Junior Climate Detective

Be part of the solution!

ESERO invites teachers and primary school students to participate in the ESA school project Climate Detectives of the European Space Agency, open to students aged 8 to 12 years (Cycle 3 and 4)!

Students, along with their teacher, are asked to address a climate problem, studying it using available Earth observation data or taking measurements in the field, and then proposing possible solutions.

In this project, students will play the role of climate detectives and learn about the Earth’s environment.

You can participate in the Climate Detectives project by choosing one of the three activities below.

Activity 1: How has the temperature in your community changed over the past 10 years?

Description

This activity proposes either to measure temperatures at a site or to compare data from several weather stations, including one placed under a tree. It is recommended that the results of the temperature measurements and comparisons be used to develop proposed solutions with the children. The results and documentation can be presented to another class, parents, the municipality or the forest ranger, for example. Together, they can decide on the implementation of certain ideas or define projects for the coming school year. This can be an opportunity to implement some ideas together, to exchange between schools, to present results and examples of implementation and to define new projects for the coming school year. Theme: sustainability and climate change.

Resources and materials

ESERO supports this by providing equipment and measurement data. 1 or 2 weather stations with a value of 350,- Euro/school will be presented and made available in your schools. After you register, the team will contact you to set up an appointment. At the beginning of the project, each class will also receive educational materials from ESERO and comparative data from Meteolux. All classes will also receive satellite images of the school’s environment, which will allow them to observe the evolution of the forests over the past decades.

Planning

Timetable	Steps
April	Identify prior knowledge: Students gather their ideas and knowledge about climate beforehand and create a poster/ mind map: What is climate? What is climate change? How do you recognize it? What are its consequences? Purpose: to document the learning of the class. Ability to add and remove questions and set your own priorities. Introduction of the common research question: Can our measurements confirm that the average temperature in our school has increased since 1850? Possible partial question: how much cooler is it under a tree at the same time?
April-May/June	Data collection: in all schools, data are collected regularly (twice a week at the same time, preferably at noon or in the afternoon). Classes that wish to do so will take temperatures at 2 different locations (once at the school building and once under a tree). Data will be recorded and compared with historical data 1. since 1941 by Meteolux and 2. since 1850 at the European level.
June/July	Data analysis & discussion: The collected data is evaluated and analyzed. Research questions are answered: What is the temperature in April/May/June at our site? The data is compared more precisely with historical data from Meteolux: What is obvious? Are there differences between the temperatures directly on the school building and on a tree? Where could these differences come from, if they are measurable? Prepare results & develop solutions: Ideas on the theme of climate change will be developed. Classes will brainstorm concrete ideas or planting plans to draw attention to and address the issue of climate change.
Optional	Implementation of individual ideas, exchange between schools, presentation of results and examples of implementation and definition of new projects for the coming school year, theme: sustainability and climate change

Activity 2: How has the amount of rainfall in our community changed over the past 10 years?

ESERO supports the project by providing equipment and measurement data. 1 rain gauge will be presented and made available in your schools. After you register, the team will contact you to set up an appointment. During the project, you will also receive educational materials from the Climate Detectives team and comparative data from Meteolux.

In addition, all classes receive satellite images of the school’s environment, which allow them to observe the evolution of the forest over the past decades.

The Climate Detectives team will also offer an afternoon workshop tailored to the project via IFEN.

Timetable	Steps
May – July	Introduction of the common research question: what are the rainiest weeks? What differences can we see when we compare data from the last 20 years? Data collection: at the school, the amount of precipitation is recorded once a week. The data is noted and compared to Meteolux historical data. Parallel: how is drinking water produced in Luxembourg? Where does the commune get its drinking water? What is the cost of providing drinking water? What are the consequences of a prolonged absence of rain? What happens in case of heavy rain?
July	Prepare results & develop solutions: Ideas on the theme of climate change will be developed. Classes will brainstorm concrete ideas or water use and how to draw attention to and address the issue of climate change. Presentation of results: results and documentation are presented to another class (intercycle), at the school celebration, etc.