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I love that these activities provide an excellent opportunity to incorporate outdoor learning and student engagement with real-world science. In our school, we are fortunate to have access to both a garden and an outdoor classroom, which could serve as ideal locations for placing the equipment to track the weather e.g. thermometer. Additionally, involving students in choosing the best spot helps develop their observational and critical thinking skills. To enhance the activity, I would also have pupils present a weekly weather report on our school podcast. This gives them a purpose for collecting and analyzing data, while also building communication and presentation skills. They could report temperature trends, compare them with local forecasts, and even include tips on dressing for the weather—making science both practical and fun. It would also be a fun interactive activity for the class to include graphs and charts displayed in the classroom, school display board or shared on the school website. Over time, we could even compare seasonal changes or link temperature trends to topics in geography and climate science.
Hi Olive, I really like the idea of linking this to Grandparent’s Day. It would be a lovely activity for the children and the grandparents to collaborate on together.
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”
There are so many songs, poems and art that connect us with the night sky providing ample opportunity for children to engage with and explore this theme. I think it would be lovely to incorporate songs, poems and art that have an Irish themed focus with a senior class.
For example, one Irish artist that springs to mind is Harry Clarke. He created illustrations for children’s stories that include starry skies and magical night scenes. Traditional Irish lullabies like “Sé do Bheatha, a Mhuire” and “The Castle of Dromore” mention the stars and nighttime which could be integrated in through Gaeilge, music and literacy.
There are also many contemporary songs, art and poems that could also be used to connect children to the night sky such as “Twinkle, twinkle little star,” Coldplay’s “A Sky full of Stars,” “Catch a Falling Star,” by Perry Como, Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and “Stars,” by Sara Teasdale.Hi Sandra, I really like your idea of linking up with your local education centre for a guided experience/workshop. The children would get so much benefit out of this and learn so much from it.
• 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 recently received a green flag for biodiversity so my class have a good grasp of what biodiversity means. I would revise biodiversity with them and discuss the local flora and fauna in our area e.g. We could use keys to identify wildlife in our locality. Once we have learnt about he flora and fauna in our locality, we would complete a series of lessons on light pollution and carrying out some experiments around this. Once, the children have a good grasp of light pollution and biodiversity I would begin exploring the possible impacts of light pollution on local biodiversity.
We would the split into groups and carry out mini projects on different nocturnal animals in our locality e.g. moths, bats and different birds and explore how light pollution is impacting them. Having completed our projects on nocturnal animals in our locality and the impact light pollution could be having on them, we could discuss and identify ways that we as a school community can help to protect these animals in our locality.
Hi Gráinne, I really like your idea of linking light pollution to the impact it has on nocturnal animals and and plant growth. I also really liked your point about the disruption artificial light has to our circadian rhythms and how that could be integrated into SPHE.
Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
Living in Dublin, I’ve noticed how difficult it can be to see the stars clearly at night. The glow from streetlights, houses, and nearby shopping areas creates a constant brightness in the sky. This light pollution washes out many of the stars, planets, and even the Milky Way, making stargazing a challenge in our local area. What should be a natural and awe-inspiring view is often reduced to just a few visible stars. This has a real impact—not just on our connection to nature, but on learning opportunities too.To engage students in a senior school in this issue, I would begin with a simple stargazing activity, encouraging them to compare and contrast the night sky in Dublin with darker rural locations through photo and by exploring/using Stellarium with a focus on our locality and the dark sky reserve in Kerry. We would then explore how light pollution happens and discuss real-life solutions, that we as a school can partake in. After they have learnt about light pollution we could create create posters to raise awareness for our school and locality.
Hi Rachel, I really like t he idea of using the Oliver Jeffers book to spark the topic. I’m sure the children would love that story and it would invite lots of discussion about the night sky.
Plan to observe the Moon – which phase of the Moon is best for observing in the morning from school? What dates will that be in 2024- 2025?
I have aimed this lesson at the senior end of the school. The students will discuss what it means to be young astronomers. We will discuss what we know about the moon already and will explore what we can learn by observing the Moon and learning about its different phases. We will explore how the Moon changes shape in the sky throughout the month and explore the phases of the Moon.
Students will learn about all eight phases: New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, and Waning Crescent. We will focus especially on the Last Quarter phase, which is the best time to observe the Moon in the morning sky from school.
Each student will keep a Moon diary, recording their observations on special dates when the Last Quarter Moon is visible in Dublin. In their diaries, students will draw the Moon’s shape, describe its position, and reflect on how it changes. We will focus on keeping our diary in November when the mornings are darkest with a major focus on the 12th of November 2025.
Hi Sarah, I really like the idea of a sky diary and think it would be a lovely activity for the class.
2. Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
Senior Class
This would tie in really nicely with monastic settlements and sundials used e.g. in Clonmacnoise. We would discuss how the monks used sundials to tell the time back then by looking at how the sun moves across the sky and shadows change throughout the day. After this, we’d go outside to the yard and work in small groups to place a stick in the ground and use chalk to mark where the shadow falls every hour. This would help students see how time and shadow are connected.
Once we have learnt about sundials and how they work, we could discuss where in our outdoor classroom would be best to place a sundial to tell the time while learning outside. We’d walk around the outdoor classroom area to find a spot that gets the most sunlight. Students would use clipboards to draw simple maps and mark sunny and shady areas. Using compasses, we’d find which direction is north so they can understand how the sundial needs to be positioned. Each group would share their ideas and reasons for the best location. Together, we’d choose the best spot to place a sundial.