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I would begin the lesson with a Rang 1 group by showing two pictures: a night sky over a brightly lit city (Galway) and a dark countryside sky (Spiddal). I would ask the children, “Which sky has more stars that we can see?” We would briefly discuss how bright lights can make stars more difficult to see and relate this to what the children might see from home.
Using Stellarium on the interactive whiteboard, we would set our location to Galway and look at the night sky on an autumn evening. The children would become “Bleachtairí Réalta” and help me search for the Moon, the Plough and Cassiopeia. We would look closely at the different star patterns, noticing that the Plough resembles a saucepan while Cassiopeia makes a “W” shape.
The children would then choose one of the star patterns and create a simple constellation card. They would place dots to represent the stars and join them together to make the pattern.
The children could bring their cards home and, with a parent, try to find the same pattern in the night sky.
So many good ones mentioned here Ailbhe! Just noticing how many I come across because of my own kids. So many of these are used in my little girls swim class for diving and baby sensory class! So fascinating!
There are so many songs, poems and works of art that connect us to the night sky, but for me, the most meaningful ones are those that bring back memories and connect to the people I love.
“Blue Moon” immediately makes me think of my 2 boys. They are obsessed with Manchester City, and as it’s their theme song, I don’t think I could ever look at a blue moon without thinking of them!
Van Gogh’s The Starry Night is another personal favourite. I always do Starry Night as an art lesson, and I love seeing how everyone creates their own version of that swirling, magical sky. I’d pair it with “Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)” by Don McLean.
Every night before bed, my kids and I sing a song by Lisa O’ Neill called “Goodnight world.” We do end the song by adding our own verse to wish Nanny and Grandad and their cousins goodnight!! It’s very beautiful. Below are the lyrics:
Settle your head pet
Send your bones to sleep
Every moment that we rest
Brings a moment’s peace
You not be missing nothing
The sunshine sleeping too
The stars are lining up, love
To watch your dreams with you
And if you make a wish on one
Before you go to sleep
You might meet that very star
Out there in them dreams
Goodnight stars
Goodnight sky
Goodnight moon and sunshine
Everyone I love lies under you tonight
Goodnight trees
Goodnight bees
Goodnight rivers and valleys
Goodnight big old bold world
Goodnight world, goodnightThe night sky is something we all share, but these forms of art make it feel wonderfully personal.
Elizabeth, this list is amazing!!!!! I adored looking up the ones I didn’t know! Such a fab list- thank you!
Katie, I love the idea of looking at the names of these different things as Gaeilge! Of course they would t have most of this vocab! Love the idea of developing language too!
To engage my Rang 1 learners in exploring biodiversity in Spiddal, I would begin by taking learning outdoors. We could go on a biodiversity walk around the school and on the walkway in tge local area, where the children woukd be looking for plants, insects, birds and signs of other animals. We would record what we find through drawings, photographs or a simple class tally. This would help the children recognise the variety of living things in their own community .
I would then introduce the question, “What happens to these living things when the darkness of night comes?” We would explore nocturnal animals found locally, such as bats, moths and other insects, (We could look at these on our billboard at the pier on the coastal tour) and consider how artificial light might affect them. Through a simple torch experiment, children could observe how light attracts or changes the behaviour of night-time creatures in a classroom simulation. We could then identify bright lights around Spiddal and discuss simple solutions, such as shielding lights, reducing unnecessary lighting and protecting dark spaces for wildlife.
Caitriona, I love the idea of taking it to the Tidy Towns group. The children would only love this! I think that they’d enjoy being involved in something so “grown up”!!! I’ll definitely be doing this! Thanks for the super idea!
Before learning about light pollution, I had never really considered it in relation to Spiddal. I always appreciated the lights along my walkway, particularly when walking in the dark. However, I now notice that there are more unshielded than fully shielded lights on our prom. I have walked past them countless times without questioning them. Learning that unshielded lighting can spread light upwards and outwards, affecting wildlife, wasting enrgy and reducing our view of the night sky, has completely changed my perspective. I still value lighting for safety, but I now recognise that how we light our surroundings matters.
I would bring this new awareness into my First Class through a simple, inquiry-based lesson. I would show the children images of a dark, star-filled sky and a light-polluted sky and ask what differences they notice. We would explore shielded and unshielded lights and become “light detectives” in our community, identifying lights around our school and area. We would finish by discussing why we need both safe lighting and darkness for people, wildlife and our night sky.
Lyndsey I adore this idea! I love art anyway but this would be the nicest way to integrate art into this topic! I can only imagine the fun they’d have! I’ll definitely be doing this with my class! Love it!
Observing the Sun throughout the day is a simple and engaging way for a Naíonáin Bheaga class to develop early scientific observation skills. Children would be encouraged to predict where they think the Sun is in the sky before going outside to observe it safely from the same location at three different times during the day, for example in the morning, at break and before going home.
During each observation, the children would discuss whether the Sun appears “Ard nó íseal sa spéir” and how the length and direction of their shadows have changed. One of the children could stand in the same place each time while the class trace their shadow with chalk, allowing the children to compare the different shadow lengths throughout the day. This provides a concrete way for children to notice patterns and begin to understand that the Sun appears to move across the sky.
The children would record their observations using simple drawings by placing the Sun in the correct position on a picture of the playground or school building. At the end of the activity, the class would discuss what they discovered and compare their recordings. This investigation encourages curiosity, develops observation and communication skills, and supports early scientific enquiry through hands-on exploration. Most importantly the children would be learning in a fun manner without realising!