[Una Halpin]

Hi Andy

I like the idea of using the Paxi video to assess the children’s prior knowledge of Greenhouse gases. Some breaks during the video with questions could help with assessing their understanding of the topic and also identifying any misconceptions they may have. One misconception that I come across in many classrooms is the idea that climate change is caused by holes in the ozone layer. Through explaining the cause of global warming, the Paxi video can help to correct some of these misconceptions. I love the idea of assigning different future years to different groups and having them record their climate reports in their own chosen format.

[Una Halpin]

Hi Denis

I like your description of the EO browser.  It takes a bit of work initially to get used to how to navigate it but once you have figured it out it can be very useful as a tool to carry out a cross curricular study of your local area or any other area in the world.  As you said looking at images of the same area in different time periods is a good way to study land use change and a variety of environmental factors and looking at different areas in the same time period is good for comparisons of places in different climate zones or those that experience different weather events.

[Una Halpin]

Hi Fiona

Kay McNulty is a great example of an Irish woman working in STEM and one of the many women who’s work was not recognised until recent years.  I found a short clip from RTE about Kay McNulty here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Oz5jW6wfs and she is also featured in the Dictionary of Irish Biography and was featrured in one of the 6 episodes of the documentary Herstory. Kay’s pioneering work on computer programming would be a lovely tie in with any work on technology and computer programming in the classroom such as BeeBots or Lego WeDo.

[Una Halpin]

Hi Fiona

Kay McNulty is a great example of an Irish woman working in STEM and one of the many women who’s work was not recognised until recent years.  I found a short clip from RTE about Kay McNulty here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Oz5jW6wfs and she is also featured in the Dictionary of Irish Biography and was featrured in one of the 6 episodes of the documentary Herstory. Kay’s pioneering work on computer programming would be a lovely tie in with any work on technology and computer programming in the classroom such as BeeBots or Lego WeDo.

[Una Halpin]

Hi Louise

I love the idea of creating a Dark Sky place. As you said it is a great way to bring together any previous work they may have done on the night sky, light pollution and biodiversity and brings it all together in a creative way that involves lots of cross curricular learning. Having a class discussion on the themes and the aspects they would like to included in their Dark Sky place and then providing the materials for them to express these ideas creatively and present them to the class will be a great way for them to utilise their STEM skills of curiosity, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication and the follow up piece of taking action and creating a “Dark Sky Promise” will tie it all together.

[Una Halpin]

Hi Kieran

Building a collection of stories and traditions inspired by the Dúchas collection is a lovely idea and as you said a great way to build connections between the children and their older relatives and neighbours. I love the idea of creating a book that can be kept as a source of information in the school and perhaps other classes in the future could build on it and add to it. Having oral recordings would be lovely and possibly a way to reach out to older storytellers in the local community or relatives in other parts of Ireland and other countries. Some children could even contribute artwork to illustrate the stories.

[Una Halpin]

Hi Joseph

Newbridge like a lot of towns has experienced rapid growth in recent years and this growth leads to a lot more light pollution particularly when there are large factories and industrial units which often have a lot of unnecessary  night-time lighting. As you said all of this has a negative impact on Biodiversity. Luckily the linear park along the River Liffey is a great place for wildlife and it is good that you can still see bats flying here. The Kildare Bat Group are very active and it would be a nice idea to highlight some of their walks to the children in your class as it would be a good opportunity for them to experience nocturnal wildlife and would tie in nicely with your plans for lighting audits.

[Una Halpin]

Hi Cliodhna

I love your idea for a starter question. It is such a simple question but could lead to really interesting discussions among the children as they try to imagine what might be visible, how much natural light is available from the moon and stars and how that light would vary depending on the phase of the moon and the cloud cover.  It would be interesting to see how the children’s responses would vary depending on whether they are used to a lot of artificial light at night or whether they can see the stars clearly at home. I like the idea of using a combination of maps, photographs, drawings and models to create your dark sky place. Perhaps models could be made to highlight particular features that are also shown on the map.

[Una Halpin]

Hi Edel

You are so lucky to have a forest beside your school. What a great opportunity for the children to be able to explore this habitat and contrast it with the habitats in the school grounds. This would open up lots of discussion around the different nocturnal animals that might be present in the forest and those that might visit the school and also on the contrast of light levels between the school and the forest. Using the reports tab on https://maps.biodiversityireland.ie/Map from the National Biodiversity Data Centre, you could zoom in on the school and forest and generate a report to see if any nocturnal species have been recorded in the area

[Una Halpin]

Hi Shona

You have some lovely ideas here for designing a Dark Sky Place.  I love the idea of creating a map. Perhaps the children could work on different areas of the map and combine smaller pages into one large classroom map with all of the areas marked. This would be a great exercise in map creation including scale, direction and keys. Creating the information sheet on the different nocturnal animals would be a fantastic learning experience for the children as they would need to research Irish nocturnal animals and think about the various habitats they live in.

[Una Halpin]

Hi Aaron

A river is always a great idea for a cross curricular study encompassing history, geography, science and the arts. Having the River Shannon as your source of inspiration is fantastic particularly with your plan to bring the children walking along the river banks to observe not only the wildlife along the river but also the historical buildings representing engineering, archaeology and architecture. I love the ideas for creative expression from creating short plays, to collage and music composition inspired by their own personal connections with the River Shannon and its surrounds.

[Una Halpin]

Hi Ellie

The Boora Pyramid is an interesting choice for Engineering inspiration as it represents a crossover of art and engineering and was designed and built by an Irish artist.  As you have described the project, there is lots of scope for maths and also art and science with the possible use of local materials and drawing artistic inspiration from the local landscape. There is also a nice crossover here with the Curious Minds Amazing Triangles resource when discussing and exploring the strength of the pyramid shape. I like the way you have left it open for the children to choose their own designs and materials and the use of iPads to both create their designs and record the construction process.

[Una Halpin]

Hi Treasa

That sounds like a great project. I love that it is focussing on a particular local issue that is relevant to the children. You have a clear plan for collecting primary data through traffic surveys and using secondary data such as satellite imagery and air pollution data. There is a great link with maths through collecting, collating and representing the data and I love the idea of creating computer simulations and models. Using the data to generate ideas on taking action to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases from transport is a great way to conclude the project. You might find the Climate Detectives Mini Case Study on Air Pollution useful https://esero.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Air-Pollution-Mini-Case-Study-ESERO-Ireland-final.pdf

[Una Halpin]

Hi Sarah

This sounds like a lovely project which has direct relevance the the children’s lives. I like the idea of collaborating with another school to take rainfall measurements or even having the children individually link up with friends or relatives in another part of Ireland as you said. This would be a great exercise in planning an investigation as the class would have to have a discussion on fair testing, come up with criteria for collecting the data and a common model of rain gauge that everyone would make and use and co-ordinate collection of results through a shared template.  You should get some great data that could be analysed and graphed. Comparing your daily results to the Met Eireann weather bulletins would be a great way to correlate with actual recorded weather data and looking at long term weather datasets for Ireland would help to make the Climate connection.

[Una Halpin]

Hi Michelle

I just looked up “Zoo in the Sky”. It looks like a great book and wonderful resource to tie in with Stellarium.  The pictures are a lovely way to show how the constellations were named and to pick out the stars making up each one. I love the idea of teaching the children how to use the Stellarium app on tablets and then inviting the parents in to learn from the children. Being able to use Stellarium at home on a clear night with their families would be great for the children as they can locate the constellations using the app and then find and identify them in the night sky.

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