Activity: Special Life (ESERO 19)
I was really interested in this activity when I came across it. I think it would be ideal for use in the infant classes and I believe it is adaptable to suit different needs that may arise in classes. I would explain to the children that we live on Earth, which is a planet in the solar system. I would show them a a globe and a picture of our solar system with all of the other planets. I would explain to them that people only live on earth and there is no evidence of human life on any other planet. I would tell them that we are going to pretend that people do live on these planets and they are coming to visit Earth. I would tell them that they want to see all of the special things on Earth. We would have a discussion about some special things on Earth and then the children would be able to choose how they want to represent their special object. They will be able to draw it/write about it/ make it out of playdough/ or use the iPads to get a picture of it online. Then everyone will gather in a circle and act out their special object while the other children guess what it is. When guessed they will reveal their representation of their special object. After this we will discuss aliens and what they are. Then they will choose the means of representation they prefer to construct an alien and we will display them to the class. I would ensure the children understand that no one has found aliens yet so we do not know if they really exist or what they look like. This means that everyone’s alien design is valid and unique.