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As I teach Junior and Senior Infants in Kerry, I would adapt this project through play-based learning. I would introduce it by leaving a letter from Kerry County Council asking the children to help design a new Dark Sky Place that would be enjoyable for visitors while also protecting wildlife. This would give the children a real-life purpose for their learning and encourage discussion, creativity and problem-solving. Living in Kerry gives us a wonderful opportunity to connect our learning to the Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve. Throughout the project, the children would explore how we can enjoy the night sky while caring for nocturnal wildlife and reducing unnecessary light. The activities would integrate Science, Geography, Art and oral language while promoting collaboration, creativity and an appreciation of our local environment.
Activities I could do:
Role play as park rangers, stargazers, local residents and wildlife carers.
Working in small stakeholder groups to discuss what each group would need in their Dark Sky Park.
Building a Dark Sky Park using blocks, LEGO, loose parts and small world resources.
Creating a class map showing stargazing areas, walking trails and wildlife habitats.
Designing starry sky artwork.
Exploring nocturnal animals through sensory play, small world play and tuff trays.
Going on a biodiversity walk around the school to look for habitats and discuss why darkness is important for wildlife.
Deciding where dark sky-friendly lighting is needed for safety and where lights should be reduced to protect nocturnal wildlife.
Creating a simple visitor brochure and an equipment checklist to help families plan a visit.
Presenting each group’s Dark Sky Park to the class and explaining their design choices.
Sharing information about the annual Skellig Star Party which is our nearest dark sky event, through the Aladdin app before the summer holidays, encouraging families to visit and experience the Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve together.
I hadn’t thought about how many modern songs reference the night sky until I read your post. It really shows that our fascination with the stars and moon has continued across generations.
I really enjoyed reading your list. It reminded me just how often the night sky appears in music, poetry and art. As I teach Junior and Senior Infants, I also started thinking about the nursery rhymes and picture books that introduce young children to the stars and moon. Along with Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, we often sing Hey Diddle Diddle, I See the Moon and Star Light, Star Bright. Books like Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers are lovely ways to spark children’s curiosity about the night sky.
I would encourage children to explore biodiversity by getting them outside to discover the wildlife around our school. We could go on a biodiversity walk, looking for birds, insects, flowers and trees, and use simple picture checklists to record what we find. The children would enjoy using magnifying glasses to observe bugs and plants more closely, and we could chat about why every living thing is important. We could also use the Backyard BioBlitz and Wildlife Safari resources to help identify the different species we spot.
To introduce light pollution, I would begin by reading a story about nocturnal animals before discussing how bats, moths and hedgehogs depend on darkness to find food and move around safely. We could sort pictures into day and night animals and use torches in a darkened classroom to explore how light changes what we can see. To help children understand the impact of artificial light, we could compare our own daily routines with those of nocturnal animals. We could ask questions such as, “How would you feel if you had to eat your dinner in the dark?” or “Would you sleep well if someone left a bright light on all night?” This would help the children understand that, just like us, animals need the right conditions to eat, sleep and stay healthy.
As a follow-up, we could create a bug hotel, plant wildflowers for pollinators and leave a small wild area in the school groundsThis is a lovely idea. The biodiversity walk is a great way to get children noticing the wildlife that’s right on their doorstep, even in a busy area like Dublin 8. I also think the role play is a really fun way to help them understand how light pollution affects nocturnal animals.
I really like how you have linked your plan to local habitats around your students locality. The ideas to reduce light pollution and involve pupils in bat walks and moth surveys are both practical and engaging. It’s a great way to help children understand the importance of protecting nocturnal biodiversity
I like how you’ve linked light pollution to your pupils’ own experiences, and the overnight trip sounds like a brilliant opportunity for real-life observation.
I like how this combines science with real-life observations. It sounds like a really engaging way for pupils to learn while contributing to citizen science.
Living in rural Kerry, I am fortunate that light pollution is less noticeable than in many towns and cities. An area nearby, Kells, is part of the Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve, one of the best places in Ireland to experience a naturally dark night sky. This has made me more aware of the importance of protecting our skies from unnecessary artificial light. As a teacher, I would encourage my pupils to explore this through simple, play-based inquiry activities. We could compare photographs of the night sky taken in different locations and discuss why some places have more visible stars than others. Children could look for the Moon and stars at home with their families and share their observations in class, Children could builr their own dark sky town, using blocks or LEGO: Challenge:Can you build a town that keeps people safe but still lets us see the stars? or similar to this Small world Night Town, create a small-world area with:houses, cars, trees, animals, battery tea lights. We could do an animal role play, children pretend to be: bats, owls, hedgehogs, foxes. Some children shine “streetlights” (torches) while the animals try to move around.Discuss how bright lights affect wildlife.We could also use Globe at Night to compare our findings with those from around the world and explore constellations using Stellarium on the interactive whiteboard. This would help develop children’s curiosity, environmental awareness and digital literacy while making learning relevant to their local community.
As I teach Junior and Senior Infants, I would plan this activity to coincide with the Last Quarter Moon, as it is one of the best phases to observe during the morning from school. I would begin by reading Whatever Next! by Jill Murphy to spark the children’s curiosity. I would ask questions such as, “Does the Moon always look the same?” and encourage the children to share their ideas and make predictions. We would then go outside to observe the Moon from the school grounds and record our observations through simple drawings. Back in the classroom, we would compare our observations and discuss any patterns we noticed. I would use Stellarium on the interactive whiteboard to show why the Moon appears to change shape. To develop digital literacy, the children could sequence the Moon’s phases using an interative game, i saw twinkl had one and so did a website called bamboozle we could create a digital class Moon journal in Book Creator using drawings, photos and voice recordings. Through learning through play, I would provide a space-themed role-play area with astronaut costumes, rockets and “moon rocks” to encourage curiosity, exploration and scientific language.These activitis encourages children to ask questions, make predictions, observe carefully and communicate their findings.
I love this book, must pull it our again this year. Also like your art idea and the home school link.
Last week while visiting New York, we went to the American Museum of Natural History. Across the road, beside the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial, there is a sundial. My ten-year-old asked me lots of questions about how it worked, and I was delighted that after today I could answer them more scientifically. I even learned the correct term gnomon, which was new to me. As I teach Junior and Senior Infants, I would introduce the topic using the picture book What Makes Day and Night by Franklyn M. Branley. I would then let the children investigate outdoors by placing two simple sundials in different locations. One would be in direct sunlight and the other in a shady area. Rather than simply telling the children why one works and the other does not, they could observe, compare and discuss their findings themselves. . I think this age also need lots of hands on play, using torches, placing toys and teddies on the ground examining their shadows,drawing around shadows. Finding shadows in our outdoor space, for example under a tree This hands-on approach encourages curiosity, prediction and scientific thinking while linking learning to real-life experiences.
Valerie I really like using music as a stimulus, I am a sucker for a book but will try other mediums. I also like how you mentioned vocabulary extension the word gnomon was a new word for me!
Good point about the Galway Oyster Festival such a draw for tourism in the area, a festival that boosts the economy by attracting thousands of visitors, increasing business for hotels, restaurants and shops.
Barbra,
Having access to the green way and being involved in a biodiversity trail sounds like rich a rich, hands on learning opportunity for students. I especially live that the children were involved in designing the art work . It not only fosters creativity but gives them a real sense of pride and ownership. It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to bring their families along to see what they’ve created and share in promoting biodiversity together. It makes learning visible and extends beyond the classroom into the community.
