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I did not do this part of the assignment but I’m really enjoying other peoples reports on it. Sounds very interesting and could be a great activity for older classes to do independently.
I tried all three activities from “Nose Up High in the Sky” myself: looking at old weather proverbs, describing today’s weather using my senses, and building simple tools to measure rain, wind and temperature. The proverb task is a great conversation starter because it gets students thinking about how people predicted weather before modern instruments. The sensory observation activity is simple but really effective for getting kids to use clear words to describe what they see, feel and hear. Building the weather station was my favourite part. It’s creative, low cost and shows exactly how measurements are taken, even with basic materials. Keeping a weather diary pulls everything together and makes it feel like real science.
The film HOME really shows how everything on Earth is linked together and how our actions are changing the planet. The aerial views are stunning but also a bit sad when you see the damage being done. The other clips in the module help explain climate change in a way that’s easy for kids to follow, showing not just the problems but also ways we can help. If I were teaching this, I’d start with a short clip to grab their attention and then talk about what they noticed and how it made them feel. We could do simple activities like keeping track of the weather around the school or checking soil and plant growth to see how nature changes over time. I’d have them make posters or share ideas about helping the planet so they understand what’s happening but also feel like they can do something about it.
I really enjoyed reading through these ESA resources as they are simple, practical, and very engaging for children. They make the topic of weather and climate fun while still being very effective in building understanding.
In Nose Up High in the Sky, I love the idea of students building their own weather instruments. It’s hands-on, child-friendly, and allows them to actually see how data is gathered. I’d have the children work in small groups to build a rain gauge and anemometer, and we’d keep a weather diary to track changes throughout the week. The Weather vs Climate activities would link perfectly with this. For example, students could record daily measurements from our weather station, plot them on graphs, and then compare their findings to official averages. This would help them clearly see the difference between short-term weather and long-term climate while practising real STEM skills in science, maths, and technology.
