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I really like this question, especially because you are working with an inner-city school and limited space. I think that actually makes it more meaningful as the children have to think creatively about what they can do with the space they have. I also like the link between temperature and biodiversity, as it gives them two things to investigate rather than just collecting temperature data. The idea of creating small areas for insects and wildlife would be great. We did some work on pollinators with my class this year and the children really enjoyed learning about which plants attract bees and butterflies, so I could see this being something they would get really involved in. I also think it is important that the project finishes with an action, rather than just collecting data. Even small changes like planting flowers, growing vegetables or leaving an area to rewild could make a difference and give the children a real sense of ownership.
Research question: How can we make our school playground better for people, plants and wildlife?
I like this question because it is something the children can actually see and have an impact on. Rather than focusing on things that may be outside their control, it gives them something positive to investigate and work on together.
I would start by getting the children to explore the playground and identify what is already there. They could look at the plants and wildlife, areas that could be rewilded, and places that could be improved. We could learn about pollinators and investigate which plants would attract bees and butterflies, then plant some of these around the school. The children could also grow their own vegetables and learn about where our food comes from, while looking at how growing our own food can help the environment
The children could collect data, take photographs and create a map of the playground before designing their own ideas for improving it. I would give them as much ownership as possible and hopefully some of their ideas could actually be put into practice. I think this would make climate education practical, positive and something they can see making a difference.I really like the idea of putting the satellite tracker up on the interactive whiteboard and letting the children choose one to follow. I think they would be fascinated by seeing how quickly they move and realising that there are so many satellites above us. I also like the idea of making a fact file or poster afterwards as it gives them a chance to find out what the satellite is actually being used for. The range of satellites you found is really interesting too, especially the links to weather, farming and climate. I think this could be a great way to show children that space technology is not just about astronauts, but has lots of uses that affect our everyday lives.
I found this very interesting! I used this webiste: https://in-the-sky.org/satpasses.php?day=18&month=8&year=2026&mag=4&anysat=v1&group=38&s=&dl=dl and found that over the next three days, these five satellites will pass over Dublin:
Terra – Monitors Earth’s environment, including climate, land and oceans.
Suomi NPP – Collects weather, atmospheric and climate data.
Seasat 1 – – Was the first satellite designed to study Earth’s oceans. Its mission ended in 1978.
Starlink – Provides satellite internet around the world.
YAOGAN-14 – Used for Earth observation and remote sensing. Its current activities are not publicly clear.I really like your point about making climate change relevant to the children’s own community. I think using examples such as the coastline, bogs and wildlife around the Gaeltacht would make it much more meaningful for them. I also agree that it is important to be careful about the clips and language we use with younger children. I like your idea of ending with practical action, as climate education can easily become very doom and gloom. Activities like a waste audit or environmental campaign give children a sense that they can actually make a difference. I also think linking this to the Global Goals would work really well and would give them a wider understanding of how their local actions connect to global issues.
I think some clips from HOME would be a really effective way of introducing climate change, as the images and facts make the scale of the issue very clear. I would use short sections of the film with my class and stop regularly to discuss what they are seeing and what they think about it. I would link this to the Climate Justice project I did with my class this year, particularly our work on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how climate change affects different communities around the world.
However, I have found that with these sorts of videos and climate education in general, children can find it very upsetting and even distressing, so it is important to focus on solutions alongside the problems. We could look at examples of people, communities and organisations already making positive changes and then think about what actions we could take ourselves. I think this would leave the children feeling empowered rather than overwhelmed.I really liked your idea of using the Air Quality Index tool. I hadn’t thought of adding this to the activity, but I think it would make a really interesting extension. I particularly like the idea of comparing different countries, as it would help children see that climate change and pollution don’t affect every place in the same way. Your example from Dubai really brought this to life. I think my class would be surprised to see how different the air quality can be in other parts of the world. I also like your idea of getting the children to come up with their own solutions for different countries. It would make them think beyond just “what can we do?” and consider what is actually realistic depending on where people live.
<p class=”isSelectedEnd”>I really enjoyed Activity 3, particularly the Paxi video, as it explained greenhouse gases in a way that was easy for children to understand. The temperature prediction tool was also useful as it made the impact of climate change more visual and real, rather than just talking about it as an abstract idea.</p>
I did a big integrated Climate Justice project with my class this year, so I think this activity would have been a great addition to what we were doing. The children were already exploring climate change, its causes and its impact on different people and communities, so being able to use the temperature tool would have given them another way to explore what the future could look like. I would probably follow this with a discussion about who is most affected by rising temperatures and what we can do about it. I think it would also be useful to give children different scenarios to investigate and compare, rather than just one prediction. This would encourage more discussion, questioning and critical thinking.I really liked your point about thinking you had a good understanding of STEM but then realising that you were mainly focusing on Science and Maths. I think it is easy to do this without really thinking about the Engineering and Technology side of STEM. I also liked your idea of using Kids TV and the weather to make Activity 2 more real for the children. They could watch the weather forecast and then compare it with their own observations and predictions. I think your idea of the “pretalking” is really useful too. Giving children time to discuss what they think, suggest different ways of doing something and explain their ideas before starting the activity is a great way to build their critical thinking skills.
<p class=”isSelectedEnd”>After reflecting on what STEM looks like in my own classroom, I agree with the idea that STEM should not just mean doing a Science or Maths activity. It should give children opportunities to investigate, work together, solve problems and apply their learning to real-life situations.</p>
<p class=”isSelectedEnd”>I enjoyed the Weather and Climate activities, particularly Activity 2, ‘Weather Detectives’. I think children would enjoy collecting their own weather data and then using it to create graphs and look for patterns. Activity 1, ‘Is it weather or climate?’, would also be a good way of introducing the difference between weather and climate through discussion and examples.</p>
With my class, I would extend Activity 2 by allowing the children to decide what other information they could record, such as rainfall, wind direction or cloud cover. They could compare their results with Met Éireann data and discuss why they might be different. I think this would give the children more ownership and make the activity more investigative and meaningful.Hi Kayleigh, I agree about the school garden – I think they are a fantastic resource for so many reasons, and this year I’ve seen students have the incredible experience of growing and eating their own food in school – such amazing learning for them!
Living in coastal Dublin, the effects of climate change are becoming harder to ignore. Rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and heavier rainfall have led to flooding in low-lying areas and damage along our beaches. For the young people I have taught, this growing awareness brings not only concern but also huge climate anxiety.
In the classroom, I see this as an opportunity to explore local climate issues through discussion, critical thinking, and creative projects. By focusing on what we can do, rather than what we can’t control, we can help children move from anxiety to action.
Three actions we would take include:
Partnering with a local coastal conservation group to learn about and support biodiversity protection along the shore.
A project about shopping sustainably, including a class trip to a charity shop to learn about the circular economy, and reducing textile waste.
An investigation into food miles, where students examine the origins of their lunches and consider the environmental impact of transporting food across the globe.These projects empower students with knowledge, give them a voice, and show them that even small steps can make a meaningful difference—locally and globally.Hi Patrick, thanks so much for sharing about MASI – I’d never heard of them before, but they seem to do some fantastic work.
Last year we had 40 IPAS children join our school at the same time. Each class had at least one new student and some had as many as four. Obviously these students all came from extremely diverse backgrounds with very different life experiences, and all of our school staff learned a lot about supporting these children in a very short amount of time. This being said, when I read the brief for this module, I was very disappointed in myself that I couldn’t think of a single organisation who worked with these families, outside of our school’s contact in the centre they were living in. After doing some research and reading the above forum posts, I have learned about the amazing work of many organisations, particularly the Red Cross and the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland. MASI do fantastic work advocating for an end to direct provision, the right to work and education, residency for all in the system, and an end to the deportation regime.
One of the most urgent Sustainable Development Goals that affects children both locally and globally is SDG 13: Climate Action. Around the world, children are increasingly impacted by the effects of climate change—through drought, flooding, food insecurity, and displacement. While these impacts are more visible in vulnerable regions, children in Ireland are also affected. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and eco-anxiety are growing concerns, even for young people here.
In my classroom, I aim to empower students to take meaningful local action through practical, age-appropriate initiatives. We use energy audits to check our classroom’s usage, take part in “walk to school” challenges, and run projects such as litter clean-ups or planting pollinator-friendly plants in our school garden. I also link climate topics with digital learning by encouraging students to create posters, videos, or blog posts to raise awareness in their community.
By showing children that their small actions matter, we help them feel like agents of change—not just for their future, but for the future of others globally.