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Research question: How could installing solar panels on homes in our rural community help reduce carbon emissions and reliance on non-renewable energy?
I would encourage pupils to participate by connecting the investigation to their own homes and local community. Solar panels are a relevant climate issue because they provide a renewable source of energy and could help reduce the amount of electricity produced from fossil fuels. I would begin by brainstorming the research question as a whole class asking pupils what they already know about solar energy and whether they have solar panels at home, seen solar panels on homes or other buildings in the local area.
Pupils could work in groups to investigate how solar panels work, how much sunlight is available in our area and the potential benefits of installing them. They could collect information from local households, where appropriate, and compare homes with and without solar panels. Pupils could also use simple calculations to explore potential energy and carbon savings.
I would give pupils different roles so that everyone can contribute, including researching, collecting data, recording results and presenting findings. Allowing pupils to share their conclusions with the school and wider community would help them understand that their research can contribute to meaningful climate action. A follow on project could be to research whether solar panels could be installed on our school.
I chose Assignment 3, “Nose High Up in the Sky.”
It includes three activities: Talking About Weather, Sensing the Weather, and Build Your Weather Station.
I thought this was a fantastic, hands-on and engaging resource that is also very practical. The activities provide many opportunities to develop STEM skills, while encouraging children to observe, discuss, ask questions and interpret data. The activity sheets are attractively presented, clear and easy to follow.
I particularly liked the use of weather proverbs. This is a clever way of helping children learn about weather in a fun and memorable way. As weather is such an important part of everyday life in Ireland, this topic is highly relevant. I also liked that the activities demonstrate that we do not always need technology to understand the weather, as nature provides many signs that can help us predict what is coming.
I really enjoyed the simplicity of the Sensing the Weather activity, as children can use their own senses to observe and describe the weather around them.
Build Your Weather Station offers wonderful opportunities for creativity, problem-solving and hands-on learning. Children can design and develop their own simple weather instruments and then use them to collect and observe results.
I look forward to using this resource in my classroom.
A very interesting question which I’m sure the children would really enjoy participating in all the research areas. A question which is meaningful to the children and they can see.
Hi Claire, I also found it really interesting to learn about the different satellites that pass over Ireland, their individual purposes, and the key information each one provides.
The film Home is a powerful and visually engaging documentary that highlights the impact human actions are having on our planet. Directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, it uses stunning aerial footage from around the world to show both the beauty of Earth and the damage being caused to our environment. I am really looking forward to using this resource in my classroom, as this was my first time coming across the film. I found it very impressive. However, I think it is important to use it carefully, as some of the content may be quite intense and overwhelming for certain children.
To introduce the topic, I would begin with a class discussion using questions such as, “What do you already know about the beauty of our planet?” and “How are human actions affecting Earth?” I would then select short, age-appropriate sections of Home, such as scenes showing melting ice caps or large cities, to stimulate discussion and visual awareness.
In small groups, children could create posters, research mini-projects or write reports about ways to help the planet. They could then work together to prepare a whole-
school presentation focusing on an issue such as water use, farming or deforestation.
I completely agree with your ideas. The video may be quite intense and overwhelming for some pupils, so using a short 2–4 minute excerpt and focusing on one or two visuals would make it more manageable and encourage meaningful discussion.
I would begin with the Paxi video as it is an excellent introduction to greenhouse gases for younger learners. The simple language, colourful visuals and friendly character make a complex topic easier to understand. It should capture the children’s attention, encourage curiosity and provide a good starting point for discussing climate change and how we can protect our planet.
Activity 3: Climate Reporters
In this activity, children explore future climate scenarios and consider how rising temperatures could affect their lives. Working in groups, they would discuss possible impacts and suggest ways to reduce or prepare for climate change in their local area. Each group could present their ideas and conclusions to the class, developing communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills.
The temperature prediction tool is another useful hands-on activity. It allows children to change variables such as emissions and see how human actions may influence future temperatures. This helps connect scientific learning with real-life decisions and shows children that their choices can make a difference.
To extend the learning, children could share their findings at a whole-school assembly or create posters and projects to display around the school.
I completely agree with Enya that explaining greenhouse gases in a simple way makes the topic much easier for children to understand without overwhelming them.
Liston believes STEM should connect subjects through problem-solving, creativity and teamwork. Active learning and scientific investigation are central to my teaching. I use children’s experiences and surroundings to support inquiry-based learning. However, I often teach STEM subjects separately. The new curriculum should help me create stronger connections between them.
Activity 1: Is it weather or climate?
This activity provides a clear and engaging way to explain the difference between weather and climate using familiar, everyday examples. The sorting task develops children’s observation, reasoning and critical-thinking skills. The “birthday weather” prompt is especially effective because it is personal and meaningful, helping children connect their own experiences of short-term weather with longer-term climate patterns. I would begin with a whole-class discussion before having children work together in small groups.Activity 2: Weather Detectives
This activity develops important STEM skills through practical investigation. Children take daily temperature readings at the same time and place, learning how to collect reliable data. Creating graphs helps them identify patterns and calculate averages. Comparing classroom results with online information develops digital skills and teaches children to interpret real-world data. We could also share our findings at whole-school assemblies.I love the idea of the weather journal and look forward to using it in this school year. It is an activity for all children and making it part of the daily routine would really work in a classroom.
I chose assignment 3, ‘Nose High Up in The Sky’.
There are three activities:
• Talking about weather
• Sensing the Weather
• Build Your Weather StationI thought that this was a great, hands-on, engaging resource and very practical. A lot of STEM skills would be used for these activities. I found the activity sheets to be nicely presented and easy to follow. Children are encouraged to observe, discuss, ask questions, and interpret data. There are so many opportunities to learn and have fun.
I thought using weather proverbs was a really clever idea. The children would enjoy them and remember them easily. Since we talk about the weather so much in Ireland, this would be a fun and useful topic for them to learn about. It also shows that we don’t always need technology to understand the weather. There are lots of signs all around us in nature that can tell us what’s coming. I really enjoyed hearing the proverbs and learning what they mean. Weather is such a big topic in Ireland, so this fits in really well.
I really enjoyed the simplicity of the Sensing the Weather activity sheet. It is so relevant to the children and simple to understand. The children use their own senses to observe the weather.
In the activity Build your Weather Station there are so many opportunities to get creative and be hands-on all the while exploring ways of doing things. I think the children would love planning and developing theses simple instruments and then using them in their very own Weather Station. The children would have so much fun seeing the results using the instruments which they made themselves.I look forward to using this resource in my classroom.
Research Question: Can our school reduce it’s carbon footprint?
Brainstorm the question as a whole class. Identify the various issues which need to be investigated.
Split the class into groups. Each group will find out information about a different topic. For example, one group could look at how much rubbish and recycling the school is creating. Another group could check how much energy is being used in the school, like heating and lights. Other groups can choose different areas to investigate based on what the class discussed.
Each group will think of ways to improve the school’s carbon footprint based on the topic they studied. For example, they might suggest ways to reduce waste, increase recycling, or use less heating and electricity in the school.
The targets will be shared with each class, and the plan will be put into action. All targets will be tracked and checked over a period of 3 to 4 months to see how well they are working.
The information will be gathered and the results will be graphed on bar and line graphs which integrates nicely with the maths curriculum. Results will be analysed. Conclusions will be drawn from the analysis of the data and a final report will be drafted.
The children could present their research project at a whole school assembly. Hopefully, the plan will lead to positive results and help the school become more environmentally friendly.The film Home is a powerful and eye-catching documentary that shows how human actions are harming the planet. Home is directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. It uses amazing aerial videos from countries to show both the beauty of Earth and the damage we are causing to nature. The film also explains why it’s so important to take action on climate change. I am really looking forward to using this in my classroom. This was the first time I came across this film, Home. It is so impressive. I think you would have to be careful when using this resource in the classroom as I can see how it can be effective yet could be over whelming for some children.
To introduce this topic to the children I would begin with a short class discussion: “What do you already know about Earth’s beauty? How are the actions of humans affecting it?” Then, I’d choose carefully, some segments of HOME—for example, scenes showing disappearing ice caps or sprawling mega cities to stimulate visual awareness. We would discuss what impact we have on our earth and how we can reduce or improve our impact.
In small groups, the children would work together to make posters, research their own mini projects or write reports, and share their ideas on how to help the planet. This helps them understand the facts better and shows them that they can make a real difference. They could work together to create a whole school presentation on one issue from the film for example water use, farming or deforestation.Activity 3: Climate Reporters
I would begin with The Paxi video. This is such a brilliant starting point for introducing the concept of greenhouse gases to younger learners. It’s clear, engaging, and perfectly pitched for primary school age, using simple language and fun visuals to explain a complex topic in a way that makes sense to them. By presenting the information through a friendly character like Paxi, it captures their attention and helps them understand how greenhouse gases work and why they matter. It’s a great way to spark curiosity and start meaningful discussions about climate change and our role in protecting the planet.
In activity 3, Climate Reporters we look at future climate scenarios and analyse how these will impact temperatures. We will discuss actions to help lessen or raise awareness of the impacts caused by an increase in temperatures. Children should acquire some understanding of how a future increase in temperatures may affect their lives. I would get the children to work In groups. They can come up with ideas and suggestions on how to lessen the impacts of climate change in their area. They would present their ideas and conclusions to the class.
The temperature prediction tool is a great hands-on activity that helps the children think about how human actions can affect the environment. By changing variables like emissions, they can see how the decisions we make today might impact the climate in the future. It’s a powerful way to link science with real-life decision making and helps them understand that their choices matter.
I would have the children present their findings to the class. I might extend the activity by having them share their findings at a whole school assembly or create posters and projects to display around the school. This would help spread awareness to the wider school community and give the children a greater sense of purpose and pride in their work.
