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I really like your ideas, especially the art activity to show the difference between rural and urban skies. I think my special ed class would enjoy that too, though I’d keep it really simple and hands-on for them. It sounds like a great way to make light pollution more real and fun to explore.
– Describe how you could implement a version of “Design Your own Dark Sky place” in your school/classroom?
I would like to do a “Design Your Own Dark Sky Place” project with my class. First, I would talk to the children about what a Dark Sky Place is and why it is important. I would explain that bright lights at night can make it hard for animals to move and for us to see the stars. Then, I would give each child a simple map of the school or a blank sheet of paper and ask them to plan their own Dark Sky Place. To make it more hands-on, we could use blocks, LEGO, or recycled materials to build a small model of their design. The children could add little figures of animals, trees, or bushes and place “lights” to show where it should be bright or dark. They could work in small groups and move pieces around to test different ideas. At the end, we could take photos of their models and display them in the classroom. This way, children can see, touch, and change their designs, helping them understand how small changes can help animals and make the night sky easier to enjoy.
I have never heard of the Kerry Dark Sky Parks I would love to explore this with my class. Thank you for sharing.
I would like to try that with my class—it sounds like a really hands-on way to explore light pollution. I would need to edit it a bit for Special Ed, but I love the idea of comparing urban and rural skies and talking about how it affects animals and people. Making the little light bulb “shields” with the science kits seems like a fun activity. Getting the kids to check lights at home with their families would make it real and meaningful for them.
1.Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
I enjoy exploring how bright lights affect animals in our local area. Near our school and neighbourhood, there are streetlights, shop lights, and car headlights that shine all night. These bright lights can make it harder for nocturnal animals, like bats, moths, and owls, to move around safely, find food, or sleep. To help my class understand this, we could take a short, supervised walk around the school grounds or nearby streets with clipboards and torches. Children could notice where the lights are brightest, where it is darker, and which areas seem quieter or more active for wildlife. Back in the classroom, we could make a simple map showing bright and dark spots and talk about how these lights might affect the animals. We could also do art or craft activities, drawing or making models of nocturnal animals and showing them in their “ideal” dark habitats. This hands-on approach helps children connect to nature, understand how light pollution impacts wildlife, and see how small changes, like turning off unnecessary lights, could help the animals around them.
I enjoy how hands-on this Moon project is! Keeping a Moon diary and doing Moon art makes learning about space fun and creative. Watching the Moon change over time is a simple way to spark curiosity in the kids
1. Create an observing plan for autumn that shows which planets are visible in the evening sky
Young kids have an excitement when it comes to the night sky, so we can use that curiosity to explore planets in a fun, hands-on way. In autumn, the evenings are perfect for this. First, we can go outside just after sunset with clipboards, notebooks, or printed charts. We can face west or south to start looking for planets. I would give each child a picture sheet showing Saturn, Jupiter, and other planets so they can match what they see in the sky.
We could use simple tools like binoculars or a small telescope to get a closer look, and even point out Jupiter’s moons or Saturn’s rings. To make it interactive, children could mark the planets on a large classroom map of the sky or place stickers on a chart. Apps like “SkyView” or “Stellarium” can show where the planets are too. By observing a few times each week, we can track how the planets move, compare what we see each night, and share our discoveries with drawings or a short story about our “space adventure.”
That sounds like such a fun and hands-on way to explore biodiversity! I love the idea of mapping the school grounds and seeing which areas are full of life, then linking it to light pollution and how it affects nocturnal animals. The night vision activities and whole-school projects like planting flowers or building bat boxes make it really memorable for the kids.
I think a nice way to explore biodiversity with a 2nd class Special Ed group is to keep it simple and hands-on. I’d start with a little walk around the school grounds, just looking closely at what’s around us – trees, flowers, insects, maybe even birds or snails. The kids could have a picture checklist with drawings of things like “tree, flower, bug, bird” and tick them off as they spot them. Back in class we could chat about what we found and why each living thing needs day and night to stay healthy. I’d explain light pollution in really simple language, like “too much light at night makes it harder for animals to sleep or find food.” To make it real for them we could compare the dark playground to a bright car park or street and ask “Which one do you think bats would like best?” To finish, the children could draw their favourite thing they saw outside and think of one way to help it, like “turn off extra lights” or “plant flowers.” It’s a fun, visual way to get them noticing the world around them while also starting to think about how light pollution can affect local wildlife.
That is a lovely idea, I love how the kids get to actually track the sun themselves instead of just being told about it. The chalk marks in the yard sound like such a fun and visual way to see the changes over time.
Gravity/Weight: I will be teaching in an Autism class and love the idea of the planet tubes. I’d keep it really simple and hands-on – start with a quick question like “What happens if I drop this pencil?” or “What would it feel like to jump on the Moon?” then show a short cartoon of astronauts. I’d use two “planet tubes” (crisp tubes with different weights), one for Earth and one for Moon or Jupiter, and let the children hold, guess which is heavier or lighter, and then check on a scale. We’d record results on a class chart with stickers and keep the talk short and visual – e.g. “The Moon is smaller so things feel lighter, Jupiter is bigger so things feel heavier.” To link across the curriculum they could decorate the tubes in Art, do heavy/light sorting in Maths, or act out “Moon walking” in Drama.
I love how you have thought through the aspects involved in this learning. I think my students would love this.
– Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
Our school has a garden area at the back and I feel that this would be the best place to add a sundial. Our students love planting and being outdoors it’s a valuable way of developing their understanding of the world around them. I feel that this natural experience would be further heightened by the addition of a sundial in this space. This is also a lovely calming space for students in moments when they need relaxing time and the sundial could add an exciting for us for the students. The process of adding this to the space could be undertaken as a project for an older class. Their interest and learning could also be extended on by getting them to introduce the dial to younger classes. The way the sundial can be integrated through a wide range of subject across the curriculum makes it a great addition to a school and I think this garden space would be perfect for it.
