Hi everyone!
I would like to explore the topic: The Moon. This is most interesting to me and I think is often something that really fascinates children. I find it’s one of the most accessible topics to begin with when exploring space, as the children can see it. The earth being a sphere, for example is a huge concept and the moon is something the kids see often and it’s a nice introduction to the concepts that follow.
In my infant class for the last number of years I have engaged with the Power of Reading and The Man on the Moon by Simon Bartram is a picture book we explore over the course of a month.
This is a beautiful book that follows the daily life of Bob who works on the moon. He takes care of it, keeps it clean, gives guided tours, etc. The illustrations are stunning and there are endless lessons that can be created from the storybook.
This story is a fantastic way to open the topic of the moon and gives ample opportunity to discuss it. The discussion points would be as follows:
– Do you think Bob’s job is real? Why/why not?
– Discuss Bob’s commute to work: is it feasible?
– Chat about Bob’s jobs on the moon. Could we go there on a guided tour? Talk about the aliens/visitors to the moon. Bob is cleaning and looking after the moon, chat about this.
After the discussion explore some facts about the moon, then revisit the discussion about Bob’s job. Talk about people who actually have gone to the moon, its landscape, gravity, other facts.