[Joseph Whelan]

This would be a brilliant lesson at Halloween time. I remember there used to be a very funny video on YouTube, of a group of children, from a Limerick school, talking all about the piseogs and folklore stories from their area.

[Joseph Whelan]

These are excellent ideas that empower the older children to take real action in their local community, further raising the issue at home. Involving older children in contacting local councillors and community groups gives them a voice in environmental issues. Planting night-blooming flowers like evening primrose and jasmine is a lovely way to support nocturnal pollinators. Well done.

[Joseph Whelan]

This is a fantastic idea to collaborate with a rural school. This would help tje children to clearly see the impact of light pollution in different environments. The hands-on investigation using Globe at Night, along with the reflective homework activity, makes the learning real and engaging. A great way to connect science with real-world issues.

[Joseph Whelan]

Very in depth break down of how you would teach in to an infant class. Well done. Gave me some nice ideas in a very fun and interactive way.

[Joseph Whelan]

Really like this idea, similar to my own. I like your addition of the shadow puppets.

[Joseph Whelan]

From memory, in the past (particularly on teaching practice when we had to do thematic planning)I used these songs, poems and art ideas when trying to connect the children to the sky and space.

Songs
“Space Oddity” by David Bowie explores the wonder of space travel.
“Planet Song” from Drake & Josh is a fun, educational tune I teach every year. Its catchy lyrics name the planets in order and opens up talking about our solar system.

Poem
“Escape at Bedtime” by Robert Stevenson is a poem a came across a few years ago and I find myself always using it most years. It captures the  magic of the night sky full of stars. It is quite an old poem but I like how the children can relate to it and use their imagination.

Art
“Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh is an amazing piece of art. It can be used as inspiration for all class levels. It teaches shapes and curves.

By using these examples in the classroom, the children can study the night sky and space using their imaginations.

[Joseph Whelan]

First, I would teach the children about nocturnal wildlife (barn owls and bats),  light pollution, and simple ways of improving biodiversity in our community.

Around the schools we could go on a “light watch” and find areas where we could reduce unnecessary outdoor lighting.

We could go to the school field or surrounding areas and locate appropriate areas for barn owls to nest. The school could maintain uncut grassy areas or install low perches to support hunting. Providing nest boxes high on quiet buildings or trees could help the owls with nesting.

Senior classes could use STEM to build simple wooden bat boxes. These could be placed high on warm, sheltered walls facing south. Boxes could be installed out of reach and away from bright lights to mimic natural nesting areas.

[Joseph Whelan]

Light pollution in Kildare, like in many other  urban areas, can have negative impacts on both the environment and human health. Newbridge, as a large- sized town with increasing population and infrastructure, experiences light pollution from streetlights, commercial lighting, and residential areas, leading to a loss of the natural nightscape. There are a number of large factories at the edge of the town adding to the light pollution as they are in production through the night.

Light pollution disrupts local wildlife, particularly nocturnal species such as bats. Bats are relatively common in Newbridge, and are often seen flying along the River Liffey and in areas with trees and water. The Kildare Bat Group organises bat walks to observe these creatures, especially around sunset. These animals rely on natural darkness for foraging, mating, and navigation. Excess artificial light can interfere with this and potentially endanger local ecosystems.

For humans, constant exposure to artificial lighting in towns can lead to sleep disturbances, which can increase stress, depression, and other long-term health concerns. Also, the beauty of the night sky, full of stars can not be seen because of the different forms of artificial lights (skyglow, glare, light trespass, and clutter).

I would engage the children by teaching them about the five principles for responsible outdoor lighting from Dark Sky and focus on different types of friendly lighting. Children could do an audit of their homes and schools and assess the amount of unneeded artificial light in our local area.

Finally, as part of the Dark Skies Rangers Programme, I would get the children to use recyclable material to construct a planetarium box.

[Joseph Whelan]

To engage the children in STEM when planning moon observations, begin with a discussion on lunar phases and how Earth–Moon–Sun geometry makes the Moon visible at different times. You could use the ESERO “Lunar eclipse
and phases of the Moon-Journey to the Moon” as a pre teaching method. The children will then design simple clinometers using protractors, straws and cardboard to measure the Moon’s altitude and record direction with compasses.

For morning observations during the school day, the third‑quarter (last‑quarter) Moon is ideal—a phase A good morning date is Monday, 14 September 2025, when Third Quarter occurs at 11:35 AM in Kildare—perfect for seeing the Moon during class time.

Teacher could then show the children how to use timeanddate.com:

Select “Moon Calculator” for Kildare, Ireland.
Choose the date range (e.g. September 2025).
Observe the Third Quarter phase and note the moonrise and moonset times.
Record that on 14 September, the Moon is visible well into the school day.
Following this, schedule an outdoor observation session that morning.

The children can log the data in their science journals.

[Joseph Whelan]

3.Plan how your students could “observe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and at different times of the day”

Children could carry out a week-long investigation using a range of cross-curricular activities. First, we could explore how the Earth’s rotation causes the sun to appear to move across the sky. children could then use collaborative learning, to work in groups to build simple sun tracking devices using cardboard, straws, and a compass, placing these in a safe and fixed location in the school yard.

Using the school iPads, children could then take photographs of the sun’s position at three key times: morning, midday and afternoon.  They could also record direction (e.g., southeast, south, southwest) and record this data on charts.

Back in the classroom, the children could then use this data to  graph their results and identify patterns, such as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, and its changing position throughout the day. This encourages mathematical thinking through time, direction, and data recording.

Finally, children would be invited to present their findings using digital slideshows.

[Author]

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