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How do different types of playground surfaces affect the temperature on a sunny day?
To encourage young pupils to participate in this research, I would start with a fun and simple experiment. First, we would talk about how different playground surfaces, like grass, sand, and concrete, might feel different under the sun. To make this more relatable, we could use a story or picture book about a playground where different surfaces are described.
Next, we’d conduct a hands-on activity where students measure the temperature of various playground surfaces using toy thermometers. They could work in small groups to collect data and compare their findings.
To make the activity engaging, we could turn it into a game, like a treasure hunt where students find and measure different surfaces. Finally, we’d discuss their observations in a circle and use drawings to help them express what they learned. This approach ensures the research is interactive and accessible, making it fun and educational for young learners.
Here are five satellites that have passed over Ireland recently:
International Space Station (ISS) – The ISS is a habitable artificial satellite that orbits Earth. It’s used for scientific research in microgravity and space environments.
NOAA-19 – This is a weather satellite operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It collects data on Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and environment.
Hubble Space Telescope (HST) – The Hubble is a space telescope that orbits outside Earth’s atmosphere, providing high-resolution images of space objects.
Terra – This satellite is part of NASA’s Earth Observing System, monitoring Earth’s climate and environment, focusing on interactions between the atmosphere, oceans, and land.
Starlink Satellites – These are part of SpaceX’s Starlink project, aimed at providing global satellite internet coverage. These satellites frequently pass over various regions, including Ireland.
I love how you have thought about the emotional effects of teaching children about the state of our climates. You are right that we can teach them that taking their own steps and doing the best they can is the best way they can help and that should help with their fears.
The film HOME by Yann Arthus Bertrand is visually stunning and really hits home about how everything on Earth is connected and how much human activity impacts the environment. It covers big issues like climate change, deforestation, overfishing, and pollution, making it a powerful tool for teaching. The other video clips in the module break down these topics into simpler bits, which is great for helping younger students understand.
To introduce these climate change facts to my pupils, I’d start by showing a few clips from HOME and the other videos to get them interested and emotionally engaged. The way the film tells its story through visuals can really help students grasp how serious these issues are. After watching, I’d lead a discussion to let the students share their thoughts and feelings. I’d also bring in some hands-on activities, like simulations or experiments, so they can connect what they’ve seen to real-life situations. By mixing visual storytelling with practical learning, I hope to help them understand the importance of these issues and get them thinking about what they can do to make a difference.
Activity 3, where students predict future temperatures based on greenhouse gas emissions, sounds like a fun and engaging way to teach about climate change. To bring this into my class, I’d start by showing the Paxi video to introduce the concept of greenhouse gases in a simple way. Then, I’d guide the students through the simulation tool, letting them play around with different variables and see how these changes affect temperature predictions. This hands-on approach would help them really grasp the impact of greenhouse gases and why it’s so important to reduce emissions.
To make the activity even more relevant, I could include real-world data and case studies for students to analyze. They could look at trends and come up with their own solutions, connecting what they see in the simulation to what’s happening in the world. The tool is a really hands-on way of involving the children and getting them to think critically about the information they’re learning. To wrap it up, I could have them brainstorm actions that could make a real difference in reducing emissions, bringing the lesson full circle with a focus on practical solutions.
I love the idea of a school wide weather club and sharing facts in assemblies. Even if just one term we focused on weather, it would be a great learning experience for all students. A lovely chance for teachers to collaborate too!
Having engaged in both resources, I can see how they would be really effective and engaging in the classroom. I teach Senior Infants.
Firstly, the Nose up in the Sky resource. I love the idea of setting up a weather station in the classroom. It’s not something I had thought of. I will be honest and say I always have high hopes to talk about the weather each morning but sometimes it just doesn’t end up happening. Assigning children to look after the weather station is a great idea. The measuring of temperature, wind etc might be a bit tricky for senior infants but having a daily weather station would be great and prepare them for possibly doing those steps in 1st class.
The weather vs climate resource is very effective at helping children distinguish between weather and climate. I like the link to maths in getting average temperatures. I think this resource would work better in older classes. I did like how it included Paxi’s lesson about greenhouse gas for younger learners.
I love the idea about passports! Senior infants in our school do the theme Space Travel Agent – we try to learn about space but also build on the vocab the children learned during their Travel Agent theme in junior infants. So the passports would tie in perfectly.
Monday:
Activity: Read a story about space exploration.
Materials: Picture books, projector for space images.
Objective: Spark curiosity and introduce basic concepts.Tuesday:
Activity: Create a solar system model.
Materials: Styrofoam balls, paints, string, reference pictures.
Objective: Teach the names and order of the planets.Wednesday:
Activity: Obstacle course simulating astronaut training.
Materials: Hula hoops, cones, balance beams.
Objective: Promote physical activity and teamwork.
Day 4: Rocket ScienceThursday:
Activity: Build and launch paper rockets.
Materials: Paper, straws, tape.
Objective: Introduce basic physics concepts.Reflection on Friday:
Recap and child-led free play using space toys and resourcesI really like this fact about different snow shoes! I will add that to my lesson planning for our Polar Explorer theme!
Last year, I used the ESERO 7 Animals in the Cold lesson with my Senior Infants class. The students were immersed in the theme of Polar Exploration for a period of six weeks. This lesson was incorporated as a station during our Integrated Learning through Play sessions. The children were particularly enthusiastic about the hands-on aspect of using vaseline in the experiment. They were fascinated by how it simulated the insulating properties of blubber, which helps animals survive in cold environments. Following the structured part of the lesson, the children were given time for child-led play. They eagerly used the water, penguins, and polar bear figurines that we had employed during the experiment. This free play allowed them to reinforce their learning through imaginative scenarios and role-playing. Overall, the activity was a hit and effectively combined educational content with engaging, playful experiences, making the concept of Polar Exploration both fun and memorable for the children.
The activities in this set are really helpful to further develop the theme we have in my Senior Infant class, Space Travel Agent.
We actually completed Esero 19 Special Life last year and I would use it again next year. As a stimulus we read the story Aliens Love Underpants. We then had a really in-depth discussion about aliens. It tied into our Ethical Education lessons as focused on opinion and that it is a matter of opinion whether we think aliens exist. I reiterated throughout the lesson that there is no proof that they do exist. We then brainstormed what items on Earth we think aliens would find fascinating.We had previously read the story Aliens Love Underpants so a lot of children said that. They then drew the items they brainstormed on their mini whiteboards. In groups the children then completed the drama activity described in Esero 19. We finished the lesson by each child drawing a picture of an alien. As this led into art time I used this as my art lesson for the week and we were looking at directed drawing, so we used Art for Kids Hub on youtube and followed a tutorial to draw the aliens. The children loved it, it was probably their favourite art lesson of the year.
