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Living in Waterford, it’s easy to see that climate change is already having an impact. We seem to be getting more heavy rainfall, which can lead to local flooding, while warmer summers and changing weather patterns affect wildlife and green spaces. Coastal areas around Waterford are also becoming more vulnerable to rising sea levels and erosion.
To help pupils explore this, I’d encourage them to investigate changes in their local environment. We could take nature walks, record weather patterns, or look at how local rivers, parks, and beaches have changed over time. This would help them connect global climate issues with what they see every day.
Three simple actions we could take are reducing waste by recycling and reusing materials, walking or cycling to school whenever possible instead of using the car, and planting flowers or trees to support biodiversity and absorb carbon. I think it’s important to show children that even small actions can make a difference. If everyone makes positive choices in their daily lives, it can have a real impact on protecting our environment and helping to slow down climate change.
I found that there are several organisations supporting refugees in Waterford, including Waterford Integration Services, which helps refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants with integration, education, employment, and community participation. There is also the South East Refugee Information Centre, which provides advice and support, and the Local Authority Integration Team, which helps refugees settle into the local community.
I think schools can play a huge role in making refugee children and their families feel welcome. Something as simple as assigning a buddy to a new student, celebrating different cultures through food, music, and stories, or learning a few words in another language can help children feel included. Students could also organize a welcome pack with school supplies, books, or handmade cards for new families.
I also think it’s important to teach children about empathy and why people become refugees. Using age-appropriate books and class discussions can help students understand that everyone deserves to feel safe and accepted. Schools could even work with local organizations to organize fundraising events or invite guest speakers to share their experiences.
I like your simple classroom ideas to allow children to see the changes they are making on a small scale and how all small changes add up.
I would choose Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) because it’s something children can connect with every day. In Ireland, children see litter, food waste, and plastic packaging at school and at home. Globally, these issues contribute to pollution, climate change, and harm to wildlife and communities.
To encourage students to take action, I’d focus on simple, practical activities. We could carry out a classroom waste audit, improve our recycling, or organize a school litter pick. Children could also plant flowers or vegetables and learn about reducing food waste and caring for the environment. Giving students the chance to share their own ideas, create posters, or lead an awareness campaign would help them feel involved and responsible.
This supports ESD to 2030 Priority Action Area 5 because it encourages children to take action in their own community. By making small changes locally, they learn that their everyday choices can have a positive impact on the wider world and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
I agree with you that children already have gender ideas before coming to school and it can be hard to change that, cooking is a great idea!
One thing I’ve noticed in the classroom is how early gender stereotypes start to show. For example, during free play, the boys often head straight for the building blocks or cars, while many of the girls choose the dolls or arts and crafts.
I think development education methods can really help challenge these stereotypes because they encourage children to think critically, ask questions, and see things from different perspectives. Instead of telling children they’re wrong, we can use stories, role play, and discussions to show that everyone can enjoy different activities and have different interests. Choosing books with diverse characters, mixing children into different groups, and making sure all toys and activities are presented as being for everyone can also make a big difference.As teachers, we also need to be aware of our own language and expectations. Small changes, like encouraging all children to try every activity and praising effort rather than focusing on gender, can help create a classroom where children feel free to be themselves without worrying about stereotypes. I think starting these conversations early helps children become more open-minded and respectful of others as they grow.
I think integrating it through different subjects and having a cultural awareness day is a great way to include it in the school day/year.
After reading The Role of Global Citizens in Today’s World by Ehigie (2021), I think Development Education is really important because it helps children understand the wider world and how their actions can affect others. It encourages empathy, fairness, respect for different cultures, and thinking critically about global issues like poverty, climate change, and equality. Rather than just learning facts, pupils learn to ask questions and think about solutions.
In my own teaching, I would include Development Education through class discussions, stories from different cultures, group projects, and linking global issues to everyday life. I’d also encourage pupils to take part in activities that promote sustainability and active citizenship.
To encourage colleagues, I’d share simple lesson ideas and useful resources, suggest whole-school events such as Fairtrade or sustainability weeks and highlight how Development Education fits naturally across subjects. Working together as a staff would help create a school culture where global citizenship becomes part of everyday learning rather than an occasional topic.
For my 2nd class, I would love to use songs, poems and art to help the children develop a sense of wonder about the night sky.
I would begin by reading “Stardust” by Michael D. Higgins and discussing the imagery it uses to describe the stars and our place in the universe.
Some other texts and songs I could use include:
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
When You Wish Upon a Star
The Owl and the Pussy-cat
Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear?
Goodnight MoonIn Art, I would encourage the children to create chalk pastel night skies, silhouette paintings of trees beneath a star-filled sky, or moon collages using different textures. We could also listen to calming music while they work and display their artwork alongside lines from the poems we have read.
I think these activities would help my class appreciate that the night sky has inspired artists, musicians and poets for generations, while also reinforcing the Science concepts we have been exploring in a fun and meaningful way.
I agree with making small changes like our outdoor lighting at night and reducing the light pollution as much as possible. sensor lights as security measures rather than lights being constantly on might be a start.
As my school is in a rural area, I think we are in a great position to explore biodiversity with my 2nd class. We have easy access to outdoor spaces around the school, so I would begin by taking the children on a nature walk to look for different plants, insects, birds and other wildlife. The children could work in pairs with a simple checklist or bingo sheet, recording what they find and discussing the habitats they observe.
Once the children are familiar with the wildlife around our school, I would introduce the idea of light pollution. We would discuss how animals such as bats, moths, hedgehogs and owls rely on darkness to feed, hunt or navigate, and how bright streetlights and buildings closer to Waterford City might affect them. I would encourage the children to think about why we might see more wildlife in our rural area than in built-up areas.
As a follow-up art activity, they could create posters showing a healthy nighttime habitat compared to one affected by excessive artificial light. I think this would help the children understand that light pollution doesn’t just affect our view of the stars, but can also have a real impact on the plants and animals living in our local environment.