we might see there and ones we should see but might not anymore, and the reasons for this. We would catalogue various plants, animals, and insects, noting their roles in the ecosystem. Back in the classroom, students would research how artificial light disrupts nocturnal wildlife, such as altering feeding patterns of bats and insects or confusing migratory birds. This could also be linked to SPHE and wellbeing lessons on sleep and reference the effect of blue light from screens on humans at night. The pupils could conduct night-time observations to witness these effects first hand, using sites such as dark skies meter and loss of the night. The students could then develop and present solutions to help light pollution, such as promoting better lighting practices in our school community.
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Hi Niamh,
Thanks for your post. It’s great to see that you plan to bring learners to a nearby forest. It is an ideal starting point for a conversation on biodiversity, and depending on the type of forest, it should be rich in native biodiversity. Holding an umbrella or white sheet under a tree branch and giving it a shake is an effective way of seeing what bugs have made a home there.
Your plan is well laid out, connecting the dots between biodiversity, artificial light, nocturnal creatures, SPHE, and well-being and culminating in presenting solutions to others to promote better lighting practices.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.Module 4 had ample engaging vidoes how to engage students. Children love seeing intersting facts and are facinated by weird and wonderful things. The video about the long eared bats would engage anyone. It had amazing facts.
A survey involving the children themselves going about the school grounds on a dry day would be great. There was great videos about identifying speices and sketching leaves. I myself have a huge interest in botany and would do a quatrant survey perhaps on out new school field that we purchased. It containes more diverse speicies than the pitch for example.
I know our school hosts pine martens because I identified their poo a lot on the grounds. So definitely a walkabout and getting outside looking is that best way to engage.
Regarding nocturnal species, aldi does night vision cameras and I’m sire if a note to the parents went out I bet someone would lend us some to set up for our survey.
I know you can get the Mayo National Park rangers to come out and discuss Biodiversity. This would be worth considering. We did it years ago. It’s time again.
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Biodiversity
Eventhough my school is in an urban area, I think the children would be surprised to discover how much variety there is in the nature around them.
I would start by exploring the school grounds, and then extend this to a walk to the nearest park.
The walk could be part of a scavenger hunt where children tick off certain plants/animals as they see them. This could be a nice experience to repeat a few times a year to help children experience the changes in nature with the changing seasons.Back in school we could discuss how light pollution from artificial lights might impact the plants and animals we spotted. I think a nice idea to generate discussion could be to plot each plant/animal on a spectrum ranging from little impact to large impact from light pollution. The children could watch short video clips to help them understand this better, if necessary.
Children could then brainstorm any reasonable ways we could help to limit the effects of light pollution in the area. For example, I have now decided to turn off my sensor light in the garden at night time as it is probably impacting negatively on the nature in the area.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.I live in the Killarney area, so there are many opportunities and local resources to help with this.
A class discussion listing the local wildlife and the impact light pollution has on these animals could open the topic.
We are lucky to live near the National Park and can organize a field trip to Killarney National Park. Arrange for a local park ranger or a wildlife expert to guide the students. During the walk, students can observe different habitats (woodlands, lakes, bogs) and the species that live there.
Equip each student with a nature journal where they can draw or write about the plants and animals they see. Encourage them to note down anything that surprises or interests them.Children could make predictions about how light pollution from the town could effect these animals.
One very topical talking point at the moment is the amount of deer and fox which are being killed on the roads. Animals wandering onto the road is dangerous for drivers as well as the animals themselves.
From a practical perspective, it is unlikely the children would view any nocturnal animals due to the times of the day we would be out and about. We could arrange a Zoom call with the ranger and he could update us on some of the animals we observed and the predictions we made about the impact of light pollution.
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First, we’d go on a nature walk around our local area. I’d have the kids bring notebooks to jot down all the different plants, insects, and animals they spot. We’d talk about the importance of each species and how they contribute to the ecosystem.
Next, we’d have a discussion about light pollution. I’d explain how the bright lights from our homes, streets, and cars can affect these local creatures, especially the ones that are active at night. For example, we’d talk about how too much light can confuse birds and mess up their migration patterns, or how it can make it hard for nocturnal animals like bats and owls to hunt and navigate.
To make it more interactive, we’d do a simple experiment. We’d create a mini “nighttime” habitat in a shoebox with some small plants and toy animals. Then, we’d use a flashlight to simulate light pollution and observe how the “animals” behave differently under bright light.
Finally, we’d brainstorm ideas on how to reduce light pollution at home and in our community. The kids could come up with suggestions like turning off unnecessary lights or using curtains to block light at night.
Through these activities, the kids would not only learn about biodiversity but also understand the impact of light pollution and feel empowered to help protect our local wildlife.
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Hi Michelle,
Thanks for your post. You have created a robust plan for exploring biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.As Una has highlighted in the course, there is a wide range of excellent resources to help in the identification of species, and I particularly like the simplicity of this one shared during this module, as it is highly accessible for young learners, asking simple questions to determine what type of bug you have found: Identify a Bug – Buglife
I really like your idea of a nighttime habitat in a shoebox, the acting out of nocturnal creatures being disturbed and negatively impacted; it will add a sense of fun and drama and create a memorable impression for young learners, fostering a sense of empathy for their plight.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversityI would begin this topic with a simple project on local nocturnal animals. Children could split into groups and choose different animals to research and study. I would encourage them to consider habitats, feeding patterns of the animals, whether they are in decline and why, the animals unique physical traits, etc. Each group could then report back to the class on their findings . They would compare any physical traits or behaviors that these creatures have in common. I would then encourage the children to take their project one step further and research how light pollution might affect these different animals. This module has some great videos and websites that I could direct the children towards, eg the ‘light pollution and wildlife’ video and the ‘bug life’ review on artificial light and animals. They might investigate bright lights at night in their local environment and see what animals are attracted to these lights. I would ask them to consider what the animals might be doing if they were not being drawn to these lights…. would they be sleeping/hunting/etc? I would encourage the groups to again present their findings on the effects of light pollution on their chosen animals and consider any similarities or differences they find across the different nocturnal animals.
We would then move on to local flora and perhaps do a field study of native species around the school. One activity that I find every class enjoys no matter the age, is throwing a hula hoop in the school pitch and then studying any plants and animals they find inside on closer inspection. This might be a nice starter project. We could extend this to identifying trees, plants and shrubs in the local environment. I would again follow this with a study of the effects of lights at night in plant species. The BBC article ‘How light pollution disrupts plants’ senses’ will be of great interest to my 5th and 6th class this coming year and will be a great resource for helping them understand how plants and animals are so interconnect and how light pollution can disrupt the cycles of both.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?First I would ensure that the children understand the meaning of biodiversity and we will use a wide variety of resources such as books, encyclopaedias, videos and website to research the meaning of biodiversity and Irelands biodiversities.
We will then explore our school grounds and local area such as along the canal and the local park. The children will be encouraged to draw, take notes and/or take photos of different species they see (plants, animals and insects). The children can use keys to identify the species while out and about or from using their images and notes back in the classroom.
We could then study nocturnal animals that we might not have seen on our walks but perhaps the children have seen themselves at night such as moths, bats and foxes. Then we can take this further by exploring light pollution and how this has an effect on the species. This can be done in the form of a project or the children creating a documentary on the iPads in small groups. -
· How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
On the foot of the last module on light pollution I would encourage the Biodiversity Team in my school to conduct a survey of the lighting areas around the school. Especially those that are used at night time. They could check the bulbs are not producing wasted light and are the right temperature bulbs.
The team with their classes could record and map out the animals / insects etc around the school. This could be achieved by the Webcam idea from another participant. This would show the nocturnal activities happening at the school at night.
At assembley the Biodiversity team could present the collated findings to the school as a whole and ask for suggestions for moving forward.
They could then petition or write to the local businesses and Parents Association to become involved in sponsoring the school to become more biodiversified. Maybe fundraising for proper non-blue emitting lights?
All this has plenty of cross-curricular integration with many subjects
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I like the idea of having a Biodiversity team in the school. Our green school committee would usually be given tasks such as these so having a separate group is a great idea, both to include more students and to give the children more time to focus on their tasks.
The webcam idea is a brilliant idea too, such a great way to show the nocturnal activities happening around the school which would otherwise be unknown.
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Biodiversity is a subject that captivates children’s attention. I would begin by explaining what biodiversity means and then I would use photographs of nocturnal and diurnal animals to spark their curiosity. Together, we could list the animals that live in our local area, and we could classify animals based on whether they are nocturnal or diurnal. I would encourage the children to jot down questions about how dark skies and light pollution may affect these animals, and then we could embark on an investigation to find the answers.
Beside our school, there’s an area surrounded by trees, which is a great spot for observing wildlife. We are very fortunate in our school as we have a biodiversity expert who comes into each of the 3rd classes once a month throughout the school year to allow students to learn about their surrounding biodiversity. He completes activities such as bird identification and bird walks, insect hunts, winter adaptations, animal communication, etc. The children absolutely love the activities they engage in with him.
We also have a school garden which the children take great pride in. The children love seeing the impact they can have in supporting biodiversity.-
Hi Amy
That sounds like a great idea to work through the list of animals and list questions about them before going out to find the answers. Science is all about asking the right questions and then finding the answers. You might find the Biodiversity maps website useful in compiling your list of animals. https://maps.biodiversityireland.ie/Map If you click on the Reports tab you can choose an area on the map and generate a report of all plants and animals that have been recorded in the area. Of course it relies on information being recorded, so there may be lots of other animals in your area that do not appear on the list but it could be a good starting point. It is fantastic that you have someone working with the children once a month on discovering Biodiversity and I’m sure he would be delighted to get involved in helping the children answer their questions.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.To engage junior/senior infants students in exploring local biodiversity, I would start with nature walks in a nearby park or school garden. I’d let them use magnifying glasses to look closely at plants, insects, and other small creatures. I’d organize a treasure hunt where they search for things like feathers, certain leaves, or animal footprints, using a picture checklist to guide them.
For storytime, I’d choose books about wildlife and plants, such as “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” After exploring, the students could draw or paint what they saw, make leaf rubbings, or create collages from natural materials. We’d also plant a small garden together to help them learn about plant life cycles and the importance of plants.
I’d set up a bug hotel or use jars with air holes so they could observe insects up close before releasing them. We’d sing nature-related songs and play games like animal charades to make learning fun.
Then in regards to the possible impacts of light pollution we could do a simple experiment with moths or other small insects. We could observe how they are attracted to a light source and discuss how this can be dangerous for them, as it distracts them from their natural behaviours. We could also do an activity where we compare two environments: one with natural darkness and one with artificial light. We could use small boxes create these environments, adding toy animals and plants. We’d shine a flashlight into one box to show how the light affects the animals, discussing how the bright light might make it hard for them to sleep or find food.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
To introduce the idea of biodiversity, I’d start by engaging the students in a KWL chart to capture their current knowledge about the plants and animals in their local environment. We’d then compile this information into a collaborative mind map, organizing it into categories like insects, birds, amphibians, mammals, and their respective habitats. This would help us understand how these elements are interconnected and how they impact us.
I’d highlight the importance of clean water, pollinators, and wildflowers, explaining how these factors contribute to the mutual support needed between wildlife and humans. We’d explore the delicate balance of ecosystems and how the removal of even one component can disrupt the entire system.
To make this tangible, I’d have the students create a bird’s-eye view map of our school, marking the different types of plants and animals they observe. They’d also note any artificial lights in the area and consider how light pollution might affect local wildlife. For example, we’d discuss how insects are drawn to artificial lights, bats have their feeding patterns disrupted by light spillage, and owls face reduced foraging time.
By understanding these impacts, I hope to show the students that even small changes in their habits can make a significant difference. This approach aims to foster a sense of responsibility and awareness, helping them appreciate their role as global citizens while caring for their local environment.
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Having completed the green flag for biodiversity, many children did not know what biodiversity was when conducting the survey around the school. Making a school bug hotel would be a great way to get all classes involved, allowing the local bugs and animals a safe place to roam while the children become investigators. The hotel could make a great home not only for bees and bugs but also animals such as hedgehogs etc who live in the area. The hotel site can be monitored and visited and any changed recorded and shared. The older classes could carry out surveys on what animals and species live in the area around the school and their homes. Classes could go to a nearby park or on school grounds to conduct their survey. They could record their findings on a map.
It’s important to consider the needs of our night-time bugs and animals. Being mindful of things such as closing curtains and blinds when you turn the lights on inside can help bugs to continue their night-time activities. Unlike pollution from rubbish and chemicals, once a light is turned off the pollution is gone. We could also ensure that the school area is light pollution friendly, ensuring no internal lights are left on and there is minimal or motion lights outside. -
How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans.
Classroom discussions on Nocturnal Wildlife
• Introduction to Nocturnal Animals: Start with lessons about nocturnal species, such as bats and owls. Explain why these animals are active at night and how they rely on darkness to hunt, navigate, and communicate.
• Dark Skies Importance: Discuss the concept of light pollution and its impact on nocturnal animals. Explain how artificial lights can disrupt their natural behaviours, such as hunting or mating.
Nocturnal Species Habitat Creation
• Bat Boxes and Owl Nests: Engage students in building bat boxes or owl nests that can be installed around the school. This hands-on activity teaches them about the habitats of these creatures and the importance of safe spaces.
School Light Management Plan (linked with Green schools)
• Lights Out Policy: Develop a school-wide policy where unnecessary outdoor lights are turned off at night or use motion-sensor lights that only activate when needed. This reduces light pollution and protects nocturnal species.
• Shielded Lighting: Teach students about shielded lighting that directs light downward instead of scattering it, minimizing its impact on the night sky.
Home/school links
• Encourage parents to go on evening walks where students can observe nocturnal animals in their natural habitat.
• Combine nocturnal species observation with stargazing, highlighting the connection between dark skies and the health of nocturnal ecosystems.
• Encourage students to share what they’ve learned with their families and community by creating posters or creating presentations about reducing light pollution.
Art and Science Projects
• Create “Dark Sky” Posters: Have students create posters that illustrate the importance of dark skies for nocturnal species, which can be displayed around the school or shared with the community.
• Species Research Projects: Assign research projects where students can choose a nocturnal species to study and present on its habitat needs, behaviours, and how light pollution affects it. -
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As someone has outlined above, starting with ‘What is biodiversity’ would be key to ensure all of the children have a solid understanding of what it means, this way, when it comes to exploring it in our local area, all children will know what to look out for.
To explore biodiversity in your local area, you could start with a “Biodiversity Walk,” where students observe and document different plants, insects, birds, and animals they encounter. Using magnifying glasses and notebooks, they could record their findings, which helps them become more aware of the variety of life around them. You could also set up a “Mini-Beast Hunt” in the schoolyard or nearby park to find and study insects and small creatures.
To understand the impact of light pollution on local biodiversity, you could compare day and night observations. A nighttime walk or using night cameras can show how fewer animals are active or visible. Discuss with students how artificial light affects animals’ natural behaviours, like feeding and migration. They could create posters or presentations on how light pollution disrupts these patterns and suggest ways to mitigate it, such as using dimmer lights or shielding outdoor lamps. This hands-on approach fosters curiosity.
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Hi Roisin,
Thanks for your post. You make a good point about the importance of learners knowing what biodiversity means before diving into this activity. I quite like the simple yet effective definition in one of the videos shared on this module that opens by describing it as ”the variety of life on Earth.” It also sheds light on other topical terms, such as ecosystem services, that can add to learners’ terminology on this topic.
It could be worthwhile consolidating learning on this through a Kahoot quiz or similar, on this and other terms learners encounter during this activity.
I think it’s a great idea to make posters and presentations after exploring this topic, that could help this message reach other students in the school or the broader communitiy at a School STEM fair, etc.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.I would engage my learners to explore biodiversity in their local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity in the following ways;
I will do an introduction lesson on the definition of biodiversity. I would start with a discussion with the class group about their understanding of biodiversity firstly. I would then do a short lesson introduction on the definition of biodiversity with the class.
Videos on bio diversity would also have the classroom to learn at the topic in an engaging way.
I would integrate the green schools committee into this topic. The class could create posters to create awareness about the impact of light pollution on their local biodiversity to put up around the school. The class could also do a class debate on the topic to voice their opinions and ideas amongst their peers.
This would create an integrative classroom environment and allow the children to become active participants in their own learning. -
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
I work in a coastal town in North County Dublin. This setting, offers unique opportunities to observe a variety of ecosystems, from sandy beaches and rocky shores to parks and residential gardens. I would begin by organizing a nature walk along the seafront, encouraging students to observe different species of birds, sea life, and plants. We would explore the rock pools at low tide, looking for crabs, starfish, and seaweed, while discussing the importance of each organism in the coastal ecosystem.
Students would be encouraged to log their findings in their copies. They could draw and write about their findings, or even bring in small samples like leaves or shells for closer inspection in the classroom. We could also use binoculars for birdwatching, identifying different species and learning about their habits.
The next step would be to explore how light pollution impacts this local biodiversity. I would explain how artificial lights along the coast can disorient birds during migration, affect the behavior of nocturnal animals, and even disturb the natural patterns of marine life.
As an optional activity, I would invite students to take a nighttime walk with a parent or guardian to allow them to experience firsthand how bright lights attract or repel certain creatures. The children could observe the difference between well-lit and darker areas, discussing why some species are less visible or active in bright spots.
Through these activities, students would gain a hands-on understanding of biodiversity and the challenges it faces in an urban environment. By connecting these observations to the concept of light pollution, they would learn how human actions can disrupt natural habitats and what we can do to mitigate these effects.
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How would you engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?
The next 2 years will be ideal in our school to engage further in exploring biodiversity in the local area. We are working again on the theme of biodiversity for our Green flag renewal. We are very fortunate in our location, in that we have two 3rd campuses who are very engaged in the Green flag programme and we often work with them on projects. Last year we helped with a Bioblitz on one campus and with the 2nd campus we agreed to take swift boxes they funded as we had more appropriate location for them on our grounds. I therefore don’t see too many issues explore the biodiversity in our local area as it is something we already do on a regular basis.
I feel the new topic of light pollution is one that has not been explored or addressed in our community, but I feel from previous experience engagement will be good and there will be a willingness to seek solutions. This collaborative approach to improving the local environment means the learners often experience success in their ventures, we always have willing hands to help in the community. This I feel is very important, as so much to do with climate change and pollution of all sorts can be disheartening, the learners need some positive results to keep them engaged.
The practical aspect of what we would do then:
• Conduct a bioblitz of the school grounds and create a biodiversity map.
• Learn about light pollution, what is it, what are the effects of it on biodiversity in our area and what can we do?
• Survey school grounds and home and areas in the local community.
• Look at what needs to be improved and explore solutions.
• Draft emails to relevant individuals who can affect change or who can help us too affect change.
• Following changes , conduct a 2nd bioblitz the following year and note any changes. -
To incorporate the needs of nocturnal species in my school’s biodiversity plans I would focus on three areas education, survey of our schools impact and action plan to reduce this impact.
For the Education piece we would engage in lessons that explore nocturnal species such as hedgehogs, owls, bats , etc. We would also explore the impact of light on their behaviours. This step can also include talks or webinars form outside agencies.
Lastly, I would involve the community by hosting workshops on reducing light pollution and collaborating with local authorities to promote better lighting practices, such as using shielded fixtures and dimming unnecessary lights. These efforts would help foster a commitment to protecting nocturnal biodiversity among students and the community.
Then we will conduct a survey of lighting around our school building and explore what impact this may have on nocturnal species. We will then create a commitment and action plan tor reduce the impact we having on nocturnal species.
Lastly classes can engage in activities to promote and protect and nocturnal species such as campaigns to inform the school community of the need to protect nocturnal creatures from light pollution, building bat boxes, hedgehog homes, bug hotels etc.
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Hi Edele
That is a great plan that looks at the problems that light pollution causes for nocturnal animals from a number of perspectives: learning and researching and taking action. I love that you plan to involve the local community and engage with the local authority to look at reducing light pollution and that you plan to spread the word about the dangers of light pollution as well as working to provide shelter for nocturnal creatures who might visit your school.
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Bats are the nocturnal species that I would be interested in including in a school biodiversity plan. As the school is in the countryside and has old buildings, providing bat boxes around different locations on the building itself would be helpful for nesting bats. As they hibernate for most of the school year, there would be little impact on the children if they were scared/worried about them being out in day time. Planting night scented flowers, like night scented stock and evening primrose around the school garden would help attract insects so the bats have more to eat. It will also be important to assess the lighting on the school grounds and surrounding areas to ensure the lighting is far enough away from the bat boxes, and from the night scented flowers, that the bats are not confused.
From a school plan point of view, lighting, providing bat boxes, provision of night scented flowers, and perhaps a visit from the local park ranger for a talk on bats would be included.-
Hi Sarah
Putting a focus on the needs of bats is a lovely idea for your school biodiversity plan. I’m not sure why bats being out would be a problem for the children, as the whole point of learning about bats and undertaking a project to look after their needs is to show children how beneficial bats are and how there are no reasons for anyone to be nervous around them. Changing the lighting and planting night scented flowers is a great idea. Bat Conservation Ireland are currently working on a series of videos on gardening for bats which might be of interest to you when they are finalised.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity:
There are lots of opportunities to explore biodiversity with children in the primary school setting.
I love gardening, and would love to set up a garden with the children, but making sure the plants are native to Ireland and pollinator friendly. I would like o make bug hotels with the children to incorporate into the garden as well. I think it would be nice to do a bug survey before and after setting up the garden and bug hotel, to see the difference the quantity and variety of insects. Also having a pollinator patch would be something I’d love to do next year in school.
I would like to look at some lessons with the children about how light pollution affects local biodiversity. Similar to the previous module, we could then do a survey of the types and quantity of lights around the school and come up with a plan o reduce light pollution.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
· Explore different habitats (wetlands, woodlands and bogland) and learn about ecosystem services and how important the natural world is for the human species
Learn about threats to biodiversity such as changes in land and sea use, pollution and invasive alien species.
Learn about threatened Irish species (birds such as corncrakes, lapwing and puffins) and the importance of pollinator species such as dandelions for our many native bees.
Learn to identify species of plant and insects using charts, swatches and apps such as obsidentify (when other methods fail). Do a bioblitz!
Have nice experiences of connecting with nature more often.
Learn about nocturnal animals such as bats and their adaptations and how they are affected by light pollution
A really impactful way I think to show how artificial light affects nocturnal creatures is putting out a moth trap. Not only is it a brilliant introduction to the study of herpetofauna but it shows how vulnerable moths (and their predators) are to light pollution. -
Biodiversity is a topic that I feel needs a lot of explicit teaching prior to trying to tackle it as an environmental issue. We did a survey last year as part of a green schools initiative asking the children about biodiversity, its meaning and what impact it has on us and our lives and the children knew very little about the topic. The hope was that the survey will be completed again,following teaching on the topic, and the children’s knowledge will have improved by then.
The two videos at the start of the module, ‘Gardening for Biodiversity’ and ‘Biodiversity and Ecosystems’ are a good way to begin the topic to give the children a good introduction and understanding of the term Biodiversity.
I would bring the children on a walk of the local area, around the school grounds and to the local park and use this as an opportunity to explore local plants and wildlife species. We would use the websites mentioned in this module to identify as many plants and animals as possible. I have used the ‘Picturethis’ app to identify plants and it would be a good resource for the children to use too. Pictures could be taken using Ipads and then projects completed on our local biodiversity. We would also record our sightings on the biodiversity Ireland website.
We would follow on from these projects by exploring the light pollution in the area and the impact it has on biodiversity. As the children live in a town with a lot of light pollution we will discuss and plan for how we could make changes to protect the animals in the local area.
I would try to arrange with the Heritage in Schools scheme for a specialist to come to our class and do a workshop. This would be a brilliant learning opportunity for the children.
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How would you engage children to explore biodiversity and problems of light pollution on local biodiversity
I would be an advocate for using the local park to investigate what plants and species surround the children. A notebook and identification cards for insects, birds and bees, plants, trees etc. Speak to the local resource centre or local council they may have someone at hand who is involved in a community garden that plants trees, start some bug motels etc so the children can become involved at setting up some initiatives within the community. A wormery on the school grounds teaches how light pollution is not good for composting worms and how darkness and shade is what keeps them healthy.
Have the children collect plant species and press them. Planting trees and taking responsibility for them will really start a good trigger point. I am always amazed at how close to nature children are and how enthusiastic they can be about biodiversity. The Green school flag is a great initiative too to get schools and communities involved in their local biodiversity.
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Incorporating the needs of nocturnal species into school biodiversity plans is essential for fostering a more holistic understanding of ecosystems and promoting environmental stewardship among students. Nocturnal species, such as bats, owls, and certain insects, rely heavily on dark skies for their natural behaviors, including hunting, mating, and navigation. Recognising this, I would integrate several strategies into our school’s biodiversity initiatives.
First, educating students about the importance of darkness for nocturnal wildlife would be a priority. Through lessons on light pollution and its effects on these species, students would learn how artificial lighting disrupts natural behaviors, leading to long-term ecological consequences. This could be complemented by activities such as nighttime nature walks or using tools like the “Globe at Night” program to measure light pollution.
Next, practical steps to reduce light pollution around the school could be implemented, such as installing shielded lighting that directs light downward and using motion sensors to minimise unnecessary lighting at night. These changes would create a more welcoming environment for nocturnal species.
Lastly, involving students in the creation of “dark sky zones” in school, where artificial lighting is minimised, would empower them to take active roles in conservation. By aligning the school’s biodiversity plan with the needs of nocturnal species, we would not only enhance local biodiversity but also deepen students’ appreciation for the delicate balance of our ecosystems.-
Hi Caolan
You make a great point there about the need for understanding nocturnal creatures as part of a holistic approach to learning about Biodiversity. Often, people focus on the needs of a particular species or group of species, which is important, but it is also important to look at the interaction between species and the environment in which they are living. For example, bats, birds and many other groups of both animals and plants rely on insects and both plants and animals rely on darkness at night to flourish. A recent study in China found that in some situations, excess light can affect leaf growth on plants making the leaves inedible to insects. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/05/all-night-streetlights-make-leaves-inedible-to-insects-study-finds?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawEmxF1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHSTKlEkQCFx3Z4qOOeYAMhihmmxDXIztzViJYXHJ7e-k28rsN7loSPEDmg_aem_xt3y9UJ_V0uQX4IIy8YuNg#Echobox=1722838112. Working on shielding and restricting lights in school could have a positive impact on wildlife and I love the idea of dark sky zones. While you may not be able to control all of the light sources affecting your yard, you can work on creating areas where that light doesn’t penetrate as much.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversityThere are a number of ways to explore biodiversity in the local area. I got inspiration from the course and the You Tube videos alongside things we are already doing in school and indeed observing the local environment I live in.
I love the idea of a bug hotel. This is something really easy to ‘construct’ and the children can observe and record the bug life that resides there using keys etc to identify the mini beasts.
I love the wildflowers idea and allowing a no mow zone. This is so important for our bees. We had a visitor before also that recommended the type of wildlife we needed to have to attract caterpillars and in turn butterflies. This is something we could revisit.
I think observation of nocturnal animals would be interesting to explore and create awareness. Perhaps the erection of a night camera in the garden to observe wildlife and then in turn we could take steps to reduce light pollution.
The children could then conduct a survey of the light fixtures and we could create a plan for securing our night light systems to encourage and promote wildlife in our school.
This was a really interesting module with lots of insights. I enjoyed reading through the forum posts and will implement some of the ideas.
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Hi Geraldine
It is a great idea to revisit the information you gained from your visitor talking about butterflies. Butterflies are a great indicator species for the health of a habitat. Numerous reports from both Ireland and the UK and my own observations from my garden butterfly count have indicated that their numbers are very low this year, so everything you can do to create suitable habitat for butterflies and especially caterpillars will be very helpful. Also, by focussing on increasing butterfly numbers, you will also improve the habitat for lots of other wildlife. Perhaps you could invite that visitor back to the school for additional guidance once you have started planning for wildlife and implementing your plan.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.To engage learners in exploring local biodiversity, I would carry out the following activities:
1. **Nature Walks:** Take students on nature walks in the local / school environment to observe and identify different plant and animal species. Encourage them to take notes or sketch what they see.
2. **Field Surveys:** Conduct biodiversity surveys where pupils can collect data on the variety of species present in different habitats.
3. **Guest Speakers:** Invite local biologists / conservationists to share their expertise on local biodiversity. This can provide valuable insights and real-world examples for your students.
4. **Habitat Restoration:** Engage students in hands-on activities like planting native species, creating wildlife habitats, or cleaning up local ecosystems.
5. **Case Studies:** Present real-life case studies of local environmental issues that have affected biodiversity. Encourage students to analyse these cases, identify the impacts, and propose solutions to mitigate the negative effects on biodiversity.
6. **Habitat Assessments:** Students assess different habitats in their local area to understand how human activities, like construction or pollution, impact the biodiversity of those environments. This can help them see the direct effects on local plant and animal species.
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To engage primary school learners in exploring biodiversity and the impacts of light pollution in their local area, I would start by using some of the videos explaining what biodiversity is eg the one by Laois county council. Next we woud explore local biodiversity by taking nature walks around the school and nearby green spaces, observing and documenting different species of plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife.
We are lucky enough to have forest schools as an extra program for 4th class in our school. It would be great to use this nearby park area for a survey and to see if we could identify any areas where bats might be active. Autumn can be a great time to find bats as they’re active hours can be early enough for children and bats are not yet hibernating so having an evening where we try and find bats would be great.
Using resources from the Dark Skies Association, I would introduce students to the concept of light pollution, explaining how artificial light affects nocturnal animals and plant growth.
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To make our school grounds a better place for nocturnal Irish animals, we can work together on a few fun projects. First we can carry out a biodiversity survey to see what animals already live in our school grounds. We will reflect on what we have already put into place to improve biodiversity like the native hedgerow we planted and the bat boxes we installed. Next, we can reduce mowing in some areas of the grounds to encourage dandelions and clover to grow and maybe some night blooming flowers,this will hopefully attract moths and other night-time pollinators. We might also make a small water feature that will give animals like hedgehogs and frogs a place to drink but will also be safe for children to play around. Also we can look at tree cover and see if there are places on our school grounds where we could encourage ivy/ suitable trees for nesting. Another idea is to leave some areas a bit wild, like making piles of logs or letting leaves gather in certain spots. This would give animals shelter and places to hide. Finally, we could look at reducing bright lights at night or using special wildlife-friendly lighting to help keep the grounds dark and safe for the creatures that come out after we go home. After all of these changes we would evaluate their effectiveness by completing the biodiversity survey again and see if we can add any new species to the list.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.There are a number of excellent resources from this module that I would use to educate the children about biodiversity in our local area. It is definitely important to teach the children about the local wildlife before teaching them about the effects of light pollution on them. I particularly like the ideas on this lesson plan on Biodiversity from ESERO. It had great resources to teach the children about various animals and wildlife – https://teachnet.ie/ds/pdf/curious_minds_framework_ds_biodiversity.pdf. I think I would find the list of Ireland’s birds resource excellent https://birdwatchireland.ie/irelands-birds-birdwatch-ireland/list-of-irelands-birds/?habitat=all&bird_size=all&bird_family=all&bird_season=all&bird_color=all&bird_sort_order=all&title=owl I find that nowadays children are not aware of the birds that are around them and it is so important for them to have that knowledge so that they are then motivated to protect these species!
I also liked the video https://teachnet.ie/courses/steaming-through-dark-skies-and-biodiversity/lessons/dark-skies-biodiversity/ as it explains how light pollution can effect the wildlife! -
Our school is located on the edge of a village where there is many areas to explore biodiversity , to start I would take a map of the local village and divide it into different area for different groups to explore during day trips and also to visit with their family after school, different areas would be the local park, the wetlands in the local park, the old graveyard, wooded area. after surveying and recording what biodiversity exists the group could design posters to display in the village for the community and tourists to enjoy and learn about biodiversity in the village.We have a small school garden that needed to be better maintained and developed, if we aimed to include a small pond and insect hotel this would add to the biodiversity with in the school grounds. Also to include a ‘no-mow’ area of grass to start a wildflower garden and add more bees to the area too . To learn more about the impacts of light pollution on or local biodiversity i would invite local ecologists and bat specialists Donna Mullen and Brian Keeley to come to the school to talk to the classes.
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Hi Emma,
Thanks for sharing your plan to explore biodiversity in your local area. I like how you plan to explore the different areas within the village for biodiversity and having the pupils create posters for the local areas on the biodiversity. It is always important to start local when exploring biodiversity and living things. It is also a lovely way to connect with the wider school community and support biodiversity.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.People all over the world are living under the nighttime glow of artificial light, and it is causing big problems for humans, wildlife, and the environment. There is a global movement to reduce light pollution, and everyone can help. Children love to be involved on aspects of life which are important to all and current. It is very clear how light pollution effects biodiversity.
Light pollution can impact biodiversity by changing the night behaviour of organisms.
Therefore as a teacher I would firstly teach the children about both aspects singularly, biodiversity and light pollution.
Once the children have engaged in both then the children will be asked to make the link on how they effect one another.
We can then identify different organisms that are in ecosystems nearby such as there is a peoples park near our school which has lots of wildlife, – how does light pollution effect them?
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.We have a garden attached to the school that we can access, therefore, that would be a good place to begin exploring biodiversity.
I think that I might bring the pupils out with me to observe the environment around and to note the different life forms in the garden. Then when we come back into the class, we could share our information, pool it together, and then explore the meaning of biodiversity.
The conversation would be opened as to whether our concept of biodiversity has changed or not and whether we need to revisit the garden with a sharper focus and a broader understanding.
We have a large no-mow area, but I question its usefulness – there hasn’t been anything done to encourage or invite mini-beasts. I would challenge the boys to re-invent the no-mow area and/or to re-design the broken down bug hotel that lurks in the garden. What bugs did they see? What bugs are missing? Can they figure out a reason why? What do we need to do to invite into our garden?
For light pollution, the pupils could investigate the lighting around the school. They could consider a night camera (explore which one is most suitable, cost it out etc.) and investigate why a night camera might be beneficial to us.
We have a few raised planters and a sensory garden which are falling into disrepair, perhaps the class might like to take one of these on a their project – again making it a worthy place for biodiversity.
Once the investigations have taken place, we could then present our findings to the principal and request permission to start on our chosen project.
This project would be regularly monitored to assess the impact it was having and to guide our further efforts.David Attenborough: What is Biodiversity
David Attenborough: Why is Biodiversity important
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Hi Rachel.. these are excellent videos that you have attached! I will definitely add this to my bank of new resources from this module. We also have an organic garden attached to my school. I agree, it is an excellent hands on way for the children to explore different life forms and plants in the garden.
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In my school we are very lucky to avail of a wide area of space where exploring biodiversity is very accessible. We have an area of wildflowers where they can thrive undisturbed. We are in the process of creating a bug hotel which is a whole school project. This really fosters childrens ability into exploring the environment around them which in turn makes them become more aware of biodiversity. I feel the children respect the whole school projects or initiatives carried out by them more because they have a sense of responsibility attached to them. I also think by creating these whole school approaches it increases the children’s chances of carrying this interest forward.
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Hi Shane,
Thanks for sharing your own thoughts on the biodiversity in your school. I agree that children often respect initiatives more when they can assume a level of responsibility in them such as creating a bug hotel as you have mentioned and this also allows the pupils to explore their own local area and habitats in the environment and decide on how best to support them for biodiversity.
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To engage students in exploring local biodiversity and the impact of light pollution, I would begin with a Biodiversity Walk in a nearby park. Students would observe and document plants, insects, and animals, creating a map of local species. Following this, a Night-Time Observation would allow them to explore how light pollution affects nocturnal wildlife, comparing species presence in well-lit versus darker areas.
Back in the classroom, students could research how light pollution disrupts specific species’ behaviors, such as moths or bats, and propose solutions like advocating for reduced nighttime lighting in sensitive habitats. Finally, a Reflective Discussion and Art Project would allow them to express their understanding creatively and raise awareness.
These activities would help students appreciate local biodiversity, understand the ecological impacts of light pollution, and inspire them to take action to protect their environment.
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We are extremely lucky to have a forest area, planting beds and lots of green space and parks beside our school.
Firstly, I would create surveys and activities relevant to each year group as we are a Junior school.
Junior Infants- Minibeasts and bugs hunt with magnifying glasses, containers etc. Leaf art on the animals and bugs in our area.
Senior Infants- Minibeasts bug hunt and create a minibeast bug hotel in our garden.
1st class- Survey on animals in the local area during the day and nocturnal animals found at night.
2nd class- They could look at the effect of artificial light on species and animals in our local area and make a survey on light in the local area and how we can make changes to our local area.
The whole school could create a short movie or book using our tablets about the research we found during the week. -
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Engaging the children in exploring local biodiversity and the impacts of light pollution would be both educational and interactive. I think that there would be lots of opportunities to incorporate hands-on activities, observations, and critical thinking here.
An interactive presentation to introduce Biodiversity and Light Pollution would be a good starting point. Using visuals to show different species and ecosystems in our local area would make it more ‘real’ and engaging for the children and we could also look at the sources and effects of light pollution here on animal and plant life also.
There is lots of scope here for plenty of group discussion and the children will be enabled to share their own experiences or observations of local wildlife and any noticeable light pollution in their area. This helps to reinforce that personal connection to their learning.
Other ideas would be:
A Field Trip or Nature Walk where the children could look at species and habitat identification.
A study into the impact of light pollution as outlined in module 3 would also work well here and also creates a personal interest and connection for the children.
Allowing the children to brainstorm ways to reduce light pollution, to come up with an action plan and even create their own solution ideas would help to bring their ideas and findings together and encourage reflection, analysis and idea sharing. -
Incorporating the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies, into school biodiversity plans involves a multi-faceted approach that educates students while promoting a healthier environment for these species. Here’s how I would approach this:
1. Begin by educating students about nocturnal species and the importance of dark skies for their survival. Lessons could focus on how light pollution affects the behavior, feeding, and migration patterns of nocturnal animals, such as bats, owls, and certain insects.
2.Involve students in conducting a light pollution audit of the school grounds. This activity would help identify areas where artificial lighting could be reduced or modified to be more wildlife-friendly.
3. Based on the audit findings, propose the installation of shielded, low-intensity lighting.
4. Develop specific areas on the school grounds that are designed to support nocturnal wildlife. For example, planting native trees and shrubs can provide shelter and food sources for nocturnal animals.
5.Encourage students to extend their learning beyond the school by .
6.Set up a student-led monitoring program to observe and document the presence of nocturnal species on school grounds over time. This could include night-time surveys, installing motion-activated cameras, or conducting sound recordings. -
How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
In order to incorporate the needs of the many nocturnal species into our school biodiversity plan we would have to ensure a holistic approach to it. Nocturnal species such as bats, owls and certain insects rely on dark skies to survive and for their wellbeing. As a whole school the students could make bat boxes where artificial light with be eliminated. This will allow nocturnal creatures to thrive. We could also plant various flowers, plants and trees that will provide food and shelter for all the animals and insects at night. An area of the school grounds could be dedicated to this where students can monitor and observe using wildlife cameras, bat detectors and moth traps. They can record and report data from their findings. A range of subject areas can be incorporated into this plan such as maths, art, construction and geography with a whole school inclusive approach taken.
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To incorporate the needs of nocturnal species into my school biodiversity plans I would look closely at where the school is with regards to their biodiversity plan and work from there. Using my school as an example, the area of biodiversity has been a focus over the past few years. We have focused on teaching the children about biodiversity. We had guest speakers in who discussed what is was and why it is so important. We looked closely at the importance of saving the pollinators- focusing on butterflies and bees. The gardening committee came up with ideas and we decided on creating a bug hotel and wildflower garden at the front of the school. The school council reps got involved and there was a whole school competition to name the garden and bug hotel. Parents and children volunteered over weekends to help dig out and plant the garden alongside constructing the bug hotel. It has been very successful and having engaged with the module today I can see there is so much scope to delve deeper and look at light pollution and the needs of nocturnal species and update the plan to include this. Some easy and worthwhile additions would be around the teaching of light pollution and discussing dark skies. The children would learn about the importance of dark skies for nocturnal animals such as bats and owls and discuss how light pollution can negatively impact them. There are useful websites mentioned in the module to use as resources. The addition of night cameras to investigate the nocturnal activity would be very useful. Incorporating the building of bat boxes and perhaps adding more hedgerow to the periphery could also be impactful. Children could gather information on light pollution on the school grounds. Complete surveys on sources of light pollution. Problem solve solutions to lower light pollution- extend this further and speak with the board of management and perhaps change light fittings to shielded downward lights, change bulbs and set timers etc. The student council reps can engage with their own classes and send feedback through surveys. I think this would be a natural nest step based on the work already done in our school on biodiversity.
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Your ideas for adding nocturnal species to the school’s biodiversity plans are great! Since you’ve already had success with the bug hotel and wildflower garden, focusing on light pollution and nighttime animals is a perfect next step. Using night cameras and talking about dark skies will help students understand how light pollution affects animals like bats and owls. Doing surveys to find light pollution sources and brainstorming ways to reduce it, like changing light fixtures and bulbs, is a smart move. Involving students and the school board in these changes will make a big impact. It’s exciting to see how you’re building on your current projects to support local wildlife even more!
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Incorporating the needs of nocturnal species requires some important decision-making regarding the lighting in school. Planning to use shielded lights rather than unshielded ones helps us to prevent light pollution and gives nocturnal species a chance to use the area around the school. Despite clever decision-making like this schools should strive to use warm lighting which helps prevent light spillover and does not impact animals feeding due to such intense light. A school letter to parents and teachers teaching students about the impacts light pollution is having on nocturnal animals would also be very beneficial. While a school is a source of light pollution imagine if we could encourage all families in the locality to try and prevent as much light pollution as possible. This would have a far greater impact on nocturnal animals rather than solely focusing funds on removing light pollution around the school grounds.
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How would you engage learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity?
This is a vast topic to teach in a classroom. Firstly the children would need an understanding of light pollution and what that it and its negative effects. This should be done by watching videos, discussion and surveys that the children can do at home when it is dark. I would then introduce the theme of biodiversity. We would discuss what this means and watch some videos to explain the concept. We are lucky in our school, although it is located in Dublin, we have lots of green areas on the school grounds and we are near to parks and in particular the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. In order to engage the pupils, we would do a study of the different bird, animal and insect species we have around the school and local areas. I would give the children ipads to take photos of creatures/animals we find, they can make drawings and we would collect some specimens of minibeasts to look at and examine. We would then discuss what nocturnal animals are and I would use the ESERO lesson 30 to assist my teaching of this. Using native irish creatures such as bats, we would explore the impact that light pollution could have on these creatures and we could come up with ideas on how we could help to reduce light pollution in our home/school environment. There is a multitude of resources available online and at local level to support the children discovery of this theme. We could also try to include ways to encourage biodiversity around our school by creating a wildflower area, bug hotel, bat boxes and bird boxes to name just a few.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
I think the first step I would need to do is look at biodiversity in general and the importance of the symbiotic relationships between different species. I think this is important to grab the attention of pupils as there will be more resources and videos from night cameras. I also might play the echolocation bat game which will help pupils appreciate the unique skills of nocturnal animals.
From here I would try to track down clips from rte nature shows which show our nocturnal animals in action. My school is a concrete slap with no grass so I think there’s a lot of scope to install a bird box or bug hotel to try and increase the biodiversity. We could also set up some small boxes with a variety of wildflowers to attract the pollinators. A hedge would be great as we might be able to hear some birds in the dark winter mornings. When installing these I would ask the pupils to consider the effects of the school lights on these ideas. Will animals be encouraged if we put them underneath our automatic light? How will the light affect the birds who sing in the morning? I would set some homework to consider these effects in the pupils own back gardens.
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ChatGPT
Engaging learners to explore local biodiversity and the impacts of light pollution can be a deeply rewarding experience that combines fieldwork, research, and community awareness. I would start by introducing students to the concept of biodiversity, highlighting the variety of plants, animals, and insects that exist in our local area. This would be followed by a guided exploration, such as a nature walk in a nearby park or green space, where students can observe and catalog the different species they encounter. Providing tools like field guides, apps for species identification, and notebooks for sketching and notes would enhance their learning experience.To connect this exploration with the issue of light pollution, I would encourage students to research how artificial lighting affects local wildlife. For instance, nocturnal animals may have altered behaviors due to excessive light, and plants might experience disrupted growth cycles. We could conduct a night-time observation session to identify areas where light pollution is particularly high and discuss its potential effects on the species we observed during the day.
Students could then engage in a project to create awareness in the community about the importance of reducing light pollution to protect local biodiversity. This might involve designing posters, giving presentations, or even proposing changes to local lighting practices. By combining observation with action, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the delicate balance in our local ecosystem and the role they can play in preserving it.
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Hi Tommy
I admire your commitment this project by organising a night time field trip to study light pollution. I imagine that this would be difficult to arrange, but perhaps if you got support from a local community group, astronomy club, bat group or a tidy towns organisation that are committed to protecting biodiversity, you could make it a joint project where children would come with their families to learn about the night skies or nocturnal animals and you could continue the learning in school through your projects to research the effects of light pollution on native species of plants and animals and your awareness raising campaign and advocacy for better local lighting design.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
To engage students in exploring biodiversity in our area and the impacts of light pollution, I would start with hands-on activities like surveying the area around the school to identify and document local plants and animals. This can be paired with research on native species to build their knowledge of the local ecosystem.
For a deeper understanding of light pollution’s effects, I would set up nocturnal wildlife cameras around the school, particularly in the green areas of the school ground. These cameras would hopefully capture footage of nocturnal wildlife, allowing the children observe how artificial light affects creatures like moths and small mammals.
We can then study the footage to see the impact of light pollution on local wildlife. Complement this with a light pollution survey around their homes, and encourage students to research how light pollution affects specific species of interest. This approach not only highlights the importance of preserving local biodiversity but also helps the children understand the broader environmental impacts of light pollution.
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Hi Helen!
I really like your idea of setting up nocturnal wildlife cameras around the green areas of school to capture footage of nocturnal wildlife and allowing the children observe how artificial light affects creatures like moths and small mammals. I don’t know if this would be a runner in our school due to the cost of cameras, but maybe these cameras aren’t expensive to purchase.
It would highlight as suggested the importance of preserving local biodiversity and helps children understand the broader environmental impacts of light pollution.
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Hi Helen.
I agree that doing a survey of audit around the school to identify native species is a good idea. The issue as I see it is in identifying the native trees and flowers. I find the tree council website excellent for help with this. Bird watch Ireland is another great resource in learning about native birds. The pupils could look up these website in group, with each group responsible for learning to recognise a specific tree or bird. I think the pupils would enjoy learning about this!
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ASSIGNMENT 4
I would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in their local area by getting them to do an audit, survey and mapping exercise of biodiversity surrounding our school. I would use several resources given in module 4 for research and investigation work. The children would work in groups.
Materials needed: tablets/ Chromebooks, Internet access, Google Maps, graph paper and biodiversity websites given in module 4.
Introduction: I would highlight and explain to children 3 key words in lesson – biodiversity, habitat and ecosystem. I would give the students background information on biodiversity and why its important to the area.
Audit:
Biodiversity Audit would include location, composition (list of species found), abundance (no of individuals of each species found) and distribution (how spread out the species are). Children will perform an audit of the area surrounding the school. They will use technology and resources given to assist with the audit.
Mapping:
The children would construct a map of the area around the school representing spatial patterns of environmental characteristics with the biodiversity in that area. The children will use graph paper to draw up the map within an extended perimeter around the school. Each group would focus on 3 spots in the area to focus on.
Research:
Students would identify species by using the internet for research.
Findings/ results:
Students would reflect on findings and complete audit. The students would evaluate biodiversity in the area and discuss the characteristics of the area that support the biodiversity living there.The children would then learn about the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
For this lesson I would use the Curious Minds/ESERO framework for inquiry shown on slide 13 of module 4 to investigate the effects of light pollution. We will break the lesson into different species of biodiversity – bats, birds (including owls), plants, invertebrates. -
Engaging learners to explore biodiversity in our local area.
I would begin this topic by eliciting from the pupils what they know about biodiversity. I love the quote from this module that biodiversity is the variety of life on earth. This allow plenty of scope for cross curricular links and integration as we explore other habitat in Ireland, such as boglands and forests. The biodiversity booklet and colouring book by Juanita browne is an excellent resource to take the classroom outside and explore the habitat in the school environment. We are situated in an urban setting and so don’t have large green areas but we do have a few trees, hedge grows and flower beds. We would also use the posters and magnifying glasses to look at the insects present in these areas. I think the pupils would enjoy learning about biodiversity happening under their very feet!
There were lots of excellent videos on bats and moths in this module. I know I was afraid for years that bats could get caught in my hair so it’s a relief to know this doesn’t happen! And learning about echolocation is very interesting. There were great ideas in how to teach the pupils about echolocation, including the at and Moths game.
I think the pupils would also enjoy learning about how animals have adapted to see at night, looking at the ESERo activity that shows how noctural animals have bigger eyes was very interesting.Finally,the EannaNi Lamhna resurces were excellent and i would definitely use tbem next year. We are fortunate to live near an area of graet natural biodiversity, tbe Mangala in Douglas and our local tidy townsoften do workshops for schools there. I will contact them insepeptember to enquire about possible field trips. Their facilitators have huge expertise and will beable to explore theimpacts of light pollution on local biodiversity withtbe pupils.
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Having students learn about local biodiversity is a great way of having them connect with the natural aspects of their community. To introduce the topic I would first show students some of the videos linked in this module, I particularly liked the videos about wildflowers and barn owls. We are very lucky to have a nature trail within walking distance of the school, so I would bring students on a nature walk where they could observe and take note of the plants, animals, and insects that are local to our community. After returning to school we would discuss what they saw and create a poster with drawings or pictures of the wildlife that they saw.
Once the students have become familiar with the wildlife we could discuss how light pollution could impact biodiversity. Specific examples we could discuss would be bats, owls, foxes, and badgers. Light pollution can make it difficult for these animals to find their way around and feed as they are nocturnal. -
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
With the group of student I have, a class of children in the moderate range, our work needs to be relative for them to be engaged.
We would talk about where we live, what we need, i.e. food water etc and then relate this talk back to other creatures. We would begin with animals we have knowledge of – dogs, cat etc and then I will introduce the idea of smaller creatures with some powerpoints and images of butterflies, moths, birds, caterpillars, worms ,insects etc. We will go on a nature inspection on our school grounds – which includes a garden center and our own sensory garden. We will record with photograph, what we have found and we can link this back to the pollinator plan when we are in the sensory garden with the smells/textures and long grasses.
This is a lovely theme where we can have lots of home links also with video/photos of their own local areas where we might identify areas like rivers, lakes, beaches etc which might give us food for thought in exploring other biodiversity. We will make comparisons with the creatures found and discuss the difference in the areas re light pollution and discuss why more birds etc found in particular areas.
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Hi Aisling,
Thanks for sharing your own ideas relevant to the pupils in your class to ensure the lessons are relative to them to engage and support them. I like how you plan to get videos and photos of the pupils local areas to make the topic of biodiversity meaningful for them. It is also a great idea to explore the sensory garden within your school to allow the pupils to find different insects and record this using photographs.
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Exploring Biodiversity in the school environment
Firstly breaking down the word Biodiversity into ‘bio’ referring to living things and ‘diversity’referring to a variety of things and then exploring what could be living in our school environment in categories of animals, birds, insects, flowers, trees.
What is visible when we look around without too much inspection (trees, plants, flowers) and what may only be visible when we search more (insects, smaller plants/flowers) or what remains hidden (nocturnal animals, whats beneath the soil, or hidden in hedgerows)
What would we need to explore further? magnifying glass, nets, webcams, camera etc)
introduce identifier cards/scavenger hunts and identify waht children may already have seen in the area.Currently there is a lot of building works happening around our school with new houses being built. We could discuss the impact this might have on the biodiversity in our area in relation to habitat disturbance. This would be an ideal time to introduce the idea of light pollution and how the addition of the light from these houses and street lighting may impact the biodiversity.
In Springtime,I would include a scavenger hunt card specific to the hedgerows which showcase a variety if plants such as ivy, whitethorn, blackthorn, wild pea, wood sorrel, elderflower, primrose, herb robert, speedwell and others. Children can tick them off on their card as they find them. They could spend time sketching their favourite flowers in their notebooks, or pick some flowers/petals to press in a flowerpress and later stick in their notebooks. One side of the hedgerow is in direct sunlight and faces away from the road and the other side faces onto the road with regular traffic..can the children notice any difference in the variety of growth on either side and further discuss the impact of increased light/sunshine, or the impact of traffic.
We would also identify what species of trees growing in the area and ideally have labels made for each one. In groups, children would pick a tree and in each season sketch and make notes as to how it is changing. We would identify it by its leaf, seed or fruit and record vocabularly such as deciduos, coniferous, evergreen etc. Do any of the trees provide habitats? If so can we find any evidence? if we peel some bark away what might we find and again identify the insects/birds that live there. Recently we had to fell trees on the grounds because of disease…we could discuss the impact this may have in terms of light, habitat etc.
A bug hunt is always fun to do and using kits we could use a variety of collecting items to do this in the long grassy area on our grounds. The biodiveristy booklet and Eanna Ni Lamnhna resources would be ideal to use as well as the videos in this module.
If we mapped the different habitats on the grounds…hedgerows, grassy area, tree area etc and also did a light map we coould compare the 2 and look at whether areas that are lit up are near where the habitats are. -
Incorporating the needs of nocturnal species into school biodiversity plans requires a strategic approach that balances ecological goals with budget considerations. Schools can reduce light pollution by installing shielded, warm-coloured LED lighting with motion sensors, which, although initially more expensive, offer long-term savings through reduced energy costs and maintenance. Creating night-friendly habitats by planting native vegetation and establishing quiet zones can be achieved with careful planning, potentially utilising grants, community partnerships, or student-led projects to offset costs. Integrating educational programmes on the importance of dark skies into the existing curriculum can be done with minimal financial impact, using available resources and leveraging partnerships with local environmental organisations. By considering both the ecological benefits and the budget implications, schools can effectively support nocturnal species while maintaining financial responsibility.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and
the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.Introduction to Biodiversity- To get the children invested and interested in the topic I would begin with a book featuring local animals and plants, introducing them to the concept of biodiversity in a way that resonates with their local environment. eg. The Great Irish Biodiversity Book by Eanna ní Lámhna
Following this we would play Biodiversity Bingo: Create bingo cards with images of local plants, animals, and insects. Take the children on a walk around the school grounds or a nearby field, encouraging them to find as many of the species as possible.
School Garden or Bug Hotel: Set up a small garden or build a bug hotel on the school grounds. Have the children help plant native flowers and shrubs, which can attract insects and other wildlife. Over time, they can observe how the garden changes and how it attracts different species, learning about the roles these species play in the ecosystem.
Introducing Light Pollution
Simple Experiments: Conduct an experiment where the children observe a well-lit area versus a darker area at night, if possible. Discuss with them how different animals (like moths, bats, or owls) behave in both settings. This can be done through observations or using videos and pictures if nighttime outdoor activities aren’t feasible.Connecting Light Pollution to Biodiversity
Class Discussion and Reflection: After the nature walks and experiments, have a discussion about what they observed. Ask questions like, “Why do you think some animals prefer the dark?” or “How could lights affect the animals we saw?”Creative Projects: Encourage the children to create posters or dioramas showing the difference between a healthy, dark environment and one affected by light pollution. They could also write short stories or draw comic strips about animals navigating the challenges of light pollution.
Local Expert Visits: Invite a local ecologist or conservationist to speak with the children about local biodiversity and the impact of light pollution. They can bring in examples or even take the children on an additional nature walk.
Awareness Campaign: Help the children create a simple awareness campaign for the community about reducing light pollution, perhaps by designing posters or a short video to share with parents or the local community.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
To engage 4th class learners in exploring biodiversity in Kilcloon and Maynooth, I would start with a nature walk around our grounds, down to the local church and to Carton House, on each outing encouraging students to observe and record different plants, insects, and animals. We’d create a simple scavenger hunt to identify common species, making learning interactive and fun.
To explore light pollution’s impact, we’d compare observations between areas with varying light levels. The night-time sky observation from the previous assignment would help them see how artificial light affects visibility and discuss how this might impact nocturnal animals.
Back in the classroom, students would build bug hotels and bird feeders for our school garden, supporting local biodiversity hands-on. We’d also conduct a simple experiment by placing light near plants to observe any changes, connecting it to real-world effects.
Finally, students would reflect on their findings through discussions, drawings, or storytelling, and create awareness posters to share with the school community, highlighting the importance of protecting local biodiversity from light pollution. This blend of outdoor exploration, practical activities, and creative reflection makes learning about biodiversity engaging and meaningful.
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How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity:
I would start by organising a nature walk around the school grounds or nearby green spaces to observe and identify plant and animal species. I would encourage the children to take notes or to draw pictures of the species they encounter.
To address the impact of light pollution, we would have a discussion about how artificial light at night affects wildlife behaviour and habitats. I would show examples to the children of how excessive light can disrupt the natural behaviours of animals, birds, insects and mammals.
Additionally, the children could complete a project where they create models or dioramas to demonstrate the effects of light pollution on local wildlife to help them visualise the issue and understand its significance. Encouraging the children to actively participate in these activities can help them understand the importance of preserving local ecosystems and the role they can play in protecting biodiversity.
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If I was creating a set of lesson on biodiversity in the locality and the impacts of light pollution on these organisms, I would begin by begin by asking the question is there many different types of animals and plants in our school community. I would get students to think pair share their ideas and feed them back to the class, creating a mind map. Next to spark their interest I would show them a brief video of some of the biodiversity in Ireland, discussing which were not mentioned previously. Next, I would move onto planning for how we are going to find and record what animals and plants are within our school community. We would go outside with our nature eyes and take note and a photo using IPads of any animals or plants we found. Conduct research on these animals and plants to find out their identity and find new information about them.
For the next lesson I would revise light pollution with the group, I would put children in groups and provide them with an image of various animals like bats, owls etc. I would get students to brainstorm why they think excess light at night time would be negative for their animal, following the brainstorm I would provide them with Chromebook and allow them to research what effect light pollution has on that animal.
For the final lesson, I would get each group to feedback their finding of how light pollution effects their animal. This could be linked with English report writing on light pollution on bats etc, map of the biodiversity in school Geography. -
How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans?
To begin with we would complete a KWL chart about the needs of nocturnal species in our locality.
In groups, students will research and plan how to make the school more friendly to nocturnal animals including:
Sheltered areas: Provide sheltered areas, such as dense shrubs or small enclosures, where nocturnal animals can take refuge from the elements or feel safe.
Nighttime lighting: Ensuring there is no unnecessary lighting at night that might disrupt animals natural light-dark cycle.
Installing Bat Boxes/ Moth houses/ Bug Hotels to make the area more friendly towards nocturnal animals.
Nighttime observations: Organise wildlife cameras that might capture the activity of nocturnal animals and use it as a basis for providing educational programmes throughout the school.
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Hi Grace
That is a very good plan for incorporating night time animals into your school biodiversity plans. Reducing unnecessary lighting in school is something the school can have control of and by reviewing what level of light is necessary and then introducing measures such as shielding, adjusting brightness, changing light colours and installing motion sensors, excess light can be reduced. You do not have direct control over lights that are outside the school, so creating sheltered areas with trees and shrubs is a great step towards reducing the impact of light from outside sources and creating bat boxes and bug hotels will help to provide shelter. If you install wildlife cameras and manage to capture pictures of nocturnal animals, I sure this will lead to great excitement among the children. I know I get very excited when seeing a visiting fox or resident hedgehog on our wildlife camera.
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4. How you would engage your learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity
As part of our school’s effort to support our local biodiversity we have adopted a no mow approach to the grass areas surrounding the school building and in other areas near the school. This year in particular the wild flowers bloomed and ‘wildness’ of it created a natural beauty that I really had never seen before. It brought with it a range of insects, bees etc.. We have all become so accustomed to perfectly mowed green areas and ‘tamed’ flowers! Each year a local biodiversity consultant spends two days in our school. He usually takes the classes to different areas e.g a local stream where pupils use nets. Later he identifies what is caught e.g. skater flies, eels, caddisfly, spine stickleback to name a few. It is one of the best experiences of our school year.
I think being able to continue on from the last topic in Module 3 on light pollution and looking at the possible impact on local biodiversity would be a nice progression. I think examples of how light pollution impacts on plants and animals is a good place to start. I have read that many insects are drawn to light, but artificial lights can create a fatal attraction. Declining insect populations negatively impact all species that rely on insects for food or pollination (darksky.org) and nocturnal animals like foxes can be seen walking in major cities under street lights. I think this will further consolidate the learning and impact of light pollution further.-
Hi Patricia,
What a great opportunity for the children to work with a biodiversity expert. In my own school we have a heritage in schools expert who comes in to all classes and focuses on different activities depending on the season, bird watching, pond dipping in Lough Gur, trees and wildflowers. Like in your own school it is a great day for everyone.
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I chose the topic of incorporating the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans.
I would begin by introducing and exploring the animals that are most active during the night to the children, like some insects, owls and bats through pictures, stories and videos. I would get the children to design a safe night habitat area with children in the school grounds. With the permission of school management I would set up a camera suitable to record these nocturnal animals in their natural environment. I would discuss how light impacts these animals and encourage the children to be more aware of their use of outdoor lighting at home. I would get the children to list all the advantages of dark skies for nocturnal animals and the importance of our role in providing this safe environment for these animals. I would use the ESERO resources to support the importance of this topic with the children in the classroom.
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Hi Orla
Tackling the problem of light pollution and its effect on wildlife is mainly a case of awareness raising. Of all our environmental issues, light pollution is probably one of the ones that people are least aware of. It has a huge impact on Biodiversity in many ways that Scientists have only recently started to research and measure. It is also one of the easier environmental problems to tackle if people have the will to do it and that all starts with awareness raising. By educating the children about nocturnal animals that they may rarely or never get to see for themselves, discussing the issues that light pollution creates for theses creatures and then asking them to assess their own lighting at home, you are helping to create that awareness among your pupils and hopefully among their parents. With Heritage Week coming up next week, there will be bat walks happening around the country. If you are planning to teach about nocturnal animals you might like to see if there is one in your area that you can attend to learn a little more.
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