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I love the picture book ‘How to Catch a Star’, this would be a great resource to use for these lessons.
To implement a version of ‘Design Your Own Dark Sky Place’ in my third class, I would begin by introducing students to the concept of light pollution and the importance of dark skies for nature and astronomy. Using simple videos and images, I’d help them understand how artificial light affects wildlife, sleep, and stargazing.
Then, I’d guide the class in designing their own ideal dark sky park using drawings, maps, and short descriptions. They could include features like low lighting, stargazing areas, and wildlife protection zones. The activity would encourage creativity, environmental awareness, and geography skills. Students could present their designs to the class, promoting confidence and communication. This project links well with SESE, Visual Arts, and SPHE.
Overall, I believe it would be an enjoyable and meaningful way for students to connect with nature and understand the importance of preserving our night skies.
I love how you have specified Irish nocturnal animals, as we often talk about animals from other countries but by saying Irish they can connect more to their locality.
Lots of animals like bats, moths, owls, and frogs come out at night and need dark, quiet places to live and hunt. To help these night critters at school, I would think about how the outdoor lights are set up. We would try using lights that only turn on when someone’s nearby, or dimmer lights that don’t stay on all night. We would make sure lights point down instead of shining everywhere—that way, they don’t bother animals hiding in trees or bushes.
I could also set aside some “dark spots” on the school grounds where no lights are on at night. These quiet areas with plants or long grass can be safe homes for nighttime animals.
I would get my students involved by checking these spots for bats or frogs at night, using simple tools or just their ears and eyes! I would teach everyone why keeping the skies dark is important—not just for animals, but for people too.
Adding these easy ideas to our school’s plan means we’re helping local wildlife and giving children a cool way to connect with nature after dark.Even though Rathnew is close to the lovely countryside and the Wicklow Mountains, there’s still a lot of light pollution, especially with nearby towns like Wicklow and the lights from Dublin not too far away. This extra light makes it harder to see stars clearly at night. It’s not just about stargazing either—too much artificial light can mess with sleep, confuse animals like bats and birds, and even waste energy by lighting up the sky instead of the ground.
A fun way to explore this with my class is to run a “Light Hunters” activity. We would go on a short walk around the school or village and use an app like Sky Quality Meter or a light meter to measure how bright the sky is in different places. Back in class we would compare results and talk about where the light is coming from—like streetlights, shop fronts, or car parks.
Children could then create posters or presentations about why it’s important to reduce unnecessary lighting. Maybe they could even write a letter to the council or design a “light smart” school zone. I could finish the project with a stargazing evening (weather depending!) and talk about what we’re missing when we can’t see the stars.
I feel this is a great mix of science, local geography, and action—and it gets everyone thinking differently about the night sky!‘Create a short teaching resource using Stellarium/ WorldWide Telescope’
This short activity uses the free planetarium software Stellarium (available online or as a desktop app) to help students explore the night sky in real-time. Begin by setting the location to your school or local area, and adjust the date to a clear autumn evening. Ask students to identify visible planets like Jupiter and Saturn using Stellarium’s search tool, then track their positions hour by hour.
Students can turn on constellation lines and labels to see how the planets move in relation to the stars. Encourage them to write down what direction (east, south, west) the planets appear and how high they are in the sky. As a fun task, they can use Stellarium to predict when a planet will rise or set on a different day.
This digital resource is perfect for classrooms with limited outdoor access and helps students build confidence in skywatching before heading outside.
Plan how your students could “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day”
To help students observe and record the position of the sun throughout the day, you can turn it into a simple, ongoing class project that mixes science with outdoor exploration. Start by choosing a safe, open spot outside with a clear view of the sky—like the school field or playground. Set up a basic observation station using a large compass rose marked on the ground (chalk works well), and explain how directions like east and west relate to where the sun rises and sets.
Each day, have students go outside at key times—early morning, midday, and late afternoon. At each time, they can draw or note where the sun is in the sky, what direction it’s in, how high it is, and how long the shadows are. Encourage them to sketch their observations in a journal or use simple diagrams.
Over several days or weeks, students will begin to notice patterns, like how the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and how its position changes slightly over time. You can also tie in shadow tracking with sticks or sundials. This daily routine builds observation skills and helps students connect what they see to bigger ideas about Earth’s rotation and timekeeping.
I would be really interested in this research question as I am sports-mad and have played in every type of weather; sun, rain and snow. This would be a great question for a class to investigate.
Research question – How does plastic pollution affect animals in the ocean?
To encourage third-class pupils to participate in learning about ‘How does plastic pollution affect animals in the ocean?’, I will try to make the topic engaging, relatable, and interactive. We would make use of a KWL chart to record their previous knowledge if a class discussion were to arise from the questioning. I would then get the class to write their answers on their whiteboards and discuss them with their partners, groups, and the class. I would make use of visual aids (PowerPoint, photos for groups for example) to encourage a conversation.
Next up we would have a hands-on exploration/investigation. We would do this by undertaking an art project where they create sea animals using recycled materials or they could illustrate clean and polluted oceans. We would also undertake a science experiment where the class would create a mini ‘ocean in a bottle’ with and without plastic in it to the see the difference between the two.
After a few days of undertaking this research question with different hands-on activities, we could have a mini ‘Ocean Day’ and share our findings with other classes to encourage others to use less plastic and to dispose of it properly.
I agree the Weather Station activity is an invaluable way for the children to develop their STEM skills and learn through hands-on exploration.
I downloaded the Satellite Tracker and saw that the following satellites were passing over Ireland now.
ISS – The International Space Station (ISS) serves as a unique, habitable satellite that acts as a research laboratory and observation platform in orbit around Earth.
Cosmos 1743 – Cosmos 1743, launched by the Soviet Union, was a Tselina-D electronic intelligence (ELINT) satellite. Its primary purpose was to detect and locate radio-emitting objects, providing information about their type, operation modes, and activity levels, primarily for military intelligence.
Cosmos 1844 – Cosmos 1844, launched by the Soviet Union, was an Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) satellite. Specifically, it was a Tselina-2 ELINT satellite, designed to collect and analyze electronic signals, particularly from fixed transmitters.
Cosmos 2221 – Cosmos 2221 was a Russian electronic intelligence (ELINT) satellite, meaning it was used for surveillance and gathering signals intelligence.
Cosmos 2278 – Cosmos 2221 was a Russian electronic intelligence (ELINT) satellite, meaning it was used for surveillance and gathering signals intelligence
