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I think your question is really thought provoking Cliodhna. I also really like the team effort approach by focusing on roles based on pupils interests. This is definitely an approach I would like to take with my class in September.
My Research Question would be “How has the amount of green space in our local area changed over the last 10 years, and what might this tell us about the effects of urban development on the local climate?”
To encourage pupils to fully engage with this Climate Detectives investigation, I would start by helping them connect the topic to their own lives. We’d begin by discussing what green spaces (like parks, trees, fields) mean to them—places to play, walk dogs, or relax—and explore how these areas help keep our environment healthy by cooling urban spaces, absorbing carbon dioxide, and supporting biodiversity.
Pupils would work in small groups, using a mix of satellite imagery from tools like the EO Browser, old photographs, and local maps to compare changes over time. I would give each group a role (researcher, mapper, presenter, etc.) to encourage collaboration and responsibility.
We’d also explore ways to gather additional data—such as taking photos of local green areas, interviewing family members, or using a class survey. By making the project local, visual, and student-led, pupils become active participants, not just learners—developing both digital skills and environmental awareness in a meaningful way.
Shannon I really like your suggestion to use the EO browser to bring a cross curricular approach. I think the opportunities to do this are vast with EO browser and it really facilitates this nicely, especially as you said with geography and data analysis.
International Space Station (ISS) 🌐
ISS passes over Ireland regularly—it was visible recently just after 8 pm before heading over Orion’s Belt .
Starlink Satellites
Dozens of Starlink “trains” have been seen across Irish skies in recent weeks astronomy.ieFind Starlink. These satellites form a network to provide global internet connectivity.
Copernicus Sentinel‑2
A Sentinel‑2 satellite flew over east‑coast Ireland at midday, capturing multispectral imagery used for tracking vegetation, land use, and coastal changes n2yo.com+2Find Starlink+2astronomy.ie+2weatheire.com.
EIRSAT‑1
Ireland’s first CubeSat, launched in late 2023, continues in a sun‑synchronous orbit and has recently passed overhead Wikipedia. It carries sensors for gamma‑ray bursts, material testing, and attitude control—an inspiring local mission.
NOAA Weather Satellite (e.g., NOAA‑18/19)
While exact pass data wasn’t listed, these satellites regularly pass over Ireland, collecting data on clouds, sea‑surface temperature, and ozone levels detectable via public tracking tools.By engaging with satellite tracking apps and linking orbital passes with mission objectives, pupils develop real-world digital skills and learn to interpret scientific data.
I agree with what you said above Louise. I think showing Paxi video to the younger classes is a fantastic starting point and builds curiosity and intrigue . It also opens the discussion around environmental topics in a child friendly and relatable manner.
I think the film HOME is highly beneficial for children. It combines stunning visuals with clear narrative and environmental messaging. It’s both inspiring and educational, fostering visual literacy and critical thinking. The film HOME is good for children because it uses beautiful visuals, clear storytelling, and a hopeful tone to help them understand the importance of taking care of our planet. It turns complex topics like climate change, deforestation, and pollution into ideas that are easy to grasp and emotionally meaningful. To introduce some of the concepts to my class I would show a clip of part of the film and then use this to start a meaningful and open ended class discussion. I would then plan some interesting follow up activities to ensure children are engaged such as designing a poster of “My Dream World” where children can draw and design a world of clean air, forests and animals etc.
Activity three is an engaging and interavtive lesson for children to explore more about the effects of greenhouse gases. The Paxi video is a child friendly explanation of a big concept.The greenhouse effect can be hard to grasp, but Paxi uses visuals and storytelling to make it clear. The video shows how the Earth stays warm like a greenhouse, helping children see the connection between gases and temperature. Using the SEAI activity “Model the Greenhouse Effect” in the classroom is a fantastic way to help children understand how greenhouse gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. I think this is an activity I will use in my classroom next year. I think a way to improve this activity would be to look at the use of TEAL. While the TEAL tool is a great structure for teaching children about environmental change, it could be improved for classroom use—especially at the primary level—by making it more visual, interactive, and age-appropriate.
I agree also. I think children would love Paxi’s curiosity and the child friendly explanations that make the concepts stick. I think the video also inspires children to ask questions which would allow them to engage in discussions with their peers.
It’s important to teach young children the difference between weather and climate because it helps them build a clear and accurate understanding of the world around them. I think that teaching children the the distinction between short-term (weather) and long-term patterns (climate) helps children with their critical thinking and allows children to develop reasoning skills and think about cause and effect over time. There was definitely lots of food for thought on how to bring the concept of weather detectives into the classroom on a daily basis- depending on the year group you are teaching. I like the idea of role play as meteorologists where children could set up a pretend weather studio.
Children could also take turns being a weather reporter, using maps and props to explain the day’s weather and record their “broadcasts” for fun review.The school garden is such a great idea. We moved into a new building 2 years ago and we have such great opportunities to have a school garden where children can have a hands on approach. Children will also have an opportunity to see the effects of weather on crops and plants , which many may not have currently .
Describe how you could implement a version of “Design Your own Dark Sky place” in your school/classroom?
Creating our own Dark Sky place in our school would really appeal to my Infant class. I would begin by reading a story inspired by the Nights sky, e.g. Fletcher and the Stars by Julia Rawlinson and Tiphanie Beeke to spark the interest of the children. We would examine some images of different skies – sunsets, starry nights, clouds, etc. We would then discuss why dark skies are so important for animals and humans. We would use some of the video clips from Module 4 about light pollution and module 5, dark skies. As a class we would discuss how we could create a dark sky place. We could create our own Dark Sky Place in a corner of our classroom using a tent, blackout blind, etc. We could further this lesson by brainstorming ideas on how we could create these spaces around the school and at home. Children can come up with different ideas how we can reduce lighting pollution and what we can make posters to create awareness of light pollution around our school. The children could be given the opportunity to share their learning at our whole school Assembly.
I had never heard of Kerry Dark Sky Parks so I’m excited to use this. As we are from Kerry it adds a personal level to it. The children will love it, and I’d imagine parents/guardians would be interested too at home to learn about it.
2. How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
To begin this topic, we would create a KWL chart on what we know about nocturnal species. I will show them images of some nocturnal animals on the Interactive board, focusing on ones that would be common in our surrounding area. I could give our some of the animals/insects, e.g. bats, hedgehogs, owls, badgers, to each group and have them do a research project on these. After this we will share our findings. As a class we would brainstorm some ideas which can help improve the lives of nocturnal animals around us. There are some good links in Module 4 to share with the children. After deciding which ideas could be used in our school’s biodiversity plan, we could set to work. We can raise awareness by creating posters to stick up around the school or by presenting to the rest of the school about our findings during our Assembly. This topic is a fantastic opportunity to incorporate lots of areas of the curriculum. Even ‘The Bat Moth Game’ is an idea that we could do during PE.
I love the idea of ‘lights out’ to raise awareness for the children and at home. It’s great to bring these ideas outside of school too.
