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Completely agree on the appeal of the hands-on element …making their own rain gauge or anemometer gives children ownership over the data in a way reading about it never could. It also nicely demystifies the process, showing them that “real” scientific instruments aren’t always complex, and that they’re capable of building and using their own.
Using heavens-above.com, I tracked satellites passing over my location on a recent evening, and picked five with a range of purposes.
USA 229 is a US reconnaissance satellite, part of a classified military programme used for surveillance and intelligence gathering, appearing at magnitude 4.4 as it crossed from the northwest to south-southeast.
SKYMED 1 is part of Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed constellation, a radar imaging satellite used for Earth observation, disaster monitoring and defence purposes.
MOS 1A (MOMO 1), launched by Japan, was one of the earliest ocean-observing satellites, designed to monitor sea surface temperature and ice coverage, reaching a high altitude of 77° overhead.
OKEAN 1, a Russian oceanographic satellite, was used to study sea conditions, ice, and weather patterns, and was one of the brighter objects tracked at magnitude 3.3.
CZ-4B R/B is not an active satellite but a spent rocket body (debris) from a Chinese Long March 4B launch, still orbiting Earth — a good reminder that not everything overhead is functional.
This is a lovely question, and I really like that it’s grounded in something the children experience every single day… it makes the abstract idea of climate change feel much more real and immediate for them.
Using Met Éireann data alongside pupils’ own weather observations is a great way to bring together “official” evidence and lived experience, and I think starting with their predictions before showing the data is such a valuable step …it gets them genuinely invested in whether they were right, rather than just passively receiving information.
Research Question: Is our River Allow healthy, and how does the weather affect it?
Reflective Post:
To select this topic, I reviewed past projects and filtered for themes that directly impact our local school environment. I chose the River Allow because it gives pupils a real, hands-on investigation right on our doorstep, and because young children learn best through doing rather than just reading.
To encourage participation, each child will get a simple job during our river visit — litter counter, wildlife spotter, or photographer — so everyone has something to focus on. Before we go, we’ll talk as a class about what a healthy river might look like, and predict what we think we’ll find. At the river, pupils will look for litter, spot birds and insects, and check the colour and smell of the water using their senses. We’ll talk about how heavy rain and stormy weather can wash rubbish and dirt into the river, linking this gently to climate change in language they understand — “wilder weather.” Back in class, pupils will draw or photograph what they found and add it to our class river wall or website, so they feel proud of their work as real river detectives.
Really enjoyed reading this … the algae fact is one I’d never have guessed myself, and I think that “surprise factor” is exactly what hooks children at this age far more than statistics ever could. The short-clip approach makes a lot of sense too; the Shenzhen example in particular gives them something concrete and almost magical to picture, rather than an abstract idea of “change.”
Your closing point is the one I’d underline most, though… always circling back to local action so the lesson ends on agency rather than despair. It’s easy to forget that for children, feeling helpless can shut down engagement just as quickly as feeling frightened.
I would use the Home footage carefully, leading with connection rather than crisis. Starting with the film’s stunning aerial shots, I’d frame nature as an interconnected “blueprint” …showing pupils how trees, water and animals depend on one another, building genuine wonder before introducing any challenge.
To explain human impact without overwhelming them, I’d use the “carbon footprint” metaphor: fossil fuels as borrowed energy that leaves a messy trace behind, a concept 3rd Class can grasp through concrete language rather than abstract statistics.
I would avoid using the Climate Aid video (2020) with this age group, as its stark, heart breaking imagery is likely too disturbing for their developmental stage. Instead, I’d reframe the message locally… turning it into an empowering class project, such as an energy-saving challenge, positioning climate change as a puzzle they’re capable of solving, not a crisis to fear.
Lovely adaptation for Junior Infants — the picture-report and role-play idea keeps the reflective purpose while removing the literacy barrier. A simple greenhouse-effect experiment (jars in sunlight, one covered, one open) would work brilliantly alongside Paxi’s video, giving even our youngest pupils something tangible to observe rather than just imagine.
Activity 3 is an ambitious but valuable extension, moving pupils from observing weather to engaging with genuine climate science. Paxi’s video is an excellent, age-appropriate entry point for explaining greenhouse gases before tackling scenarios. The tool is powerful, letting pupils compare low- and high-emissions projections with real data, though for 3rd Class I’d need to simplify the table and focus on just one or two months rather than the full year, as the volume of data could overwhelm younger pupils.
I’d also add a concrete “then and now” visual — photos or a short video showing local environmental change — to make the abstract 2050 projections feel more real and relevant to their own lives, alongside the group discussion on possible actions.
Hi Sarah, I also agree with you on the accessibility stand point. I liked the idea of comparing our own weather with a country pupils have visited would make Activity 1 far more meaningful and memorable than the generic statements alone… you could also incorporate children from different nationalities here and give them opportunities to discuss their home countries. I like the idea of adding videos and pictures for visual learners.
Liston (2018) argues that true STEM education removes the barriers between science, technology, engineering and mathematics, integrating them into real-world, relevant learning experiences rather than teaching disciplines side by side. This made me reconsider what I’ve previously labelled “STEM” — often it was a science lesson with an app added, missing the engineering design element Liston identifies as the “glue” holding the disciplines together.
My closest example of authentic STEM was the rainforest shoebox project, where pupils designed and built a structure to represent a habitat, applying maths (measurement, scale) and science (ecosystems) through a genuine engineering process of planning, building and refining. Liston’s point that engineering must take centre stage for an activity to truly count as STEM is a useful check going forward — asking not just “does this use science and maths?” but “are pupils actually designing a solution?”
In terms of the Weather and Climate resource… both activities are well-structured and easy to adapt for 3rd Class. Activity 1’s sorting statements work well as a whole-class discussion starter. Activity 2 links nicely to real data collection, though I’d add a simplified average-temperature method for younger pupils, as the way described may be too abstract without extra scaffolding.