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- Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky? For example: Look up President Michael D Higgins’ “Stardust”
Songs
Starman – David Bowie (Stunning version recorded by Chris Hadfield recorded on the International Space Station)
A Sky Full of Stars – Coldplay
Counting Stars – OneRepublic
Rewrite the Stars – Zac Efron & Zendaya (The Greatest Showman)
Stargazing – Myles Smith
Stargazing – Kygo ft. Justin Jesso
City of Stars – Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone (La La Land)
Shining Star – Earth, Wind & Fire
Like a Star – Corinne Bailey Rae
Dancing in the Moonlight – Toploader
Night Changes – One DirectionPoems
The Moon – Robert Louis Stevenson
I See the Moon – Nursery Rhyme
Silver – Walter de la MareStories
Lighthouse Keeper series of picture books
How to Catch a StarArt
Starry Night by Van Gogh; this painting lends itself to so much exploration. I have used it with 6<sup>th</sup> class as a group Art work, I divided the class into 3 groups and each group painted one third of the Starry Night painting on large sections and then we brought all 3 sections together and displayed it in the classroom. It was stunning and the class loved the collaborative approach.
I totally agree, I have done Starry Night every year for the last 23 years! I adore the painting and the children love listening to the song by Don mcClean that is a lovely accompaniment to an Art lesson. I have explored Starry Night with 6th and with Senior Infants and have always got so much enjoyment out of the lessons.
- Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
I would use the video ‘Protecting the Night Sky’ as an introduction to Light pollution. It is explained very well and is visually stimulating for the children.
We would discuss how light pollution is mainly caused by street lighting, housing estates, sports floodlights, commercial premises and traffic. While lighting improves safety, it can affect local biodiversity in several ways.
Bats
Bats are one of the species most affected by artificial light. South Dublin County Council recognises that excessive lighting can disrupt bat feeding routes and movement corridors in parks. For this reason, some park pathways are deliberately left unlit or use motion-sensor lighting to reduce disturbance.Moths and other insects
Artificial lights attract moths and other nocturnal insects. This can reduce pollination of night-flowering plants.Birds, Hedgehogs and other mammals can also be affected. Kilbogget Park forms part of a network of green spaces that act as wildlife corridors across South Dublin. These corridors allow species such as birds, insects and bats to move safely between habitats. Light pollution can fragment these corridors by creating brightly lit areas that some species avoid.
A walk around the local area and Kilbogget Park would be a good stimulus to record and discuss the light sources the children observe.
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 biodiversity, I would begin in our school garden. Last year, the children planted potatoes, providing an excellent opportunity to investigate how plants support biodiversity. Since we planted the potatoes last March and only harvested some very small baby potatoes, we have a bed full of potatoes ready for harvesting. I am planning on developing some lessons using the potato bed and also the various beds that we have used for re-wilding.
I will take the class to the garden and divide them into small groups.
Activity 1: Potato Bed Biodiversity Hunt
Children use magnifying glasses and observation sheets to look for:
- Insects (bees, flies, beetles, ants), Worms, Spiders
- Birds visiting the area
- Weeds and other plants growing nearby
Children tally what they find and then compare their findings to the wildflower bed.
Recording
Children complete a “My Potato Bed Habitat” worksheet:
- Draw the potato plant.
- Draw three living things they observed.
- Write one sentence: “The potato plant shares its habitat with ______.”
Discussion
How do these living things help the biodiversity in our school garden. As an extension we would explore the impact of light pollution on the school garden and also explore the local park, Kilbogget Park to explore further the various artificial light sources and their possible impacts on nature in the area.
I really like your idea of an evening walk Seán to look out for and listen for night creatures and animals. This would all tie in really well with observing the night skies and the impacts of light pollution. It would be very interesting to compare different times of the year with changing sunset times. They could also compare urban and city walks, many children visit the countryside regularly and would be enthusiastic about sharing their stories and experiences.
I also live in South Dublin and as I am originally from the countryside and my house is ‘in the middle of nowhere’, I remember clearly the wonder of the dense blackness of the countryside and the starry sky above. I often walk or drive to some higher ground areas in my locality to show my own children what a starry night sky really looks like.
I love your idea of the ‘Star Jar’. It is an engaging and interesting activity that explains the impact of light pollution for the children.
I would begin the lesson by showing a short video clip or photographs of the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon Landing. This is a series of lessons I always enjoy teaching to 2<sup>nd</sup> class. They are so interested and fascinated by The Moon landing and I often integrate a reading comprehension on Neil Armstrong also.
I would engage the class with the following questions;
What do you know about the Moon?
Have you ever looked at the Moon at night?
Does the Moon always look the same?Moon Observation Plan – October
Ask pupils to observe the Moon with a family member on the following dates and record what they see in a simple Moon journal.
October Moon Observation Dates (2026)
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<td>Date</td>
<td>Moon Phase</td>
<td>What Children Will See</td>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>10 October</td>
<td>New Moon</td>
<td>Difficult to see – discuss why it seems to disappear.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>14 October</td>
<td>Waxing Crescent</td>
<td>A thin crescent shape.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>18 October</td>
<td>First Quarter (Half Moon)</td>
<td>Half of the Moon appears lit. </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>22 October</td>
<td>Waxing Gibbous</td>
<td>More than half of the Moon is lit.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>26 October</td>
<td>Full Moon</td>
<td>A complete round Moon. </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Classroom Activities
Draw and label the Moon observed on each date.
Compare observations from different pupils.
Discuss why the Moon appears to change shape.Reflection
At the end of October, pupils share their Moon journals and discuss what they learned about the Moon’s changing phases and its place in our solar system.
I really like your clear plan for observing the planets over a three month period. I found all the dates very informative. I think this would be a very engaging activity especially to engage the children returning to school in September. We often have a soft start approach to homework for the first few weeks and I feel this would be an engaging and interesting activity for the children.
I love the idea of using the local environment as a stimulus for investigation. We have a school garden in which we plant and harvest potatoes and other vegetables. I would also like to explore constructing a permanent sundial in the school garden.
– Module 1; Exploring Sundials Through STEM
– I would start with a trigger question; ‘How was time told in Ancient civilisations?’
– I would show the video explaining the days and seasons as this gives a lovely introduction to the idea that the sun does not move, but the earth does.
– To begin the learning, pupils could participate in a shadow investigation. Working in pairs, they would trace the length and direction of their partner’s shadow with chalk at different times during the day. This hands-on activity encourages observation, prediction and discussion about how the Earth’s movement relative to the Sun affects the position and length of shadows. I would also encourage the children to talk about their experiences of the Solar eclipse on August 12th that gripped the nation.
– The topic can be enriched through a history connection by examining how Ancient Egyptians used shadows and obelisks to measure the passage of time long before modern clocks were invented. This helps pupils appreciate how people used scientific observations to solve everyday problems.
– Pupils could then design and construct their own sundials using cardboard, testing and refining their designs. A larger outdoor sundial could also be created using a plant pot and bamboo cane, allowing children to monitor the movement of the shadow over the course of the day and compare it with clock time.
STEM learning. It integrates:
– Science – investigating light, shadows, the Sun and Earth’s place in space.
– Technology – designing and creating functioning sundials.
– Engineering – planning, building and improving models.
– Mathematics – measuring shadow lengths, recording data, recognising patterns, estimating and telling time.