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Addressing climate change at a young age is crucial for fostering environmental responsibility from a young age. Ways to target climate change could be-
Science and Geography Lessons-
Include lessons on the science of climate change, its causes, and effects. Discuss the greenhouse effect, carbon footprint, and the impact of human activities on the environment. Teach students about local environmental issues, such as the impact of rising sea levels on Ireland’s coastline or changes in local wildlife patterns due to climate change. Use stories, poems, and art projects to explore themes related to nature and climate change. For example, students can read books about climate change, write their own stories, or create art depicting a healthy planet.
Engage with the Green Schools Program, which promotes environmental awareness and action in schools. This program encourages waste reduction, energy conservation, and sustainable practices.Another Kerry based teacher on this forum but yes Tralee International resource centre is a huge asset for migrant families and those seeking international protection. They also run language classes for different age groups at different times of the year. TIRC provided funding to our school to run a parenting course for Ukrainian parents with a translator. This course ran for 6 weeks and was a huge help to explain the Irish education system to these parents and to answer questions we would never have predicted. In Ukraine parents would have the phone number of the teacher and could contact them directly and they were all surprised at the differences between the systems.
NEWKD – North East West Kerry Development also do alot of work with migrant groups and put on anti racism training during the year.
Promoting climate action in the primary school classroom in can be done in various engaging and educational ways. Here are some activities that align with sustainable goal 13. 1. Integrate Climate Education Across Subjects- Teach children about the science of climate change, renewable energy sources, and the importance of biodiversity. Explore the effects of climate change on different regions and around the world. Encourage students to read books, write essays, and create artwork related to environmental themes.2. Hands-On Learning and Projects
Gardening: Start a school garden to teach students about growing their own food, composting, and the importance of plants. Implement a school-wide recycling program, teaching students how to properly sort waste and the importance of reducing waste.
Conduct energy audits of the school to identify ways to reduce energy consumption and involve students in developing solutions.3. Celebrate significant days such as Earth Day. Organise activities and lessons around Earth Day to raise awareness and celebrate the planet.I think it would be a nice idea to have stations to teach about the moon
Ipad Station- Watching the moon landing on Youtube / a short clip of Neil Armstrong and his famous “One small step for man, One giant leap for mankind”
Sensory Station- A moon walk station- Using foam, bubble wrap, cushions etc to recreate what It would have felt like to walk on the moon.- integration with Drama here
Role play station: Dress up station for Astronauts where they pretend to to be taking off on their rocket and how they feel when they land on the moon.
Writing station: Sending a short and simple postcard home from a spaceship. Focus on To and From and a simple sentence with support.
Maths Station- making your own rocket using 2d shapes- some regular, some irregular.
We tend to use stations for literacy and maths but why not extend this to a specific theme and cover the curricular areas this way.
Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky? For example: Look up President Michael D Higgins’ “Stardust”
Here are just a few I foudn online!!
Starry Starry Night” (Vincent) by Don McLean – Inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s painting “Starry Night”.
“Nightswimming” by R.E.M. – Reflective of nighttime and nostalgia.
“The Night We Met” by Lord Huron – A song about reminiscing under the night sky.
“Drops of Jupiter” by Train – Mentions the stars and the universe.
“Midnight City” by M83 – Evokes a nocturnal and atmospheric feeling.
“Northern Lights” by Thirty Seconds to Mars – Inspired by the natural phenomenon often seen in the night sky.
“A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay – Incorporates imagery of stars and the night sky.
“Blackbird” by The Beatles – Though not explicitly about the night sky, it has poetic imagery that can evoke a similar feeling.
“Moonlight Sonata” by Ludwig van Beethoven – A classical piece that captures the serene and mysterious nature of the moonlit night.
“Sail to the Moon” by Radiohead – Includes celestial imagery and themes.
Heres a nice poem I found also
The Baby’s Star
by John B. Tabb
The Star that watched you in your sleep
Has just put out his light.
“Good-day, to you on earth,” he said,
“Is here in heaven Good-night.“But tell the Baby when he wakes
To watch for my return;
For I’ll hang out my lamp again
When his begins to burn.”Or one I used to love to say to my own children when they were young
Star Light, Star Bright Star light, star bright, First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might Have the wish I wish tonight.
I think you have a practical approach here and I teach 6th class and could see them getting on board with something like this.
How to incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans
We have a biodiversity plan but I never considered this before. On reading the material in this course I found out that Light pollution, the excessive or misdirected artificial light at night, has significant impacts on nocturnal animals. These animals, adapted to the dark, rely on natural night-time conditions for foraging, navigation, mating, and avoiding predators.
To protect nocturnal wildlife from the adverse effects of light pollution on school grounds several measures could be implemented:
Shielding Lights: Use fixtures that direct light downward and reduce glare.
Dimming Lights:Reduce the intensity of outdoor lighting
Using Warm Lights: Opt for lights with longer wavelengths (e.g., amber LEDs) that are less disruptive to wildlife.
Creating Dark Sky Reserves: Designate areas where artificial lighting is minimized to preserve natural night conditions.
Timing Controls: Implement motion sensors and timers to ensure lights are on only when necessary.
This is not without budgetary and security implications though for schools.
As many have already said here, living in rural Ireland, I am lucky enough to witness dark skies everynight. I teach in a town about 30 mins away though and the children there would have a different experience at night. Most live in a neighbouring estate. I would fistly brainstorm with the kids about light pollution, maybe through a kwl… Over the course of a week, I will get the children to survey sources of light as they are going to bed at night… we will discuss the environmental risks and the mental health implications for people. We will then move onto designing a plan to reduce light sources in an ideal world… firstly maybe starting in our own school and homes through use of sensor lights then on a larger scale discuss how councils could improve the situation. Maybe discuss a community awareness programme where locals could be educated on the impact of light. Also we might look at simple swaps to led lights and I would show them the energy use od leds compared to traditional lighting.
Space Week ideas for the Junior classes using Aistear
Small world Area: Using the sand Pit area, Place foam balls to resemble planets, lego figurines of astronauts in the sand. Use tinfoil and pebbles to add different textures to the sand.
Arts and Crafts Area: Paint foam shapes to resemble planets, Making rocket ships our of foam pieces, Make a picture which is half day/half night.
Use playdoh to make a 3d Martian
Role Play area. Dressing as an astronaut/Walking on the moon for the first time Meeting an alien for the first time etc
Literacy Area: Using adjectives to describe a martian from their own imagination
Sending postcards to the martians, Making a passport to travel to Space
The older classes like first and second could do simple procedural writing to inform the martians how to do everyday activities such as getting a bowl of cereal or making a cup of tea.
