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What a great list of songs for evoking curiosity in children. I always find song lyrics with a catchy tune to be very beneficial for children to grasp concepts and be fully engaged with topics.
I have something very similar to a dark night sky space in my school building as part of our calm room set up. It is a fantastic space that mimics a natural night sky and it has also been used to teach science, biodiversity, and light pollution.
Blackout blinds or dark fabric are used to block windows. String warm, dim fairy lights or a star projector across the ceiling. Add floor cushions and red-light torches so pupils can see without ruining “night vision.”We have a projector with space constellations on one wall that rotates and changes the images and can provide ample teaching opportunities where students can record star counts, and discuss how darkness supports wildlife. Pupils can write reflective pieces or do art under the stars.
This “Dark Sky Place” turns abstract ideas into experience, helping children value darkness as a habitat worth protecting. And it is a multi use space which is beneficial to the entire school community.
What a wonderful way to introduce these topics to children across all classes in our schools and the use of songs and lyrics can be so beneficial to their learning.
Dark skies are habitats too, and many nocturnal species in my area depend on them. My school’s biodiversity plan will predominantly focus on light, sound and shelter.
Pupils can survey the school grounds and highlight where lights spill and note which areas they think will stay dark. Reducing unnecessary lighting and using warm, downward-facing lights should support a number of species.
Collaborating with our local tidy towns and mens shed groups we will look to incorporate bat boxes, log piles, and native hedgerows for foraging routes and children can plant night-scented flowers like honeysuckle to support moths and the bats that feed on them.
By linking darkness to biodiversity, children learn that protecting the night supports wildlife, reduces energy use, and reconnects us to the natural cycles of our local ecosystem. It also shows children that small steps can have positive outcomes for our wider environment.
I was thinking the same thing about it being a perfect topic for project work or a collaborative activity that could be carried out and the cross curricular opportunities are huge too.
Light pollution in our local area means our night sky is slowly fading. The glow from streetlights, shops, and nearby Dublin washes out stars that once guided people here. For children growing up now, the Milky Way is often invisible, and constellations feel like stories, not sights. This matters because it disconnects children from nature’s rhythms and wastes energy.
To explore this, pupils can become “dark sky detectives.” On a clear evening, students could go on a short walk, oreferably outside the town and count how many stars they can see then compare to a dark-sky chart. Back in class, we can map light sources around the school and discuss which lights are needed and which are wasteful.
By observing, recording, and asking “what can we change?”, children learn science and stewardship.
I agree that the Stellarium resources would be perfect to implement during Space week and they are really engaging and easy for children to follow.
Autumn Evening Sky Observing Plan
The aim of the lesson is for children to observe and record which planets are visible in the autumn evening sky as part of their homework
The children will be asked to carry out weekly observations from September to November on clear, dark nights.
Prior to the observation we will use Stellarium in the class to see that Saturn rises in the east after sunset and Jupiter appears mid-evening in the south in September however in October and November Jupiter and Saturn are both high in the southern sky and easy to see. Venus appears low in the southwest at dusk. Mars rises later in the east.
The observation will be carried out in 3 steps:
1. Use a compass to find south and west.
2. At the same time each week, note planet positions, brightness, and colour.
3. Sketch the sky and record time, direction, and weather.At the end of the observation period. Students will compare weekly records. Students see that Jupiter and Saturn dominate autumn evenings, while Venus and Mars change position, showing planets move at different speeds.
“Tracking the Sun”
The aim of the lesson will be for students to observe and record how the sun’s position changes from sunrise to sunset.
The observation will be carried out in the schoolyard on a clear and sunny day.
They will use a compass to draw a circle on the ground with chalk and then Mark “N, S, E, W” on it. They will place a stick upright in the center.
At 3 set times – morning, midday, and afternoon the class will observe where the circle and mark the end of the stick’s shadow with chalk.
For each time, they will note the time, draw the shadow’s direction on paper, and measure shadow length. They will also sketch where the sun appears in the sky, low in the east, high in the south, low in the west.
The class will compare their recordings. Students notice the sun rises in the east, is highest at midday, and sets in the west, while shadows are longest in morning/evening and shortest at noon.A lovely example of a scientist who fosters the spirit of curiosity in our students and encourages them to explore the biodiversity in their area.
Engineer William Dargan (1799-1867) is perfect for inspiring classroom science in my class as he was from the same area as my school.
He was known as Ireland’s “father of railways” and built huge projects like the Dublin to Kingstown railway, the Grand Canal docks, and the tunnel at Bray Head. He was a problem-solver who used observation, materials testing, and lots of trial and error — exactly what we do in science.
His work can be used to inspire children to explore different topics and carry out build and make activities such as track or bridge building.
He could also be used to engage children in critical thinking about tunneling through Bray head mountain which is familiar to the children.
William Dargan was also involved in designing the docklands which could be linked to transporting of materials and lessons based around boat building could be carried out to introduce buoyancy, floating, materials and change.
With regard to his work with designing bridges this links peefectly with STEM and mathematical thinking particular.What a great idea to use the rice bridge for this lesson. A real life example that your students are familiar with will be really beneficial.
I would introduce the concept that Engineers use maths to design strong, safe bridges and share that we will work in groups to explore and test different designs that will hold a small bag of coins.
Different bridges will be displayed on the whiteboard – arch/rope/beam etc. to encourage questioning about materials and what maths language – length, shapes, strength etc.
Introduce new vocabulary -span,load, support, beam, arch, triangle etc.
Break into small groups and give 2 sheets of paper to explore whether a square or triangle would be stronger.
Brainstorm ideas and what classroom materials they will use.Design their bridge on paper and gather materials they will need.
Build their bridges in groups ensuring they test its strength and ability to hold the small bag of coins. Make amendments if needed.
Showcase their bridges to the rest of the class before having a whole class discussion on which design and materials were the most or least effective and why.
I found the trail walk resources really effective and accessible for conducting seasonal biodiversity projects, particularly the tick sheets which can be amended to suit your local area and class group. The idea of adding in a competitive element of 2 points for correct identification or minus points for incorrect identification would work really well with my students as it would prevent them from ticking everything on the page. The tick sheets can be used to monitor the changes to the local flora and fauna as the seasons change throughout the year. This could be incorporated into our ‘well-being Wednesday’ nature walks already in place as the children could monitor and record what they are seeing at various stages of the year on their Ipads and have a digital record of progression and changes they are seeing. This would link perfectly with STEM and SPHE curriculum objectives and also incorporate elements of digital literacy.