I found all the activity sets in this module to be really helpful and gave great ideas that I will certainly be incorporating into my classroom when we are learning about the sun, the moon, shadows and all things space related.
As I will be teaching Junior Infants next year I think the activity set based on the Planets is one that will really appeal to that age group. I will be using the planets as a theme spread across many different areas of the curriculum over the space of a number of weeks.
I will start be finding out what the children already know and gather what knowledge they already have. I will then read the children a story book based on the planets while displaying visuals for them of each.
I will play the song ‘Family of the Sun’ for the children and we will stop and discuss each verse and it’s description of each planet. I would not expect the children to remember all the words of the song but I know they will enjoy listening to it as it is a catchy tune and the chorus is easy for them to retain.
We will draw pictures of the plants on their whiteboards, make them with their play dough and also paint them in art. The hula hoop game for PE is a great activity that has the children learning while also having fun.
During play time the children can build homes for creatures that they think might live on the planets using a variety of different materials.
The Planets as a theme is a great way of getting the children to use their imaginations and explore possibilities.