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I also like the idea of inviting guest speakers into the school, be they local historians, scientists, parents, grandparents or friends of the school community. Sharing their knowledge and expertise with the children and teachers is worthwhile. The teacher can’t be an expert on all content!
Our school is housed in a very historical building with strong links to Padraig Mac Piarais and the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. Mac Piarais had a very clear vision for education in this country and we, as a school, do our best to follow his ideals. We do this through the language, music, art, drama and outdoor studies. When celebrating our 25th anniversary in our school, every class visited the Pearse Museum in Rathfarnham, who we have a close relationship with. We then used that experience and connection and each child designed an individual piece of work, using different materials, based on different themes, such as, modes of transport, styles of clothing, types of houses etc….linking Mac Piarais’s time to ours. We displayed all the individual pieces in our halla and had a week-long celebration of music and poetry with the whole school community involved. The outside classroom was important to our past educators, and in the last five years we have introduced forest school as part of our SESE and wellbeing programmes. Each class gets to explore and learn in an outdoor setting, gaining valuable life skills. We value our heritage and want to pass it on to the next generation.
Our school is also based in Dublin, Louise. It actually surprises me the amount of children that do not go into town and may not have seen the bridges and monuments of our city. I think, depending on age, of course, that a school trip or visit to these sites allows for a direct experience of their scale and design which can differ from how they appear in photographs.
Bridges are one of the most important structures in our world, connecting us to new places and to one another. There are many different types of bridges that use different materials to support vehicles and people. Some last for thousands of years with the strength coming from its structure. They use angles and shapes to distribute the weight. I am going to get the children working as historians, mathematicians and engineers during this lesson. Our school is located in a very historical Georgian building connected to the Easter Rising 1916. As a starting point I would bring the class to visit O’Connell Bridge in Dublin city centre and on returning to the classroom get the children to create a bridge out of paper and see how many coins it can hold before collapsing.
o Discuss the importance of O’Connell Bridge in Irish history and view the famous statues and monuments – James Larkin and Daniel O’Connell.
o Discuss its width and its length and how it connects the south and northside of the city.
o Look at the various shapes and angles.
o Return to the classroom and design a paper bridge.
o Create a gap and lay an A4 sheet of paper across the top. Put coins on the paper. What happens? Record.
o Fold the paper in half and repeat. What happens? Record.
o Repeat, but fold the paper and create two 90 degree angles on both sides. What happens? Record.
o Continue to experiment with different shapes and folds.
o Compare and contrast and find which bridge design holds the most coins.
This lesson encourages collaboration, team building, problem solving and creativity skills, using very simple every day materials. Designing a paper bridge is suitable for any age group also.
I agree with the nature journals or diaries. Children love working as scientists, researching, investigating, asking questions, experimenting and then recording their findings. Recordings can be written or visual or both, therefore suiting all abilities and engaging every child. Children also enjoy sharing their results and findings.
As I mentioned in an earlier forum, our school is located in an urban area and we have very little green space. However, over the years, we have incorporated small changes to our biodiversity plan. In an urban or city location, we can feel helpless when it comes to biodiversity, but we can all do something to help it and it starts on our own doorstep. While we use our local park for many activities due to our limited space, I feel it is still good to show the children that changes can be made even in limited and challenging circumstances. Our school, as part of the Green Schools programme, has installed bird and bat boxes to the school building. We have had birds nesting and it is joyful to hear and see birds in our school surroundings. We hang bird feeders outside classroom windows or on the balconies. Children are encouraged to observe and record their findings in a little nature diary. One of my colleagues had a wormery on the balcony, which got children and teachers from all classes involved. We have planted and watched vegetables, such as lettuce, spinach, onions and potatoes growing in our window boxes, creating ecosystems while doing so. We are and want to do more to promote biodiversity in our urban school, they may be small changes, but very worthwhile for the school community. Different seasons offer different resources and challenges, and we should highlight and bring the children’s attention to the various changes to the animals, plants and organisms in our environments.
Being an urban school and with limited outdoor space, we often use the local park for outdoor activities, such as athletics, GAA training sessions, forest school etc….On our many walks to and from the park(about 15mins each way) we could map the journey and locate and mark all the main streets and amenities on our walk – local supermarket, coffee shop, newsagent, chemist, playground, hardware shop etc…
Give the children their mini white boards and get them to locate and mark or draw the streets and attractions/amenities as we walk to the park.
On our return to the classroom, discuss and share our observations and knowledge of our locality.
Use the Google Maps app and select ‘Street View’ and compare and contrast the children’s individual work with the Google image.
Create a whole classroom map, using colour and symbols, and display it on one of the large display boards. Úna Halpin’s idea of a 3D map using Lego would go down a treat with some of the children. Both types of maps could be shared with the whole school community at our weekly ‘tionól’.
I think this activity is very enjoyable, and children like being creative and would like to research and design the local map. While researching, they begin to get curious and want to explore and wonder more. The cross curricular linkage is very valuable and different subject areas touched on is always advantageous to the children.I like the concept of the key, Niamh- great idea. I would add the 3D mapping too, either outside or inside. Teachers working in SET could get great enjoyment and engagement using lego with small groups, something I will experiment with myself next year.
I remember making these rainbow spinners myself as a child! They were great fun and we brought them home and played with them. They are a lovely idea, especially for the junior and middle classes, and I like the linkage with other subjects, such as Maths and Art.
Like many others, I grew up looking up at the night time sky. We used to look out for The Plough or The Saucepan, as we called it – seven stars – four stars making the pan and the remaining three forming the handle. It is a lovely memory!
In the city I rarely look up at the night time sky. Therefore, I think it is valuable for the children to be given the opportunity. I have taught senior classes for the past few years and I have shown the children how to use Stellarium Web, a useful web-based planetarium tool. Stellarium can be used to navigate the night sky, as well as find key celestial objects, such as the North Star, planets, the Moon, and the seasonal constellations. The children will see that the night sky never stays the same throughout the night, or from day to day. I usually ask the class to:
1. Watch the video for information on how to use Stellarium Web.
2. Looking at the night sky tonight in Stellarium at your location, where is the Moon? Look for the Moon in the night time sky, turn on the constellations, and see what constellation it is in front of.
3. What is the phase of the Moon? (Zoom in to better see its phase.)
4. Skip ahead three days. (Change the date to three days in the future.) a) Where is the Moon now? What constellation is it in? b) What is its phase? (If you can’t find the Moon just by changing the day, change the time also. It might only be visible later at night.)
5. What is another name for the North Star?I like the idea of involving grandparents or cairde na scoile and asking or interviewing them for old piseógs and traditions. The collection of old stories and traditions would make a nice display and a talking point, and could be used to tie in with grandparent’s day, which I know many schools host.
Songs/Poems/Art:
The night can influence culture and inspire art. Artists capture the mysterious beauty of the night sky. ‘Starry Night’ by Van Gogh is a famous painting depicting the sky just before sunrise. The swirling patterns give energy and movement. Children enjoy creating their own version and they make a lovely classroom display.
Dark skies influence literary writings, and there are many to choose from. ‘The Moon’ by Robert Louis Stevenson, where the poet pays tribute to the moon, is a good poem to explore with senior classes. I also really like the poem ‘An Ghealach’ by Caitríona Ní Chléirchín. She calls the moon ‘banríon na spéartha’.
Videos are good triggers to introduce a new topic. The cultural connection that music has with the night sky is demonstrated in some of these videos. The cover version of David Bowie’s ‘Starman’ which was produced for Spaceweek 2018 could be used to get the children thinking and wondering. We could compile a list of songs that includes the theme of space or night sky. My sixth class love a karaoke session and we could pick a song from our list and have some fun and entertainment at our ‘Am Órga’ on Fridays. One of my own personal favourites is ‘Meet You at the Moon’ by Imelda May. ‘A Spaceman Came Travelling’ by Chris de Burgh is a festive favourite, where the star of Bethlehem is a space craft, it sets the nativity scene, which the children like and connect with.
The night sky inspires science, art, music and literature. Until recently our ancestors experienced and enjoyed a clear night sky full of stars. Hopefully it will keep on giving!
Biodiversity:
Our school is located in an urban area and we have very little green space. However, over the years, we have incorporated small changes to our biodiversity plan. As suggested in the video by Laois County Council, we can feel helpless when it comes to biodiversity, but we can all do something to help it and it starts on our own doorstep. It is good to show the children that changes can be made even in limited and challenging circumstances. Our school, as part of the Green Schools programme, has installed bird and bat boxes to the school building. We have had birds nesting and it is joyful to hear and see birds in our school surroundings. We hang bird feeders outside classroom windows or on the balconies. One of my colleagues had a wormery on the balcony, which got children and teachers from all classes involved. Growing vegetables in window boxes is something that is in our plans to create ecosystems. We are and want to do more to promote biodiversity in our urban school, they may be small changes, but very worthwhile for the school community.
We know from module 3 that light pollution has a big impact on our nocturnal birds and animals, affecting their breeding and migration. They don’t know night from day. They have disturbed sleep and can get disorientated. They can end up being preyed on, trapped or even killed.
I agree Claire. Over night school tours give the children an opportunity to look up and see the night time sky. I have done these tours with my class, but never thought to bring them outside when it is dark and do some star gazing. I will next time!
Light Pollution:
Like many others on this forum, I grew up looking up at the night time sky. We used to look out for The Plough or The Saucepan, as we called it – seven stars – four stars making the pan and the remaining three forming the handle. It is a lovely memory!
In the city I rarely look up at the night time sky. When I first lived in Dublin I think I was so caught up by everything else going on around me, I forgot to look up, day or night! As Fred, the astronomer, said in the video, too much light stops us seeing and interpreting the magic of the night sky, for example, street lighting, light from homes, sport pitches lighting etc…
I would like to use the short video of Fred, as a trigger for my class. The information and tips shared by Fred applies to us all. I think the children would hate to see the effect light pollution has on nocturnal animals, affecting their breeding and migration. The Dark Sky Planning Guidelines are simple, effective ways for the children to get thinking and to be active – switching off lights, directing light downwards, only using light when and where needed and using environmentally friendly warm coloured light bulbs. It is important to reiterate to the children that every action we take will help improve visibility in the night sky. Small changes can have a huge impact.
