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Hi Diarmuid,
Encouraging the children to reflect on their actions helps build awareness and responsibility. Exploring simple, age-appropriate ways to reduce their carbon footprint, like turning off lights or walking to school, empowers them to make a real difference, even at a young age.
Hi Tara,
I like the idea of getting the children to apply their learning by creating a short climate report using a format that suits them. Comparing scenarios and discussing local impacts builds critical thinking and helps them see how climate change affects their own lives. It’s engaging, personal, and encourages real-world connections.
Paxi’s Video is engaging and age-appropriate video that’s a powerful educational tool that helps children understand one of the biggest challenges of our time.
How could it be used in class? (Junior Classes)
• Assessing Prior Knowledge:
“What do you think makes the Earth warm?”
“What happens when we drive cars, run factories or burn things?”
• Paxi’s Video:
“What did the sun do?”
“Why did the Earth get warmer?”
“What makes the Earth too hot?”
• Natural vs. Human-made Greenhouse Effect
Give a simple explanation: “Some gases are always in the air – they help keep Earth warm. That’s good! But when people use too much energy, cut too many trees, or burn things, we make too much of those gases – and that makes Earth too hot.”
Create drawings – a happy Earth (natural balance) and a hot Earth (too much gas).• The Earth Under the Lid Activity is a great hands-on activity designed to help children understand the greenhouse effect using everyday materials.
1. Two clear jars placed in sunlight.
2. Thermometers inside each container measure temperature change.
3. Jar with a lid = Earth with greenhouse gases.
4. Jar without lid = Earth with fewer gases.
“Which one got hotter?”• Understanding Climate Predictions – Exploring Scenarios with Teal
Group Activity – Give Scenarios: “Imagine the Future” (Great way to build empathy and thinking skills).
“It’s hotter – what happens to animals?”
“There’s less rain – what happens to plants?”
“What can we do to help Earth?” Ideas: plant trees, walk to school, turn off lights, recycle.Hi Lousie,
I agree….learning experiences can be enhanced by setting up a simple weather station on the school grounds allowing the children to see how easy and efficient it is to use everyday items to design and create simple instruments to record the weather, eg, a rain gauge or a windsock, helping them track weather patterns over time in a fun and engaging way.
Dr. Maeve Liston’s article highlights the need for integrated approaches that combine science, technology, engineering, and math through authentic, design-based learning. She emphasizes the need for better teacher training and resources to make STEM more meaningful and impactful in the classroom.
I loved the idea of the simple song for the younger classes where the children can practice their scientific skills of observing and communicating. Also, the idea of keeping a weather log in the classroom helps to build observation skills, notice patterns, learn weather vocabulary, and connect daily experiences to science. It also encourages curiosity about the world around them.
Getting the children to ask parents or grandparents for traditional weather proverbs could spark discussions about how people predicted weather in the past compared to modern methods.
Hi Matthew, I read on a previous post that you can request a free bat walk, talk or other event from Bat Conservation Ireland.
https://www.batconservationireland.org/get-involved/request-bat-walk-talk-event
Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky?
Songs:
1.Night Sky, Moon and Stars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyjzXCCbLY4
2.Sun, Moon and Stars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcUyDAO1Fk0
3.I’m a Star, The Stars Song by StoryBots (Song/Rap): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t3aXb3LpWg
4.A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay – speaks of feeling lost and alone but finding hope and beauty in the vastness of the night sky. The chorus repeats the line, “Cause you’re a sky, you’re a sky full of stars.”
5.The Big Sky by Kate Bush is an atmospheric and dreamy song which speaks of the majesty and the grandeur of the night sky. The lyrics describe the vastness of the universe, and the way stars seem to shimmer and dance in the sky.
6.Midnight Sky by Miley Cyrus is an upbeat catchy song the speaks of feeling lost and alone but finding strength and resilience in the beauty off the night sky. The lyrics repeat the phrase, “I’m gonna keep on dancing in the midnight sky.”
Poems:
1.Twas the Night Before Christmas
2.The Starlit Night by Gerard Manley Hopkins
3Stars I Have Seen them Fall by A.E. Housman
4.Firework Night by Enid Blyton
5.Five Little Rockets Standing in a Row (Rhyme)
6. Won’t it be Fun on Bonfire Night By Unknown Author
Art: Looking and responding:
Van Gogh: 1. Starry Night 2. Café Terrace at Night
Kandinsky – Moonlit Night
Monet – Seascape
Bonnard – Night Landscape
Elsheimer – The Flight into Egypt
Verschuier – The Great Comet of 1680 over Rotterdam
Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky?
Songs:
1.Night Sky, Moon and Stars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyjzXCCbLY4
2.Sun, Moon and Stars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcUyDAO1Fk0
3.I’m a Star, The Stars Song by StoryBots (Song/Rap): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t3aXb3LpWg
4A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay – speaks of feeling lost and alone but finding hope and beauty in the vastness of the night sky. The chorus repeats a line: “Cause you’re a sky, you’re a sky full of stars.”
5.The Big Sky by Kate Bush is an atmospheric and dreamy song which describes the majesty and the grandeur of the night sky. The lyrics describe the vastness of the universe, and the way stars seem to shimmer and dance in the sky.
6.Midnight Sky by Miley Cyrus is an upbeat catchy song the speaks of feeling lost and alone but finding strength and resilience in the beauty off the night sky. The lyrics repeat the phrase, “I’m gonna keep on dancing in the midnight sky.”
Poems:
1.Twas the Night Before Christmas
2.The Starlit Night by Gerard Manley Hopkins
3.Stars I Have Seen them Fall by A.E. Housman
4.Firework Night by Enid Blyton
5.Five Little Rockets Standing in a Row (Rhyme)
Art: Looking and responding:
Van Gogh: 1. Starry Night 2. Café Terrace at Night
Kandinsky – Moonlit Night
Monet – Seascape
Bonnard – Night Landscape
Elsheimer – The Flight into Egypt
Verschuier – The Great Comet of 1680 over Rotterdam
School Audit on Biodiversity: Animal Life; Habitats; Ecosystems.
List the animals found in and around the school grounds.
Number of animals/habitats found.
Overall health/cleanliness of each habitat/ecosystem.
Photos/Drawings of observations.Challenges to Biodiversity:
List any factors of circumstances you may think be of harm. Identify and record some of the challenges (photos/drawings).Can you think of some steps pupils and teachers can take to deal with the hazards or damage to the biodiversity of the school?
Can you think of some steps other people in the community can take to deal with these challenges?Observing the moon: We would begin by exploring interesting facts about the moon such as the moon has no light of its own, we can only see it because it reflects light from the sun. When do we see the moon? Can we see it during the day? Discuss and explore how the moon orbits the Earth and how different parts reflect sunlight at different times. What’s the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse? Explore and discuss moon landings starting with the first, Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11, 1969.
Using the Moon Observation Log template we would record the date, time, and shape of the moon, observing which quarter the moon is in that period. We would bookmark the following website https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/phases/ to keep a regular check of the moon phases along with the use of the Stellarium app to observe the appearance of the moon.
We’re very lucky to have three dark sky reserves here in Ireland and I mostly definitely will be making a trip to one of them at some stage.
Light Pollution – Introduction: begin by explaining that artificial lighting like streetlights and house lights leak light into the night sky which means we can’t always see the stars.
Example: We could turn off the classroom lights and close the blinds, explain to the children that it won’t be truly dark as it is still daytime. Ask them to spot where does the light creep in……..under the blinds, through the windows/doors, etc. This is a bit like the night time sky, where light creeps into the sky from various sources like streetlights making it difficult to see the stars properly.
We could carry out a survey of the school and note down the sources of light – overhead lights, outside lights, security lights, lamps, computers. Discuss how sensor lights work by sensing movement in the room. Ask pupils to note the light sources on the way to and from school. Can they spot streetlights, security lights, shop or building lights, car headlights?
Impact on Animals: Can the children think of some nocturnal animals, like foxes, hedgehogs, badgers, moths, bats? Why do they prefer the night time? Where do they get their food from? What might happen if there is too much light at night time? Some these nocturnal animals might sleep too much or too little. Some of them may have their babies at the wrong time of the year.
Explore and discuss animals that migrate at night. Often, they use the moon and stars to navigate. For example, newly hatched baby sea turtles are attracted to the ocean via natural lighting cues. If there are too many artificial lights in the area where they hatch, they crawl inland and die.
Useful stories include The Darkest Dark; The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark; Can’t You Sleep Little Bear.
