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I must look for these documentaries. David Attenborough has a wonderful way of engaging his audience. Younger children connect readily with nature and wildlife and would engage in thinking of ways to protect them. The lighting in sports pitches is familiar to the children and a strong example of light pollution.
I like the idea of looking at a photo taken at dusk of a familiar area and asking the children to look at where the artificial light is coming from. I think it would really help to develop the children’s skills of observation when noticing artificial light.
Detail how light pollution is impacting your local area and how you would engage your learners to explore this.
I would explore the Stellarium site with the children and show them what is above us in the skies. I would then give them the homework task of looking at the night sky and see what they can see. Being mindful of bedtimes it would be best to do this when the evenings grow shorter. I could send a link to the site home as part of their homework if parents were interested in exploring it at home.
The next morning I would invite the children to share what they did or didn’t see. Some of the children live in built up areas and others in the countryside. We could explore if their is a link between where we live and what can be seen in the skies.
I would start to engage the children’s interest in and awareness of light pollution by showing them the clip of Help protect NSW Dark Skies. As part of a further homework assignment the children would list sources of light they notice around their locality. We would gather this information together the next day and discuss their use and impact. We would explore nocturnal creatures and ask the children to think about how they think light would affect them. We could then explore way in which we could use light at night as needed but in a way that respects the world around us.
I think observing the moon would best suit the age group that I have. I would start by asking the children how old they think the moon is and draw a timeline back to the Vikings, the romans, the Greeks, cavemen, dinosaurs eg…I would then ask them to imagine people or animals looking up at the night sky and how they made sense of it, how it helped them and how important it was before artificial light. I would then introduce stories and myths that people created to explain the moon. I would further develop the topic with an art class on 3D shapes and shadows and connecting this to Aristotle using the moon to discover that the Earth was round. We would them copy Aristotle observing the moons phases and recording them. I think October would be a good month for this as it ties in with a Halloween theme. I would use the Heavens Above or Time and Date online resources to find out when the waning gibbous to third quarter of the moon is visible in the morning or waxing gibbous to first quarter in the afternoon in the western sky, whichever is closest to a suitable date.
It would be interesting and helpful for the children to see the sky on Stellarium before going outside to find the moon during the day. It would add a sense of excitement and fun to the activity. A great idea!
I really liked your idea of introducing the idea of day and night with animals. It might be interesting to explore the midnight sun in parts of the artic circle as well and explore how this might impact people and animals there.
I have a first and second class group. I really like the simple sundial with a bamboo stick and flower pot. It is easy to put together and move and has accessible materials so it is perfect for learning from trial and error, allowing children to learn from experience, problem solve and learn from each other. They find the analogue clock quite difficult to understand. I think showing them the connection between the movement of the sun on a sun dial and the passing of time on a sundial would help them understand the concept. Playing shadow chase would help children notice the sun and shadows. Children learn to be strategic about making their shadow smaller or narrower to make it more difficult to catch them. We have a large school ground and there is a noticeable difference in light and warmth in different areas. Growing sunflowers would also draw their attention to the sun’s movement. They could experiment where best to grow them, watching them lean towards the light or move them with the sun’s movement and compare their growth.
On a local level I have noticed changes in the seasonal cycle of trees and plants.I think there are less bees in my garden each year. There are also very few nocturnal moths. I used to have frogs in my garden but I havent seen one in years now. There has been more coastal erosion and I have seen large sand hills disappear after heavy storms. Although welcome there has been far less frosty or icy mornings We have had a water shortage all summer.
I think it is important to teach children to be aware of consumption at an early age. A lot of old fashioned habits were practical and easy to apply. Closing doors when the heat is on, not wasting material, only taking what you will use. I get the children to gather up all unused art materials and have scrap boxes of paper, material and odds and ends. I teach children to only put out a little paint at a time and to mix colours or look to a neighbour. Drawing paper comes from recycled photocopied paper. Each year I plant pollinating flowers in class for the children to take home.
I like the idea of class energy and recycling monitors. Showing the children the water cycle, how our water is treated and the water shortages in other countries helps children be more aware of water usage. Showing the children images of deforestation in the rainforests really makes an impact and they have a greater appreciation of where our paper comes from.
I loved the idea of bringing people in from the community to involve the children in recycling and upcycling projects.
Biodiversity is a topic that children really engage with. Planting for biodiversity, native plants, trees and hedgerows, school ponds are all practical hands on activities that children enjoy. Teaching children about seasonal produce, where food is being imported from, clothes mountains and their impacts in the environment and the countries they are being imported to will help them make more conscious and informed choices as adult consumers. As a school we could try to reduce car engine idling at drop off and collection times by getting the children to remind their parents to turn off engines. Encouraging children to look after and keep their school materials. Over the years I have really noticed the throwaway or just get another one habit increase. Encouraging children to photograph and share changes or activities they are doing at home eg picking beach litter or waterbutts would help promote a sense of community and togetherness. These could be displayed in a central part of the school.Hi Patrick, I have also noticed how plants are being affected by changes in the weather. I get a bit nervous when I see bulbs and buds growing unseasonably early. I wonder how this impacts on the wildlife depending on the natural cycles. It really does make climate change very real for me.
In a local community near me refugees have been successfully integrated with the help of the local community. A member of a local community group believes that the communitys decision to get to know these refugees is what made a difference. They have been involved in community volunteer projects such as tidy towns and helping at local events. This has allowed people to interact in a positive way. Members of the community also explained the local area and culture to help with this integration and avoid conflicts or past difficulties. The Local Development department supports local groups and initiatives. The local family resource centre also provides supports.
The Schools of Sanctuary programme uses the framework of learn, action and share to show they are a place of welcome and inclusion. The Global Development lesson plans support the schools of sanctuary learning step of the framework. As a nondenominational gaelscoil we teach the Croi na Scoile programme which teaches about and celebrates other cultural and religious festival and events. This is part of the action step of the schools of sanctuary framework. Our school could commit to engaging fully with the schools of sanctuary programme and integrate the global development lessons into it, along with the existing croi na scoile programme.That is a shocking and sobering example of what must happen in other parts of the world happening in Ireland. I can’t imagine the image of two young children left on the side of the road. Incredible courage and resilience. Good to see there is good and kindness in the world too. Those children deserve every opportunity and kindness in this country. I hope they continue to experience it.
I would choose Global Development Goal 12 Responsible consumption and production. As we live in the northern hemisphere of the world, we are probably one of the countries responsible for most of the worlds discarded waste. I often see children coming into school with plastic items/toys/ figurines which have no actual use but have been bought on a whim from well know shops. Although you dont want to make children feel guilty about consumerism it is important to show them how items are being marketed towards them and how these items are made and discarded. Children are inheriting the worlds climate problems and do need to be aware of the environmental impacts of these cheap disposable distractions.
I think Goal 10 Reducing inequalities is also important. Although the children cant effect change for other children around the world who dont have access to clean water they can become aware of the inequality of this resource. Helping children understand the work and struggle involved in accessing clean water in parts of the world would help them value this resource and be more responsible in their usage. There module on materials in the SESE curriculum would help children discover what their day to day school materials are made from and again how these items are produced and disposed of. It would be nice to foster a sense of minding your things in children rather than the throw away and replace culture they’ve been given.I really like the idea of a creative revamp of old clothes. For the younger classes it could be creating an out for for a teddy as they usually grow out of their clothes. It would also allow for more creativity as the children wouldn’t be as self conscious as they would be wearing their creation themselves.
