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Hi Emily,
I really enjoyed reading your post. I like how you’ve shown that the theme of the night sky can be woven through so many different curriculum areas rather than just Science. Your mix of Irish and international songs, poems and artwork gives plenty of ideas that could be adapted for different class levels. I particularly liked the inclusion of W.B. Yeats alongside *The Starry Night* by Van Gogh, as they would work really well together as a cross-curricular lesson. It also got me thinking about asking children to talk to parents or grandparents about stories they remember about the Moon or stars. That could be a lovely way to link with local folklore and encourage home-school connections. Thanks for sharing such a useful collection of resources.
I would choose to implement a version of “Design Your Own Dark Sky Place” with my 5th/6th class in our rural primary school in the south of Ireland. The project would encourage pupils to think about how we can balance the needs of people with the protection of wildlife and our night skies.
We would begin by discussing what makes a good Dark Sky place and why reducing unnecessary light is important for biodiversity, energy conservation and our ability to observe the stars. The children would investigate examples of Dark Sky areas in Ireland before working in small groups to design their own Dark Sky space for our school or local community.
Each group would create a scaled plan showing features such as wildlife-friendly planting, seating areas, safe pathways and carefully positioned, downward-facing lighting where needed. They would explain the reasons for their design choices and consider how their space could be enjoyed by both people and local wildlife.
To extend the project, pupils could produce posters or digital presentations to promote their designs and encourage responsible outdoor lighting within the community. This activity integrates Science, Geography, Mathematics, Visual Arts and Digital Learning while developing creativity, collaboration and problem-solving skills. It also encourages children to think critically about how thoughtful design can help protect biodiversity and preserve our enjoyment of the night sky for future generations.
Hi Emily,
I really liked your ideas, particularly how you’ve made the most of the wild space in your school and the university grounds nearby. It’s a great reminder that biodiversity can be explored just as effectively in an urban setting. I also thought the home observation activity was a nice way to involve families and encourage children to look at their local area from a different perspective. It would be interesting to compare the pupils’ observations and see if they notice differences in wildlife or lighting depending on where they live. Thanks for sharing such practical ideas that could easily be adapted for different school settings.
I would choose to explore **biodiversity in our local area and the impact of light pollution on wildlife**. As we are based in a rural part of the south of Ireland, the children are surrounded by hedgerows, farmland, mature trees and streams, making biodiversity something they can observe in their everyday environment.
I would begin by discussing the different plants and animals that live around our school and asking the pupils which species they are most likely to see during the day and which are active at night. This would lead into learning about nocturnal animals such as bats, hedgehogs, moths and owls, and how they rely on darkness to feed, hunt and navigate.
The class would carry out a biodiversity survey of the school grounds, recording habitats and signs of wildlife before discussing how artificial lighting could affect these species. We would also investigate ways to make our school grounds more wildlife-friendly, such as protecting hedgerows, planting native flowers for pollinators and ensuring that any outdoor lighting is used only when necessary.
As a follow-up activity, pupils could work in groups to design a “wildlife-friendly school” plan that balances the needs of people with those of local wildlife. This project would integrate Science, Geography and SPHE while encouraging pupils to think critically about how small changes in our own community can have a positive impact on biodiversity. It would also help to develop environmental awareness and a sense of responsibility for protecting the natural world.
Hi,
I enjoyed reading your post. I think the star count is a lovely way to involve the children and it also encourages families to get involved in the learning. Living in a rural area, it’s easy to assume we don’t have much light pollution, but your activity would help pupils recognise that even smaller sources of artificial light can make a difference. It would also be interesting to repeat the star count at different times of the year or compare results with a class from a nearby town. That could lead to some really worthwhile discussions about how our local environment affects what we can observe in the night sky.
For this assignment, I would choose to explore **how light pollution impacts our local area**. I teach a 5th/6th class in a rural primary school in the south of Ireland, where we are fortunate to have relatively dark skies compared to larger towns and cities. However, pupils are beginning to notice that new housing developments, brighter street lighting and security lights can make it more difficult to see the stars than it was in previous years.
To engage the children, I would begin by asking them to discuss what they can see in the night sky from their homes and whether this differs depending on where they live. We would investigate the meaning of light pollution and consider both its benefits, such as improving safety, and its drawbacks, including its impact on wildlife, energy use and our ability to observe the night sky.
As part of the inquiry, pupils would take part in a simple night-sky observation activity with their families, recording how many stars they can see from home and comparing their observations in class. We would also use the **Globe at Night** citizen science programme to compare our findings with observations from other parts of Ireland and around the world. This would introduce pupils to the idea that they can contribute to real scientific research while developing their observation and recording skills.
To conclude the project, the class could work in groups to create posters or digital presentations suggesting practical ways to reduce unnecessary light pollution in our community. This activity encourages scientific inquiry, environmental awareness and responsible citizenship while making good use of our rural location and helping pupils appreciate the importance of protecting our dark skies.
For this assignment, I would choose to explore **how light pollution impacts our local area**. I teach a 5th/6th class in a rural primary school in the south of Ireland, where we are fortunate to have relatively dark skies compared to larger towns and cities. However, pupils are beginning to notice that new housing developments, brighter street lighting and security lights can make it more difficult to see the stars than it was in previous years.
To engage the children, I would begin by asking them to discuss what they can see in the night sky from their homes and whether this differs depending on where they live. We would investigate the meaning of light pollution and consider both its benefits, such as improving safety, and its drawbacks, including its impact on wildlife, energy use and our ability to observe the night sky.
As part of the inquiry, pupils would take part in a simple night-sky observation activity with their families, recording how many stars they can see from home and comparing their observations in class. We would also use the **Globe at Night** citizen science programme to compare our findings with observations from other parts of Ireland and around the world. This would introduce pupils to the idea that they can contribute to real scientific research while developing their observation and recording skills.
To conclude the project, the class could work in groups to create posters or digital presentations suggesting practical ways to reduce unnecessary light pollution in our community. This activity encourages scientific inquiry, environmental awareness and responsible citizenship while making good use of our rural location and helping pupils appreciate the importance of protecting our dark skies.
Thank you for sharing your ideas. I liked your demonstration using the torch, child and ball to explain why we can sometimes see the Moon during the day. It is a simple, practical activity that would help children visualise the relationship between the Sun, Earth and Moon and make the concept easier to understand.
I also thought your idea of using constellations to teach geometry was an interesting cross-curricular approach. It provides a meaningful context for exploring concepts such as points, line segments, angles and polygons, while also encouraging children to observe patterns in the night sky.
For my 5th/6th class I would choose to plan an observation of the Moon. Our rural location, with very little light pollution, provides excellent opportunities for pupils to observe the night sky and make meaningful connections between classroom learning and their local environment.
I would plan the activity around the First Quarter Moon, as this phase is ideal for observation during the school day. Around this phase, the Moon is often visible in the afternoon and remains high enough to be observed before pupils go home. Pupils would begin by predicting what they expect to see and discussing why the Moon changes shape throughout the month. We would use a Moon calendar and a digital resource such as Stellarium to identify suitable observation dates and compare our predictions with what we observe.
Over several weeks, the children would keep individual Moon journals, sketching the Moon’s appearance, recording the date, time and weather conditions, and noting the Moon’s position in the sky. They would compare their observations with classmates and look for patterns in the lunar cycle. Mathematics would be integrated through measuring the length of the lunar cycle and creating graphs, while technology would be used to verify observations using Stellarium. This inquiry-based approach encourages curiosity, observation, collaboration and critical thinking, while making full use of our rural setting and helping pupils develop a deeper understanding of the Earth’s relationship with the Moon.
I would engage my pupils with the Gravity/Weight activity by constructing an Earth tube and a Moon tube. Before using the tubes, I would ask the children to predict whether the same object would weigh the same on both planets and explain their thinking. Working in small groups, they would test different objects, record their observations and compare the results. This would encourage discussion about the difference between mass and weight and help pupils understand that gravity varies from planet to planet.
The activity naturally integrates all four areas of STEM. Science is explored through investigating gravity, mathematics through measuring and comparing results, engineering through constructing and testing the tubes, and technology through using digital resources or videos to learn more about space. Pupils would work collaboratively, ask questions, make predictions and reflect on their findings. I believe this type of hands-on learning makes abstract scientific concepts more accessible and enjoyable while developing problem-solving, communication and critical thinking skills. It is an engaging way to bring STEM to life and encourages children to see the connections between different areas of learning.Thanks for sharing this activity. It’s a great example of how children learn scientific concepts best through hands-on experiences. I like how the “Onion” game helps pupils physically feel the forces involved, making the idea of gravity and pulling forces much more meaningful than simply reading about them.
It also highlights the importance of using familiar games and play to introduce abstract concepts in science. I could see this leading to a useful class discussion about gravity, friction, balanced and unbalanced forces, and even how astronauts experience gravity differently in space.
Thanks for the creative idea!Thank you for including the links to the resources.
They are great I will be copying them to my clipboard. Míle buíochas.
Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky? For example: Look up President Michael D Higgins’ “Stardust”
There are so many songs and poems that connect us to the Night Sky. At a very young age children are exposed to various nursery rhymes and songs that are based on the sky eg. Twinkle, twinkle, the cow jumped over the moon etc .
From my experience the magic of the sky captures the children so well and the element of song and poem only adds to the creative learning experience.
I would propose that at a staff meeting that all teachers chose either a song or a poem for their class based on the night sky. Children could look at more modern songs like Miley Cyrus – midnight sky, or classics like The Beatles – Lucy and the Sky with Diamonds, some upbeat songs like Mr Blue Sky or maybe Michael D Higgins piece, The Stardust.
Although such a singular topic, children can elicit the fascination, wonder and beauty that our night sky holds.
Classes could preform their chosen songs in the halla as a whole school event. of the activity and to have something that they can keep and look back on with such pride over the years
I did a biodiversity map in school this year as part of our green flag submission. It was a really worthwhile activity and one I will be doing again. It highlighted many areas of our environment which were habitats that we weren’t aware of.
Biodiversity
How would I engage learners to explore biodiversity in your local area and the possible impacts of light pollution on biodiversity?
I would aim to make this quite a long term class project. I would like to create a school biodiversity/ wildlife catalogue of all creatures big and small we find on our school grounds. As we are quite rural and have access to extensive grass areas as well as our school garden we would hope to find an extensive array of living things. We can also combine this with a biodiversity map of the school grounds as suggested in the slides. The idea of the Bio Blitz is an excellent idea and term to get the attention and interest of the pupils.
Use of the video links from the course material about biodiversity, particularly the one on slide 8 would be an excellent introduction to highlight the importance of biodiversity.
We would be eager to tie our catalogue in with the national biodiversity data centre’s surveys. This is something we will be able to explorer in September.
The investigation of night time vision at home is a very simple and effective investigation to trigger the connection between biodiversity and levels of light.
I would also aim to link in with one of our local sfi centres during the year with a view of finding improvements we can make to our school environment in a sustainable way. The hollies centre for practical sustainability is one which is somewhat accessible to us.