I would choose the Activity: The Spherical Earth
The children will be asked to observe the moon at night as part of their homework.
The following day I would begin by engaging children with the phenomena of the moon such as a video of how the moon changes in appearance. We will look at comparisons/differences the moon might have with earth such as the spherical shape.
I will then compare the earth shape to a ball and the children will then watch as I drop a ball from a height. We will discuss how the ball drops straight down and not sideways. We will discuss why this might be – it is because it wants to go to the centre of the Earth and when we use the word down we really mean towards the center of the Earth. We will then look at a globe and see what direction toward the centre is. The children will then participate in the role play activity ‘The Ice Bear and the Penguin’ from Universe in a Box – realising that neither the bear nor penguin are upside down.
The children will then create a ‘earth mosaic’ using the template provided to them. Above the dashed line the children will draw houses, mountains and forests and below the line they will draw the seabed or mines or rocks. The children will then place their template on the floor and we will discuss ‘up and down’ and how there is no real ‘up and down’.
