The activity set I have chosen is the Moon. As mentioned in the presentation, the Moon is such a great entry point for learning about space as it can be observed and all children have some knowledge and awareness of the Moon.
To introduce the lesson I would read a story featuring the Moon, ,”Astro Mouse” by Steven Smallman is a favourite of mine for Senior Infants. The book tells the story of a mouse looking at the Moon and seeing the ‘mouse on the moon’. This story would lead the lesson into What Does the Moon look like activity. I would show the children a white circle of paper, followed by crescent shapes and a white sphere – representing the full, first and third quarters. The children will then draw their own picture of the moon. We would discuss what the moon looks like and why people think they can see things on the moon, why it changes shape. The class would sit in a circle practicing the Man in the Moon rhyme. We can look at the pictures and discuss why some parts are darker/lighter and how it looks like different things. The children could another picture to show the different feature of the moon we have been learning about.
A nice follow up activity of would be Meeting Our Neighbour where pupils create a tactile model of the moon. The class would recap on the features of the moon. I would show pictures or a short video of the mountains, craters and maria. The class would then add the different materials to the template to create their own moon model for display.