[Michelle Carr]

Hi Bríd, thank you for all your lovely resources they will definitely come in handy for me in the classroom come September. Thanks, Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi,
I would start by reading Flashlight by Lizi Boyd. We would talk about the dark and ask the children what makes a place feel dark and safe.

I would then ask the children to design their own dark place. They could work in small groups and use cardboard boxes, black paper, blankets and other materials to make a small space. They could decide where they would like to have their dark place in the classroom.

When the spaces are finished, we could turn off some of the lights and let the children explore them. We could use a small torch to see what happens when we add a little light. I would ask simple questions such as “What can you see?” and “What happens when we add light?”

I think this would be a fun activity for Senior Infants. It would allow the children to work together, use their imaginations and learn about light and darkness through play.

Thanks,
Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi Robbie, I really liked your idea of getting the children to explore the school grounds and look for different plants and animals. I also liked how you linked this to light pollution and how it can affect animals at night.  Thanks, Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi,

I would start by reading Owl Babies by Martin Waddell with my Senior Infant class. We would talk about the owls and animals that might live around our school. I would ask the children what animals they have seen near their homes or in the school playground.

We could go outside and look for plants and animals. We might see birds, insects, flowers, trees or signs of animals. The children could draw what they find and tell the class about it.

I would then talk about light pollution. We would discuss how lights at night can make it harder for animals to live and find food. We could talk about animals that come out at night and why they need the dark.

I think this would be a good activity for Senior Infants because they can learn by going outside and looking. It would help them notice nature around them and understand why it is important to look after it.

Thanks,
Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi Aislinn,

I really like your post, especially the idea of the children carrying out a simple light pollution survey in their own local area. I think this would make the topic very real for them and encourage them to notice things that they might not normally think about.

Thanks,

Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi,

I would start by reading a simple book about space, such as Look Inside Space by Katie Daynes. We would talk about the stars and what we can see in the night
sky. I would then introduce the idea of light pollution and explain that too much light can make it harder to see the stars.

I would use the Globe at Night programme to show the children pictures of different night skies. We could look at the pictures together and talk about which sky has more stars and which has more light. I would ask simple questions like, “Which one can you see the most stars in?” and “Why do you think this is?”

The children could then look at the sky at home with an adult and draw what they can see. We could share our pictures in class and talk about what we noticed. We could also talk about ways we can reduce lights when they are not needed.

I think this would be a nice, simple STEM activity for Senior Infants because it gets them looking, talking and asking questions about the world around them.

Many thanks,
Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi Eileen, I really like your idea.I think the simple observation sheet would make it easy for the children to record what they see and compare their observations over time.

[Michelle Carr]

Hi,

I would start by reading a simple space book such as Look Inside Space by Katie Daynes. We would talk about what the children already know about space, the Moon, stars and planets.

I would then use Stellarium to show the children what the evening sky might look like during autumn. I would keep it simple and focus on what they can see rather than giving them too much information.

As a class, we could make a simple plan to look at the evening sky on a few different nights. With an adult, the children could look outside and see if they can spot the Moon, stars or any bright planets. They could draw what they see on a simple recording sheet.

The next day, we could talk about what everyone noticed and compare our drawings. I think this would be a nice activity for Senior Infants as it would get them interested in space and encourage them to look carefully, ask questions and share their ideas. It also shows them that STEM can be part of things they see in everyday life.

Thanks ,
Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi Emma, I really like your post. I think using the globe and torch is a great hands-on way to help the children understand day and night. I also like the idea of asking what people on the other side of the world might be doing while we are sleeping. It would definitely get them thinking and talking.

[Michelle Carr]

Hi,

I would use a simple book about the Sun as a stimulus for this activity. I like the book, “Sun! One in a billion” by Stacy McAnulty. We would talk about the Sun and what we already know about it. I would ask the children questions such as “Where do you think the Sun is in the morning?” and “Will it be in the same place later?”

We would go outside at different times during the day and look at where the Sun is in the sky. The children could draw what they see on a simple recording sheet. We could do this in the morning, around lunchtime and again in the afternoon. We could then look at our pictures together and talk about what we noticed.

I think this would work well with Senior Infants as it is very hands-on and allows them to learn through looking and talking about what they see. They could make simple predictions and then see if they were right. We could use words such as higher, lower, morning, afternoon and evening. The children could work together and share their ideas. It would be a simple way of introducing STEM through something they see every day.

Thanks,

Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi Rachel,

 

I really liked your idea of making actions with the children for Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. It sounds like a fun way to help the children remember the song. I also liked how you used Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night for art lessons. Looking at famous pictures like that can help children enjoy art and learn about the night sky.

 

Thanks, Michelle.

 

[Michelle Carr]

Hi, I am doing this with senior infants in mind, that I will be teaching in September. I would start this lesson with the book “Owl Moon” by Jane Yolen. It tells the story of a child and their parent going for a walk at night to look for an owl, and it has beautiful pictures of the night sky. We would read the story together and talk about what the sky looks like in the pictures – the stars, the moon, the darkness. Then I would show a photo of a real Dark Sky Place, where there are no bright lights at night. I would explain that these places help us see the stars more clearly. The children would work in small groups to design their own Dark Sky Place. They could draw it with crayons, thinking about what they would keep (trees, animals, stars) and what they would remove (streetlights, bright signs). To end the lesson, we would share our ideas and talk about how we could keep our skies dark. This lesson would take place over a number of weeks.

Thanks, Michelle.

[Michelle Carr]

Hi Rachel, I really like your idea because of the nature photo quiz. It’s such a fun way to get the children interested right from the start.

Thanks,
Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi, I have created this resource with a Senior Infant class in mind, a class I will be teaching in September. I might start such a lesson by introducing the children to a picture book called The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield. We would look carefully at the pictures and talk about what animals might come out at night – like bats, owls, moths, or even foxes – and how they need the dark to find food and stay safe.

As our school is situated beside a local park, I might show a photograph of the park at night-time, first when the lights are on and then when the lights aren’t on. We would compare them, asking questions like “Which one would be better for an owl?” or “Where would a bat like to fly?” The children could then draw their own pictures of nighttime animals in light and dark places, and we could think together about what this means for our local area and what we might do to help.

Thanks,
Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi Mary,

I like your idea because it lets the children go outside and see light pollution for themselves. I also like it because it helps the children think of better ways to use lights and help their school or community.

Thanks,
Michelle

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