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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.
1. Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
Light pollution is a growing concern, especially in urban and suburban areas. It has lots of negative affects around our local area.
We have reduced visibility of stars and planets – Streetlights, security lights, garden lighting, etc. All create a glow and add to light pollution.
Wildlife – Some animals become disorientated due to the artificial lighting, this can then affect their feeding, sleeping habits, reproduction and migration.
I would engage the children by showing them the video clip – ‘What is Light Pollution?’ from NSW. We could then do ‘The Dark Sky Experiment’. For this experiment you set up the room to be completely dark. We will have a flashlight and a teddy bear. I will have the children to shine their flashlight on the teddy and we will discuss – what happens when we shine the flashlight on the toy, does it help us to see it clearly, etc. I will then introduce another light, to be the ‘city light’. This will be a second source of light on the object. We will discuss what happens when we shine the second flashlight on the object, does it make you see it clearly? We will discuss how bright lights make it harder to see clearly and how this is likely to play a part of light pollution in our area. We will brainstorm ideas to help us reduce the light pollution in our area and give a little talk to the other classes to raise awareness of light pollution.
Task 3. Plan to observe the moon – which phase of the moon is best for observing in the morning from school? What dates will that be?
We would begin this topic by showing the children different pictures of the moon and asking them what we see, differences/similarities, etc. Between the pictures. We would watch the Paxi and Our Moons on YouTube. This would explain to the children about the Lunar Cycle. I would use the Lunar eclipse and phases of the Moon – Journey to the Moon from esero resources. We would use the torch, ball and chair to represent the sun, the moon and the earth. I would hand out our observation logs to keep a record of the position of the moon throughout the month of October. We will discuss our findings in class. We would also use ‘timeanddate’ website – ‘Where is the Moon?’. Full moon will be the 7th of October and New moon is the 21st of October.
Hi Killian,
The use of resources like Stellarium are wonderful. The children would love using these and enjoy bringing this home and teaching them about it all.
I love the idea of the chalk. The children would love this. Great ways to incorporate lots of areas of the curriculum. Thank you for that.
2. Construct a sundial in your immediate area or plan for your school grounds to see where a sundial could be placed
Senior end of the school. This idea would be a fantastic cross curricular activity to do with the children. We would begin by having circle time and discussing Time – what helps us to tell the time? We would then start off with how ancient civilisations used sundials and the importance they played in their lives. We would look at different examples of sundials on the interactive board. We would have a recap of shadows and have a few minutes showing how we can make shadows using a torch. For the main activity we would create our own simple sundials by using paper plates and sticking a pencil on it using tape. We’d bring these outside and mark where the shadows fall at particular times of the day. I would question the children throughout activities to further their knowledge. We would do this a number of times throughout the day and discuss our findings. The next activity would be to find the correct location for a sundial on our school grounds. We would get out and survey the school grounds and use a compass to find North to mark on the ground. We will do a sketch in our copies of the location and reasons behind this location. We could construct a temporary (weather dependent) sundial using cardboard bases and a stick as the gnomon before making the final decision. This topic can incorporate lots of different areas of the curriculum and gives the children lots of opportunities to show their learning.
I really like the idea of involving children in the school garden Miriam as a way to actively teach about the impacts of climate change and sustainability. Last year we were lucky enough to move into a brand new school and this year the emphasis is going to be on the outside and gardens so its perfect timing to giving children responsibility of the aspects of the school garden.
There’s no doubt that climate change is significantly impacting my local area in Co Kerry, with noticeable changes such as increased rainfall leading to frequent flooding, rising sea levels threatening coastal areas, and more extreme weather events affecting both the environment and local livelihoods. These changes pose challenges to agriculture, tourism, and the daily lives of the community.
To engage pupils I would introduce a mix of classroom learning and experiential activities. We could start with a series of lessons on the science of climate change, tailored to local examples. Bringing in guest speakers, such as local farmers or environmental scientists, can provide first hand insights into how climate change is affecting Tralee.
Three actions we can take to make the world a better place and slow down climate change include:
Tree Planting Initiatives: Organize tree planting activities within the school grounds or local community. This would be in good keeping with our school as last year a new state of the art building was opened and there is a big emphasis on
incorporating children and responsibility into the school grounds.Reducing Plastic Use: Implement a school-wide campaign to reduce plastic use. Encourage students to use reusable water bottles, lunch containers, and bags. Organize clean-up drives to remove plastic waste from local beaches and parks.
Energy Conservation Projects: Educate students on energy-saving techniques and implement energy conservation measures within the school. Students can be involved in conducting energy audits and possibly this introduction of energy monitors would hand responsibility of this back to the children.
Claire, I love the idea of collecting the plastic bottles from the children for the deposit return scheme. This is a scheme which I could see working very well in my school and an idea I’ll be bringing back with me in September.
Children are and will be one of the most affected groups of our population by climate action at both local and global levels. Locally, initiatives such as reducing plastic use, promoting recycling, and increasing green spaces directly impact their health and environment. Globally, climate action helps mitigate the severe effects of climate change, ensuring a more stable and sustainable future for all children. Issues like extreme weather event and food shortages can have a massive impact on children on a global level.
To encourage students to take action supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ireland, especially under ESD to 2030 Priority Action Area 5, we can try a range of several strategies. Firstly, integrating the SDGs into the curriculum can raise awareness and understanding of global challenges and the importance of local actions. Projects and assignments could focus on themes such as clean energy, sustainable cities, and responsible consumption.
Organizing school-wide sustainability initiatives, like clean-up campaigns, and waste reduction competitions, can actively involve students in making tangible changes. As we know children learn by doing and this active learning will encourage these initiatives to hopefully be implemented as they grow and develop.
