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This is a really well structured lesson. Starting with a brainstorm lets children share what they already know before watching the video, which is great practice. It gets every child thinking and talking straight away. Watching the Ireland Climate Action video gives the lesson a real local connection, making climate change feel relevant to the children. Discussing specific points like electric cars keeps children engaged and thinking critically. The poster activity is excellent because children are creating something real and meaningful. Linking the lesson to the Green Schools Committee is a brilliant idea, giving children a genuine audience for their work and making them feel their efforts actually matter.
The HOME video is immediately engaging for children. It’s photography creates amaxement and wonder, showing Earth’s beauty while simultaneously revealing the damage human’s can and have caused. The visual impact is far more powerful than reading about this in a book. The children would respond well to the images shown.The video effectively connects human behaviour to environmental consequences in a way children can understand and feel emotionally. Seeing deforestation, melting ice caps, and polluted waterways makes abstract climate concepts concrete and real. HOME is an exceptional classroom resource which I had never heard of before. It creates the emotional hook that makes children genuinely care about climate data they subsequently analyse, making all follow up STEM activities far more purposeful and personally meaningful.
Michael
Using history as a baseline before tracking temperature change over time gives children genuine context and makes the data meaningful. Graphing results is an excellent idea as the children see the trend visually rather than just reading numbers.
Your three stage structure works beautifully incorporating understand the past, analyse the present, predict the future. Finishing with what children can actually do is so important.
I feel I could use activity three with my class by firstly ensuring they are familiar with the vocabulary. After watching the video I would ask them for some familiar and unfamilar words which stood out for them. After ensuring the children have enough language to engage with the task. I think it will be important to reinforce that predictions use patterns from the past. The children could then work in groups using Teal to determine the outcome and represent it on posters through words, sentences or pictograms. Once the children have finished the main activity I think it would be nice to allow each group to present their chart to the class like a weather report.
Dolores I love doing various design and make tasks with the children. I recently took part in a pilot programme for the draft STE curriculum and we followed the engineering process. It worked well with even children as young as 1st class. We focused on using empathy as our strating point to create the problem and it really opened up the ideas for solving problems and creating new designs and prototypes for the children. It was all child led and the children were very invested in their work.
Weather and Climate Activity 1:
With regard to the Weather or Climate resource and activities. I really liked activity one and feel it could be very useful in pairs as suggested or in small group work where the children make their own signs, one saying ‘weather’ and one saying ‘climate’. Then they could write down a few sentences each or cut them out from a printed copy , depending on ability and sort them onto the signs. This would also be nice to display their own work in the classroom after which I always find the children enjoy. On completing the tasks they could compare and contrast their responses with other groups and engage in some debate and defending their answers if needed. Activity 2 content seemed a bit more advanced for the age that I would be teaching but for the older classes allows for determining their understanding of the topic in a hands on way.
I really like the integration with PE. It would not have occurred to me to try to integrate science and PE but it would work so well in this instance.
The “Fizzing and Foaming” lesson for infants reveals the power of hands-on, sensory-rich activities in early science education. This type of lesson engages young learners by tapping into their natural curiosity and excitement about the world around them.
The “Fizzing and Foaming” lesson typically involves simple chemical reactions, such as combining baking soda and vinegar to create an effervescent, bubbling effect. This visual and tactile experience captivates infants, making abstract scientific concepts more concrete and understandable.
One of the key strengths of this lesson is its ability to introduce foundational scientific principles in a playful and accessible way. Infants learn about reactions, cause and effect, and basic chemistry through direct observation and participation. This not only builds their scientific knowledge but also enhances their critical thinking and observational skills.
Moreover, the lesson supports the development of fine motor skills as children measure, pour, and mix ingredients. It also fosters language development as they describe what they see, feel, and hear, using new vocabulary related to the experiment.
This lesson can be flexible and can be easily adapted to different learning environments and needs. The excitement generated by the fizzing and foaming reaction often leads to further inquiry and exploration, encouraging a lifelong interest in science.
Overall, the “Fizzing and Foaming” lesson is an excellent example of how hands-on, sensory activities can make learning both fun and meaningful for young children.
Great idea to use the vaseline on a child’s hand to show waterproofing. I have used disposable gloves before but this is a great new way to try!
Milo and Marvin offer interactive stories and activities designed to captivate children’s attention while teaching foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Their vibrant animations and relatable characters make learning fun and approachable for young children, helping to foster a positive attitude toward education from an early age.
ESA Kids is a fantastic resource provided by the European Space Agency, offering a wealth of information about space tailored specifically for young learners. The website features games, activities, and educational content that make complex scientific concepts accessible and exciting. It encourages curiosity about the universe and supports STEM education by introducing children to space exploration and astronomy in a playful, engaging manner.
stellarium-web.org is an online planetarium that allows students to explore the night sky from anywhere in the world. For infants, it can be used to introduce the concepts of stars, planets, and constellations in an interactive way. Teachers can use Stellarium to create virtual stargazing sessions, making astronomy tangible and fascinating for young minds.
Together, these resources provide a comprehensive suite of tools that support diverse aspects of early childhood education, from basic literacy and numeracy to inspiring curiosity about science and the natural world. Their interactive and visually appealing formats are particularly effective in maintaining the engagement and interest of infant learners.
I really like the idea of the children recording their Martians in front of a green screen. The children would love creating their own cartoon/show.
I would begin the lesson by gathering the children in a circle and showing them the cover of the book “The Stars” by Martha E. H. Rustad.
I would ask, “What do you see in the night sky?” and listen to their responses.
I would read the book aloud, discussing the illustrations and facts about stars.
I would then explain that stars are huge balls of burning gas that shine in the sky.I would introduce the concept of constellations and how people have used them to navigate.
Then I would hand out black construction paper and white crayons or chalk.
I would get the children to draw their own night sky filled with stars.
Encouraging them to create their own constellations by connecting the stars.
I would also hand out star stickers or cutouts for students to add to their drawings.
Then I would have the children share their starry night drawings with the class.
And ask each student to describe their constellation and what they named it.
You could sing a simple star-related song, such as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
Reinforce the wonder of stars and encourage students to look up at the night sky with curiosity and imagination.I would also review key points: Stars are far away, they form patterns called constellations, and they have guided people for thousands of years.
I think the children would really enjoy seeing the video about Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. They love engaging with videos and pictures from ‘long ago’.
The Planets
Objective:
Students will learn about the planets in our solar system through a fun and engaging song and activity
Materials:- Planet Song
- Planet images
- Paper
- Crayons or markers
- Scissors
- Glue sticks
- Large paper for a solar system collage
- Introduction:
- Show a picture of the solar system.
- Briefly introduce the planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
- Engagement:
- Play the Planet Song video.
- Encourage students to sing along and do simple hand motions for each planet.
- Activity:
- Show children the planet images and discuss various characteristics of each planet
- Ask children to recreate a planet and cut it out
- Children glue colored planets onto a large paper to create a class solar system collage.
- Review:
- Sing the Planet Song again, pointing to each planet on the collage.
- Ask students to name their favorite planet and share one fact they learned.
Conclusion:
Reinforce the planet names and positions, fostering excitement and curiosity about space exploration
