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Straight away, the work of W.B. Yeats came to my mind, especially his poem “He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven”. I think this poem would be a lovely starting point for a 5th class lesson on light pollution, as it gives the children a chance to think about the night sky in a creative way as well as scientifically.
I would begin by showing the children images of Ireland at night, including a light pollution map, and ask them what they notice. We could discuss why some areas are very bright while others are dark and what effect this might have on our ability to see stars. I would then introduce a few lines from Yeats’ poem and discuss the beautiful images he creates of the night sky. The children could talk about what they think the “cloths of heaven” might look like and why Yeats compares the night sky to something that can be woven.
The children could then explore the difference between a dark and light-polluted sky using Stellarium. They could compare how many stars and constellations they can see in a dark location compared with a bright urban area. This would link nicely with the science focus on light and the maths focus on recording and displaying data.
For the creative part of the lesson, I would ask the children to design their own “cloths of heaven”. They could create a drawing, painting or collage showing what their ideal night sky would look like. They could include stars, constellations, the Moon and other features of the night sky. They could also write a short poem or descriptive paragraph to go with their artwork.
Finally, we could discuss how artificial light can make it harder to enjoy the night sky and how we could reduce light pollution. This would allow the children to connect Yeats’ poem with a real environmental issue in their own locality. We are not from Sligo but our landscape is similar in many ways!I would engage the 3rd class children in exploring biodiversity in their local area by focusing on the plants and animals they can find around their urban school. I would begin by showing the children a short video of bats flying at night and asking them what animals they think are awake during the night. The class could make a list of nocturnal animals and discuss how they are able to live and find food in the dark.
As our school is in an urban area, I would take the children on a trip to the local town park and nearby hedgerows. Working in small groups, the children could look for different plants, trees, birds, insects and other signs of wildlife. They could record what they find on a simple biodiversity checklist and take notes or draw pictures of the animals and plants they see. The children could then make a simple map of the park, showing areas where animals can find food, water and shelter.
We would then discuss light pollution and how artificial light from streetlights, buildings and security lights might affect animals. The children could look at how bright different areas of the park are and predict whether they would find more nocturnal animals in darker places. We would discuss how light can affect bats, moths and other insects.Finally, the children could design a wildlife-friendly area for the school or town park. They could draw their ideas, such as planting wildflowers, providing shelter for animals and reducing unnecessary lighting. Each group could present their ideas to the class and explain how they would help local biodiversity.
The class will take part in a project about protecting the night sky in the town of Mullingar and come up with their own title. It will work well for Science Week in our school but would take several weeks to complete. The children will investigate why the night sky is important and how artificial light can affect people, wildlife, and the environment. The project will use practical activities and cooperative group work to ensure all children can actively participate. I would imagine that more than one teacher would need to be involved with the group I will be working with this year.
The project will begin with a class discussion about what the children can see in the night sky in Mullingar. Working in small groups, they will sort and classify pictures of stars, the Moon, wildlife, streetlights, and buildings. The class will learn how light pollution makes it harder to see the stars and how it can affect local wildlife such as bats, moths, and birds. The variety of wildlife will need to be explicity taught.
The children will carry out a light survey around the school grounds and nearby streets. In groups, they will count different types of outdoor lights and record their findings using tally charts. They will use the results to create simple bar graphs and compare which areas have the most artificial lighting. The children will also complete observational drawings of the daytime and night-time sky and design a Dark Friendly Street using recycled materials, showing ways to reduce unnecessary lighting.
Children with special educational needs will be supported through visual schedules, picture cards, word banks, structured group roles, and adult support. They will complete adapted tasks such as matching pictures of night-time animals to their habitats, sorting examples of helpful and harmful lighting, or creating a labelled collage of a dark sky using pre-cut images and symbols.
The project will conclude with each group presenting their graphs, models, drawings, and findings to the class. The children will discuss simple actions that the school and the local community in Mullingar can take to reduce light pollution and help protect the night sky for people and wildlife.The moon is fascinating for children and during the school year I allude to the different phases of the moon or to important events regarding the moon inspired by posts I see on Instagram. This module has shown me much more concrete child friendly resources to explore this more deeply. The best time for pupils to observe the Moon during the school day is in the Spring because the Moon is often visible in the afternoon and sometimes during the morning. For the 2025–2026 school year, good dates to plan observations include the 6th of January 2025, 5th of February 2025, 6th of March 2025, 26th of January 2026, 24th of February 2026, and 25th of March 2026. The best time to observe is during the first quarter moon.
The children would go out to the yard daily for a short observation. They will look for the Moon and record what they see in a simple Moon Log. The log could include the date, time, weather, a drawing of the Moon, and one or two sentences describing its shape and where it is in the sky. The class will repeat this over several weeks and compare how the Moon changes. Back in the classroom, pupils will discuss their observations and identify patterns in the Moon’s phases.
For a child with special educational needs, the activity can be simplified by providing a Moon Log with picture symbols and Moon phase picture cards to match instead of drawing. Children could record observations by colouring or ticking the correct Moon shape instead of writing full sentences. This allows every pupil to take part and enjoy the investigation.
Before planning a simple STEM activity to help the children to learn about the Sun I would explore the fact that the sun does not actually move around the Earth . This activity would take place over a week.
After the morning meeting , they would go outside to observe where the Sun is rising. They would draw a simple picture or mark its position on a chart. They would repeat this activity at 12p.m. and again later in the afternoon before home time. I would also set a follow up task for homework for that week. Children could observe where the Sun sets in the evening and record this at home in the same manner.
The class would use a recording sheet with the time, a simple drawing of the sky, and the Sun’s position. Students could also write a few words about what they noticed, such as the Sun getting higher in the sky during the day and lower again in the evening in their Science Journals at the end of the week.
At the end of the activity, the class would compare their results and talk about any patterns they noticed. They would see that the Sun appears in the east in the morning, is highest around the middle of the day, and sets in the west. This activity uses a simple STEM approach because students watch what happens, record what they see, look for patterns, and talk about their results. It helps them learn about the Sun by doing a real-life activity and hands on learning.This is a great list Elizabeth ! I wouldn’t have thought of many of these myself. It just goes to show that even from a young age children are curious about the night sky !
I really like this idea because it makes the learning very real for the children. Using Wild Things at School to introduce the swallow is a great starting point, especially as the children can then look out for swallows gathering on the telephone wires near the school in September. The concept map would be a simple way to get the children talking about what swallows eat, where they live, what they do and what they look like. Using the school binoculars would make the observation even more exciting.
I also think introducing the Merlin Bird ID app is a great idea. The children can use it to identify birds by their songs and can even use it at home to see what birds are visiting their gardens.
The investigation into light and night vision is also a nice hands-on activity. The children can make predictions, test the two ideas and record their results. I like that they only change one thing each time, as this introduces them to fair testing in a simple and practical way.
I love your “Star Jar ” activity idea. Sometimes the most simple ideas are the most meaningful. I wonder if many children ever take the time to observe the night sky. I think that by even drawing their attention to it, without a prompt would open up a conversation filled with wonder and awe.
I really liked your idea of turning the lesson into a space investigation because it would get the children excited and interested from the start. I think asking them to make predictions before using Stellarium is a great way to get them thinking and involved in the lesson. The Autumn Skywatching Diary is also a lovely idea as it helps children record their observations and see changes over time. Using Stellarium in small groups would encourage teamwork and give the children a chance to explore and ask questions together. Overall, I think this is a fun and engaging STEM activity that would work really well in a 3rd/4th class.
I really liked this lesson idea. I think it would work very well with a 3rd/4th class because it explains a difficult science topic in a simple and fun way. Starting with a discussion about gravity and weight gives the pupils a good understanding before they begin the activity.
The gravity tubes are a great hands-on activity. Asking pupils to guess what will happen before they test the tubes encourages them to think like scientists. Working in small groups also helps pupils share ideas, work together, and learn from each other.
I also liked the activity where the children decorate the tubes with pictures and facts about the planets. This makes the activity more enjoyable and helps them remember what they have learned. The class discussion at the end gives everyone a chance to talk about what they noticed and understand how gravity is different on different planets.