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ASSIGNMENT
Create a mind map in relation to your ideas about space. Please add to your mind map after each module as part of the reflective learning process.
As a reply to this post, introduce yourself on the forum and share your favourite space fact. Then add a reflection (150 words min) on how you would use one inquiry-based activity in your classroom
Also, please respond to at least one other participant’s post in this forum.
UPDATE JULY 25: Since July 1st our facilitators have occasionally observed that course reflections may be generated with the assistance of AI tools. While AI can be a helpful support for drafting ideas or exploring different ways to express your thinking, it is essential that your forum posts reflect your own understanding and engagement with the course content. This is in line with the Department of Education and Youth’s Summer Course guidelines.
Before posting to the forum, we encourage you to take a moment to review your contributions and, if necessary, revise them to ensure they are appropriate and authentically your own. -
My name is Aveen Rooney. I have been teaching Junior Infants the last few years and will be again this year coming. My favourite fact about space is that there are more stars than grains of sand on earth!
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Hi, my name is Áine.
It was great to revise the key points of Gravity. We only notice the pull of gravity from massive things like planet and stars. There is gravity on the moon, it’s weaker than Earth’s gravity because the moon is smaller than the Earth.
I loved the classroom resources for stem activities on the interactive website http://www.curiousminds.ie The kids I taught last year would have loved to make a robot arm. The worksheets were good as it was very child centred and the students could explore themselves as the instructions were very clear.
The planning guide for teachers was very helpful as they were linked to the strands and strand units. I liked the inquiry based approach. I will definitely use the Teacher CPD workshop1 manual on mighty materials as it shows you what exactly you will put in for the Framework for Inquiry. It gives you brilliant ideas like the mystery box, toys, magnets, concept mapping, concept cartons in order to engage the student. The investigate titles such as starter questions, predicting, conducting the investigation and interpreting the data/ results are things we do without realising it. But, it’s good to write them down so we can find out what really works or doesn’t work during the reflection section.
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My inquiry based activity is one most of us will have done with the children especially if we are working with the junior end of the school.
The prompt question would be: What do you think happens to chocolate when it gets warm?
Encourage predictions from the children.
Predicting/ Questioning: Using the chocolate as a stimulus, discuss; what does it feel like? What shape is it? Can we change its shape? What do you think will happen if we heat it? Can it go back to solid again?
Exploring: allow the children to touch the chocolate.
Heat the chocolate (as whole group) and allow children to observe and discuss how it changes from a solid to a liquid and how it moves differently as a solid than it did before. Question them: how has it changed? Can you pour it now? etc
Reflect and discuss; What do you think will happen if we put it in the fridge?
Children can draw or write how it looked before and after it was heated.
Follow up activity: melted chocolate can be put in thr fridge and the children observe and discuss how it changes again. Writing activity on the effect of heating chocolate etc
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Ailbhe I remember doing this as a child myself when I was in Primary School and I then used it in my own classroom as a teacher. I think it’s such a lovely lesson and the use of a great stimulus to catch the children’s attention, therefore encouraging great discussion and inquiry-based learning in the classroom.
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Hello everyone! My name is Odhrán.
One of my favourite space facts is that neutron stars are so dense that a single teaspoon of their material would weigh about six billion tons.
Reflection:
Inquiry-based learning is a cornerstone of how I approach teaching science because it empowers students to take ownership of their learning through questioning, researching, and discovering. One inquiry-based activity I love to use is the “Design a Space Mission” project. In this activity, students are challenged to create a mission to explore a planet, moon, or asteroid of their choice. They begin by formulating their own questions—such as what they hope to discover, what challenges they might face, and how they’ll collect data. Then they research their chosen celestial body’s conditions (e.g., gravity, temperature, atmosphere), and use that information to design spacecraft, instruments, and goals for the mission.
This activity promotes collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking. It’s open-ended enough to allow for creativity, yet grounded in real scientific principles. Students become active participants in their learning process, engaging in meaningful discussions and learning how to apply knowledge in a practical context. Most importantly, it encourages a mindset of curiosity and wonder—something I believe is essential in any science classroom.
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My name is Brona Wemyss. I am teaching 2nd class in September. My favourite fact about space is the sun is so big that about 1.3 million Earths could fit inside it.
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Hi everyone, I’m Jane from Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork. I will be helping to facilitate the forums in this course, along with my colleagues. These forums are very useful, so read through the comments for extra ideas!
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The hands on activities outlined on the website will be really helpful when planning science lessons. I especially liked the lesson plan for Mighty Materials and planning a trigger to catch their attention – particularly in the junior classes. Reflections are important and these are something I hadn’t been doing recently so I will start asking my class what they have learned or a favourite fact from the lesson.
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The hands on activities outlined on the website will be really helpful when planning science lessons. I especially liked the lesson plan for Mighty Materials and planning a trigger to catch their attention – particularly in the junior classes. Reflections are important and these are something I hadn’t been doing recently so I will start asking my class what they have learned or a favourite fact from the lesson.
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My name is Lorraine. I am a teaching principal and I currently have 5th & 6th Class. My favourite space fact is that one day on Venus is longer than one whole year on Venus!!
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Inquiry Activity: Why Does the Sun Shine?
Show a bright, smiling sun shining over a playground with children playing, plants growing, and animals enjoying the day.
Questioning:
Start by asking, “What do you know about the sun? Why do you think the sun shines?” Encourage kids to share their ideas and questions about the sun’s light and warmth.2. Exploring:
Provide a simple flashlight and different colored transparent sheets (yellow, orange, red). Let children shine the flashlight through the sheets onto a wall. Ask, “What do you notice about the light? How does it change?”3. Reasoning:
Guide kids to think about how the sun gives us light and warmth, like the flashlight. Ask, “Do you think the sun is like a big flashlight in the sky? What else does the sun do for us?”4. Reflecting:
Have children draw or tell one new thing they learned about the sun. Encourage them to think about why the sun is important for life on Earth.-
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Hi Aveen,
My inquiry based activity is similar to yours but in relation to ‘Why does the Moon shine?’ instead of the Sun. I’ve completed this activity with infants before and the pupils loved using torches and balls to understand how it works. I never thought of adapting the lesson to talk about why the sun shines so thank you for sharing.
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Inquiry Activity:How can we reduce plastic waste in our school community?
Introduction:
Firstly, I would show the children a picture of an area in school polluted by plastic. I would then ask the children the question: How can we reduce this?Exploring:
Students, in small groups, would then research current plastic waste practices within the school (e.g., surveying bins, asking students & staff). The students could then present their findings using a pictogram.
Reasoning:
The students may then come up with ideas to improve plastic use in the school.
Reflecting:
The students would then present these ideas to their peers and wider school community (if appropriate).
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Hi Lorraine,
I enjoyed reading your post. I love how you would use a picture as a stimulus to spark curiosity and discussion — such a great way to make the issue feel real and relevant to the students. Group work is a fantastic way to promote active learning, while also helping to develop critical thinking and communication skills.
Your activity is a great way to encourage environmental awareness and empower students to take positive action within their own school community.
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Inquiry activity: Why do stars twinkle?
Prompt: Dim the lights and show the children a short video or an image of a starry night sky.
Question: What do you see in the sky at night? What do stars look like? Have you noticed stars twinkling? What do you think makes them twinkle? Create a brainstorming session and write down all the ideas and questions they have.
Exploring: Flashlight, bowl of water, and plastic wrap/cling film.
Shine the flashlight through the water (encourage children to discuss what they see)
Gently move the water with your fingers (can ask for some volunteers too!)
Observe what the light looks like on moving water, and explain to the class that the air in our sky moves like the water. The stars shine in the air, and make them look like they are twinkling.Reasoning: Guide the children to discuss what they noticed when the water moved, what the movement of the light was like, etc.
Reflecting: Can be done in circle time. Reflect on what they learned about stars. Can they tell a friend why stars twinkle, finishing the sentence ‘stars twinkle because..’
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Inquiry Activity: What materials are magnetic?
Introduction show the children a magnet sticking to the white board for example, ask the children do they know why it is sticking. Discuss with the class what they think magnets are and how they work. Ask the children to identify anything that they know is magnetic and make a list, hopefully by the end of the lesson the list will be much longer.
Exploring: In small groups the children will explore what items are magnetic and what items are not. They will each be given one magnet to explore the classroom and a selection of random items.
Reasoning: The children will identify what materials are magnetic and what materials are not.
Reflecting: In their small groups the children will show what materials they found to be magnetic. Revert back to discussion at the beginning of the lesson, and hopefully the children can add to the list of materials that they found to be magnetic.
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In my experience I have found that the children absolutely love magnetic lessons. They have so much fun exploring whether a material is magnetic or not. Sometimes I link the magnet theme to art and allow the children to create a fridge magnet – a drawing on card with magnetic tape on the back. They love it!
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No matter what class you teach, children always find magnets fascinating! it’s a great hands on activity going around the classroom predicting and observing the outcome. For older classes, having children experiment with how the north and south poles attract and repel each other and investigating the why is always interesting.
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Infant Inquiry
Question : Why do we sometimes have daytime and other times nighttime?Introduction: Begin by asking the children does the Sun move, or is Earth moving? Have they ever noticed which windows the sun shines through in the morning and evening.
Explain to them that it is the earth that moves around itself (it’s axis) and the sun in fact, does not move .
Exploring
Provide a globe (or ball) and a flashlight. Invite children to predict: what happens if we shine the light on the globe and slowly spin it? Let them test this by holding the flashlight steady (the “Sun”) while rotating the globe, observing how areas move from light to dark, simulating day and nightReasoning
Discuss vocabulary: rotation, axis, 24 hours. Explain that Earth spins on its axis once a day, so when our location faces the Sun it’s day; when it faces away it’s night astate.eduopi.mt.gov. Prompt: “Which side is bright now? Why?”Reflecting
Ask each child to share one thing they learned (e.g., “Earth spins, that’s why night comes”) and one question they still have (“Do other planets have day and night?”). Record these on a class chart. -
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Hi everyone,
My name is Seán and I’m a primary school teacher based in Kerry. I’m always looking for ways to bring hands-on learning and curiosity into the classroom, especially through topics like space which naturally capture children’s imaginations.One of my favourite space facts is that a day on Venus is longer than its year. It’s a strange and fascinating concept for pupils to wrap their heads around and always sparks great discussion!
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Reflection on Inquiry-Based Activity:
For my infant class, I would introduce a simple inquiry-based activity like “Exploring the Moon and Stars.” The idea would be to ask the children, “What do you think the Moon is made of?” or “How do the stars shine?” I’d start by reading a story or showing a picture of the Moon and stars, and then let the children share their thoughts and questions.
Next, we would explore together by looking at pictures, watching short videos, or even making simple crafts, like a star or Moon. Throughout, I’d encourage them to ask questions and wonder out loud. The goal would be for them to enjoy exploring space ideas in their own way, while helping them learn that it’s okay to wonder and ask questions. This kind of activity encourages curiosity and builds a love of learning at an early age.
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Hi Rebecca, I agree using books is an excellent way of building up a love of learning about space. There are an abundance of books on space for children. My children love reading Adam’s Amazing Space Adventure. Whilst there are a few fictional ideas in the book it is full of facts and gives them an idea of different plants, the moon and the sun. When I am teaching space and using space as my Aistear topic ( now just plat!) I have a reading corner set up with books about space where the children can go over and pick up in their free time.
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Inquiry-Based Activity:
For my infant class, I would use the prompt “Explore the Moon”.
Introduce:
I would begin by asking the children, “What do you think the Moon is made of?” to get them thinking. I’d show them a simple picture of the Moon and explain that the Moon is made of rocks and dust. I would use a large model or a picture to help them visualize what we’re talking about.
Explore:
Next, I’d invite the children to explore the idea by looking at pictures of the Moon, touching a model of the Moon (if available), or watching a short, age-appropriate video about the Moon. I would also ask them to point out the Moon in the sky if possible, or to draw their version of what they think the Moon looks like.
Reason:
After exploring, I’d prompt them with questions like, “Why do you think the Moon is shiny?” or “What do you think happens when we see the Moon during the day or night?” This part would help them reason through their ideas and start to make sense of what they’ve observed. I’d provide simple explanations, such as how the Moon reflects sunlight to appear shiny.
Reflect:
At the end of the activity, I would ask the children, “What did you learn about the Moon today?” or “How is the Moon different from the Sun?” This gives them a chance to reflect on their learning and share what they discovered. It also gives me an opportunity to reinforce the key ideas, like how the Moon doesn’t make its own light and how it orbits the Earth.This inquiry-based approach helps young learners develop curiosity, think critically, and engage in the learning process by exploring their own questions and ideas
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Hi Rebecca,
I think an infant class would get a lot of enjoyment from exploring the moon. You have put a lot of thought into your lesson and have included a lot of multi-sensory activities, which is so important for the infant classes.
I think you would end up with a wonderful display after completing these lessons.
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This sounds like a very lovely lesson Rebecca, very well suited to infants. However, to make use of the inquiry framework we want to introduce a prompt or question that the children can then explore and come to conclusions about themselves through first hand investigation.
For example, you might ask, ‘Why are there craters on the Moon?’. You could discuss and then provide the children with a tray of flour and marbles/rocks of various sizes. The children can then drop these on the flour the see if the effect looks similar to the Moon’s surface. Covering the flour in a light layer of cocoa powder can help make this more effective. Another option would be to ask why do we see different phases of the Moon. Then you could explore this with a ball (representing the Moon) and a torch (representing the Sun), allowing the children to discover and understand the moon phases first hand.
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Hi, I’m Clara and I will be teaching Senior Infants this year. Space is a topic that all children seem to love, so I’m looking forward to implementing resources and ideas from this course!
A fact I share with the kids is the enormous size of the sun, how 1.3 million (approx) Earths could fit inside it!
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One inquiry-based activity I would use in the classroom is the activity investigating gravity by predicting and observing how different objects fall. I think this is an excellent activity as it incorporates prediction, observation, hands-on experimentation, recording, teamwork and discussion. I would have the students work in small groups with a different selection of objects per group. The activity lends itself to creating a display of results. With each group creating and then presenting their own display. In this way, the activity can be used as a vehicle for oral language skills, creativity and design.
I think this activity would be well suited to younger classes, from Junior Infant to 2nd Class. I think a nice follow up activity would be a parachute making activity or exploring how seeds are dispersed by the wind. this would be a good activity to do in the autumn term when there should be an abundance of different seed types to explore.
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I have done a nice simple inquiry-based lesson with Junior Infants before and found it worked quite well. The lesson was based on floating and sinking.
Inquiry Activity- Sinking and Floating. I began the lesson by eliciting responses from the children about what we mean by floating and sinking and could they give some examples. We previously read Frog Can Float, which was a nice introduction to floating and sinking.
Exploring- The children were all given a plastic container (4 groups) with a variety of objects to explore. I chose objects based on their likelihood to float and sink. The children had a prediction sheet to make predictions, I used some of the following prompts ‘’ I wonder what will happen when we put these objects in the water? Will they go down to the bottom, or will they stay on top?’’
Questioning- Before the children placed the objects into their container, we made predictions based on some teacher questions, e.g. “What about this heavy piece of wood? Do you think it will sink or float?” Do you think everything will do the same thing? Why/why not?” etc.
Reasoning- After noting our findings, the children described the reason behind floating and sinking. An important part of this section of the lesson was encouraging them to move away from their initial discussion about size, ‘it floats/sinks because its heavy/light.’ We used play dough and making different shapes and how it floats/sinks depending on the shape to show this.
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Hi Clara,
I absolutely love this lesson idea and its one of my favourites to teach with Junior Infants. It’s so simple but hands-on. The inquiry based approach is really evident in your description, and you really encouraged questioning and predicting.
I especially love the playdough idea! Using it to explore how shape affects floating and sinking is such a clever and engaging way to challenge their thinking beyond just “heavy vs. light.” It’s such a great visual and tactile way for young children to grasp a more abstract concept. Definitely going to extend my floating and sinking lessons with this. Thank you for sharing!
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An inquiry-based activity I have found that children really enjoy is observing plant growth. Before planting their own seeds in little containers, it’s always interesting to elicit what do seeds/plants need to grow?
Plants need the necessary conditions of light, water, temperature and soil and experimenting with these conditions or lack of, really gets the children thinking.
Making predictions on what they think will happen the seeds is always good fun. Planting the seeds and taking away one of the necessary conditions is a great hands on way to show them what will or won’t happen. What will happen the seed that gets light, soil but no water? What will happen the seed that gets water, soil but no light?
Observing and recording the results each day keeps the children engaged in the activity and can foster their curiosity about the natural world.
Finally, planting their own seeds with all the necessary conditions is a great way to bring together all that they have learned about seeds and there are great time lapse video’s you can show at the end to consolidate this.
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My name is Bébhinn, I teach in a co-educational medium sized school on the border of Meath and Dublin. I taught a multigrade Junior/Senior Infants class last year and will be teach Junior Infants next year. My favourite fact about Space is that similarly to the way Earth has earthquakes the Moon has moonquakes (little shakes or tremors beneath its surface).
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I have chosen an inquiry activity suitable for Junior/Senior Infants about shadows.
Engage: I would begin by asking the children: “Have you noticed your shadow when the sun’s out? What happens to it when you move?”.
Investigate: I would give the children toy figures and torches and ask: “What do you think might happen to the shadow if we move the torch closer or further?”. After they make their predictions we would carry out the experiment – shining the light at different angles and observing how the shadow changes in size and shape. I would then have them record their observations with simple drawings.
Take The Next Step: After discussing their observation we could apply their ideas, such as exploring shadows outside using chalk to trace their own outlines in sunlight and compare with indoor shadows.
Reflect: Finally, we would reflect on what we have learnt and the children could share new vocabulary and connections they made.
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Activity:
One enquiry-based activity I would use in the Junior Infant classroom is a “What makes things fall?” experiment. This simple activity helps children explore the idea of gravity through hands-on learning.
To begin, I would gather different objects – like a feather, a toy car, a sponge, and a block. I would ask the children to guess which object will hit the ground first when dropped. This starts their thinking and encourages them to make predictions, which is an important science skill.
We would then drop the objects one by one and watch what happens. After each drop, I would ask questions like: “Was your guess right?” or “Why do you think the car fell faster?” This helps children think and talk about what they see.
After the activity, we would draw or talk about what we learned. I would also link it to a story or song about space or falling objects to keep it fun and meaningful.
This enquiry activity supports curiosity, language development, and early science thinking. It fits well with the Aistear themes and allows children to explore through play. I believe it helps children become confident learners who ask questions and share ideas.
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Hi, My name is Michelle. Over the years, I’ve found that children are endlessly fascinated by space. I’m excited to keep learning and gathering new ideas to bring into the classroom. My space fact is “The sun is a star- the sun may look like a big, bright circle in the sky, but it’s actually a giant star. It’s the closest star to Earth and provides us with light and warmth.”
Inquiry-Based Activity: Make a Bird Feeder Using a Recycled BottleEngage – Spark Curiosity
• Prompt Question: What kinds of birds do we see around us?
• Begin with a class discussion about birds pupils have seen in the schoolyard or at home.
• Go on a bird hunt around the school grounds. Use a simple tick sheet to record how many different types of birds pupils can spot.
• Discuss seasonal changes, focusing on winter and harsh weather conditions. Questions such as, why do birds struggle to find food during winter? and how might we help them?
Hands-On Activity: Create a Bird Feeder
Materials Needed:
• Empty plastic bottle with cap
• A pencil or stick (to serve as a perch)
• Twine or string
• Bird seed
Instructions:
1. Carefully poke two holes near the bottom of the bottle (opposite each other) and push the pencil through to create a perch.
2. Add small holes above the perch for the birds to access the seeds.
3. Fill the bottle with bird seed.
4. Tie twine around the top of the bottle to make a hanger.
5. Hang your bird feeder on a tree branch where it’s visible from the classroom window.
Reflect – Observe and Learn
• Spend time regularly watching the bird feeder as a class.
• Record the types of birds that visit. Keep a log or draw pictures of them.
• Reflect on what you notice:
Which birds come most often?
Do they behave differently in different weather?
• Extend with optional activities:
Create a bird journal
Use binoculars and ID charts
Research one of the birds spotted-
Michelle this sounds like a really nice project to do in a class setting – it’s educational and rewarding for children to work on something like a bird-feeder that they can afterwards see the positive impact of.
There’s a great app you can get for free from Cornell University called ‘Merlin’. It’s great for identifying bird’s which it does from their sounds, the date/time, and your location. It could be a nice addition to your lesson!
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My name is Adrienne, and I’m a primary school teacher an interest in inquiry-based learning and STEM education. I am the STEM Coordinator in our school.
One of my favourite space facts is that Venus rotates so slowly that a day on Venus is longer than its year! It’s fascinating to think that a full rotation on its axis takes longer than its orbit around the Sun.
As part of this course, I’ve started creating a mind map to track and grow my understanding of space. I’ll be adding to it after each module to reflect my learning journey.
One inquiry-based activity I would use in my classroom is “Which planet would be the best place to live?” The children would be able to explore the characteristics of different planets—gravity, atmosphere, temperature, distance from the sun, etc.—and use critical thinking to make a justified decision. I would divide the class into small groups, give them fun fact cards and access to child-friendly resources, and allow them to research, discuss, and talk about what they have learnt.
In this lesson children will get a chance to work together and talk about the different characteristics encouraging inquiry-based learning. Through a teacher led discussion, I would encourage the children to consider human needs as well as the scientific facts when making the decision on their chosen planet.
To follow up the lesson, the children could design a simple 2d habitat that they could live in on their planet.
To link with other ciricular areas children could engage in a drama on what life would be like, they would perform their little drama for their peers where their peers could ask questions about the planet further encouraging inquiry based learning. -
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My name is Kirstin Feeney and I have been teaching Infants for the last few years. Next year I will be in SET working with the junior classes and have a keen interest in all things Science related and STEM. My favourite space fact is: The sunset on Mars appears blue.
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Inquiry based activity: Exploring the environment using your senses: Taste
Engage: Begin with some prompt questions as outlined below to develop a whole class discussion and develop a sense of wonder.
• Is there any food we like now that we didn’t before?
• Is there any food we did like before but don’t now?
• Does food taste differently when we are sick or extra hungry?Investigate: Begin by going on a senses walk and encourage the children to record what they see, hear, smell and touch in the school garden. For the investigation provide a selection of pieces of fruit and ask them do they think that their sense of smell will affect how something tastes and record their predictions. I would also gain responses to the question what words describe how they think it will taste. Each learner would then choose three pieces of the same fruit. Before the taste test begins invite predictions from the class –
Invite learners to taste the fruit and have them write down how the food tastes.
They will eat one piece as they would, the next piece holding their nose until they have swallowed the food and the third piece holding their nose but releasing the hold before they swallow it. They will record their findings. We would then share our results, and create a word cloud of the different words the children used to describe their findings.Take the next step: Adapt for home:
Encourage the children to carry out the investigation at home.To add to the test, close their eyes and hold the nose while a trusted family member provides
samples of a selection of familiar foods and see can they guess the food based on taste?Reflecting:
Finally, we would reflect on what we have learnt and the children could share new vocabulary or something new they learnt from the investigation.-
That’s such a creative and engaging inquiry activity, Aisling! I love how you’ve brought the senses into it so thoughtfully—especially combining the taste and smell elements to really challenge the children’s thinking. The step-by-step investigation is so clear and manageable for younger learners, and the use of predictions and reflection supports both language and science skills. The word cloud idea is brilliant too—it’s such a fun way to build vocabulary while encouraging children to share their own experiences. I also really like how you’ve extended it into the home—what a great way to involve families and keep the learning going outside the classroom!
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I love this idea Aisling and the way the word cloud is a new idea for me. I think we should use this at the end of every lesson where possible but i’ve never thought of using it with science, usually as we’re so hands on we run out of time for any literacy overlap. The idea of holding the nose is brilliant as I’ve only ever encouraged the children to taste and never expanded to make it any more interesting than taste. Lots of new ideas!
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Class level: Junior Infants
Inquiry based activity: Why does the Moon shine?
1. Introduction: Show pupils a picture of the moon at night. Ask: “Why can we see the moon at night?” and “Does the moon have its own light?”. Think, pair, share ideas and record on a ‘Wonder Wall’.
2. Exploring: Provide pupils with a torch (Sun), a ball (Moon), and a mirror or foil. In pairs or small groups, they explore what happens when they shine the light on the ball and what happens when the light is off. Through this work, children discover that the moon only “shines” when light hits it.
3. Reasoning: Pupils will draw a simple picture to show ‘Sun – Moon – Earth’ and use arrows to show how light travels.
4. Reflecting: Whole class discussion – ask pupils “What did we find out?” and “Can the moon shine on its own?”. Children then explain that the moon reflects the Sun’s light. Pupils can then engage in a foil moon art activity.
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One inquiry-based activity I would love to use in my classroom is “How does the Moon change shape?” This would tie in well with early science and oral language outcomes, and spark lots of curiosity in young learners. I’d start with a simple question: Why doesn’t the Moon always look the same? Then I’d guide the children to observe the Moon each night for a week with a take-home moon journal. In class, we would discuss what they noticed, draw their findings, and create a visual representation of the Moon’s phases using white paper circles and black card.
This activity supports child-led learning, observation skills, and scientific questioning—core aspects of the Curious Minds framework. It would also link well with literacy, as the children could write or dictate simple sentences about what they see. I think pairing science with storytelling (e.g. myths about the Moon from different cultures) would help make the topic meaningful and memorable for infants. -
Hi everyone! My name is Laura and I’m currently teaching Senior Infants in a DEIS school. I have a strong interest in wellbeing, emotional development, and creative teaching strategies. I’m really looking forward to exploring how space education and STEM can be made accessible and engaging for younger learners through the Curious Minds and ESERO frameworks.
My favourite space fact is that a day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus! It rotates so slowly on its axis that it actually takes longer to complete one full turn than it does to orbit the Sun. My class would find that mind-blowing! -
As a sixth class teacher in Ireland, I see STEM as an ideal context for fostering inquiry-based learning, encouraging students to explore, question, and problem-solve in a hands-on, meaningful way. One activity I would use involves the theme of “Building Earthquake-Resistant Structures.” This integrates science, technology, engineering, and maths in a real-world scenario that captures students’ interest and challenges their thinking.
To begin, I would pose the question: “How can we design a building that can withstand an earthquake?” Students would work in small groups to research how earthquakes affect structures, explore different architectural designs, and use basic materials (e.g., spaghetti, marshmallows, cardboard) to create their own model buildings.
The inquiry process would include predicting, testing, evaluating, and modifying designs. We would simulate earthquakes using a shake table (which students could help design) and collect data on which structures held up best and why. Throughout the activity, students would document their thinking, reflect on their outcomes, and present their learning to the class.
My role would be to guide the inquiry, provide scaffolding where needed, and encourage collaborative dialogue. This activity supports multiple strands of the Primary STEM curriculum, including materials, forces, measurement, and data handling.
Using an inquiry-based STEM activity promotes critical thinking, resilience, and creativity. It allows students to experience learning as an active, student-led process, helping them to see the real-world applications of their classroom learning and nurturing skills they’ll carry into secondary school and beyond. -
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Hi, My name is Ainead and I have taught Science in the Junior classes but am working in set for the past few years. I love doing projects with some of my children based on their interests of all things stem and science. My favourite science fact is the universe is constantly expanding and it is impossible to reach it’s edge!
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One inquiry based activity I would love to try in a classroom is “What is gravity”. Everything we do is in relation and response to gravity form the moment we are born. I would explore with the children the meaning of gravity, encouraging them to explore, inquire and problem solve. The children would come up with ideas on how to demonstrate how gravity works , like throwing a ball into the air and watching it fall down again “first it goes up, then it comes down. We would use moon boots in PE to demo how difficult it is to move in a gravity free area like the moon in space. The children could look at ideas like filling a container with water and emptying it. Then we would collect all our experiments and share whole class, making a mind map of ideas that encourages thinking outside of the box.
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Hi, I’m Aileen.
Here’s a fun space fact:
A day on Venus, is longer than a year on Venus! Isn’t that mad!
That means it takes Venus longer to spin once on its axis (a day) than it does to go all the way around the Sun (a year)!
So, if you lived on Venus, you’d have to wait a very long time for the next “tomorrow”! -
Topic: A Real Space suit.
learning outcomes
To:
• know that clothing protects against heat loss in the cold
• know that during a space walk, an astronaut needs to take an air supply,
just like a diverEnd product
• an astronaut with a spacesuit designed and crafted by the childStep 1) Circle time discussion regarding how clothes protect us againt the sun/ rain etc. Show pictures of a diver/ astronaunt and discuss how they need to bring their own air with them as there is not any air in space/ under water etc/ Explain how space is cold and astronaunts need to keep warm. Elicit from the children how they keep the astronaunt warm? Display equipement: toilet roles/ cards/ card print out of astronaunt/ glue etc etc
Step 2) Children pick equipemnt that they want to use to make the suit. Canmake in pairs or by themselves.
Step 3) Return to the mat the discuss products made
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Inquiry-Based Activity: Why is the Sun So Far Away?
Curriculum Link: SESE – Science Environmental Awareness & Care / Energy & Forces
Class Level: Junior classes (Senior Infants to 2nd Class)
Inquiry Question: Why is the sun so far away?
Step 1: Ask (What do we know already?)
Have a discussion:
Gather the class and show them a photo of the sun or a short video of sunrise. Ask:
“What do you notice about the sun?”
“Can we touch it?”
“What would happen if the sun was very close?”
Important question to ask:
Why do you think the sun is so far away from us, on Earth?Record children’s ideas on the board or a flip chart.
Step 2: Investigate
Hands-on activity – Safe Sun Distance Experiment:
Materials:
• A large torch (to represent the sun)
• Small toy figures or cardboard cutouts (to represent us people on Earth)
• Paper and pencils for drawing what they see.
Activity:
1. Place the torch close to a toy figure – ask students what might happen (e.g. “It’s too hot!”).
2. Move the torch farther away and observe how the light spreads and softens.
3. Allow the children to experiment with different distances and describe what they see or what they feel.
Some More questions:
• “What distance felt best for the toy person?”
• “What would happen if the sun moved closer to Earth?”
3: Discuss
Bring the class back together to talk about their findings.
• “The sun gives us heat and light, but it’s also like a fire – too close and it would be dangerous.”
• “The Earth is just the right distance, it is not too hot, and it is not too cold!”
Introduce the concept of the “Goldilocks Zone” in space. Earth is ‘just right’!
• Let children draw the Earth, the sun, and label why the distance is “just right”.Step 5: Reflect
End with a class reflection:
• “What surprised you today?”
• “Why do you think it’s important that the sun is far away?”I think this a nice little lesson, that younger children would enjoy.
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An enquiry based lesson would be ‘Why do we have day and night?’
Questions: Why is the sky different at night? Where does the sun go? Why do some places have more hours of daylight than others?
Exploring: Use a globe and a torch, kids explore by turning the globe, some parts are lit, some are not.. If it’s day in one part of the world, it must be night on the other side of the world. Talk about the Equator, where is it and what is it?
Reasoning: They discuss their findings and question each other. They give reasons for why they think its dark in one place and daylight in another.
Reflection: They draw a picture of the earth and put in where it is day and night. They discuss with the class what they have learnt and also give and ask questions they still may have or that the discussions have led them to have. Further research can now happen.
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An inquiry based activity in First Class would be:
“What would it be like to live on the Moon?”
Questions: Could we breathe on the Moon?
What / how would you eat / drink?
What would you see / feel / hear / see / smell?
Exploring: In pairs, children research space stations and space suits on school tablets. In groups, design a space station and a space suit for your Moon explorer, using recyclable materials. Think of all the things he / she would need to survive on the moon. Think about what he / she would have to wear.
Reasoning: Each group presents their space station and their space suit, with a question and answer session at the end.
Reflection: Discuss what the hardest thing about living on the Moon would be. Would you like to live on the Moon? Why / why not? Would anyone like to be an astronaut when they grow up?
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Aileen – this could be a nice way to discuss the differences between the different planets too, such as temperature. For example, on Venus it is extremely hot so they could consider a spacesuit that can withstand the hot, acidic atmosphere with a cooling system built in. However on the Moon, temperatures vary from extremely hot to extremely cold, so the students could consider solutions that fit these different environments.
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My name is Regina Power. I will be teaching second class in the coming year. My favourite Space fact is – The footprints left by the Apollo astronauts on the Moon will likely remain for millions of years as there is no wind or water to erode them.
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Our inquiry based activity would be based on the design and building of a space rocket and which materials are most suitable – (support from Esero Resource)
This would be an active, fun, collaborative piece of learning in our classroom.
The work would begin with a prompt, photographs or a digital video from NASA kids, looking at the History of the Space Landing, integrating History work.
Wondering: Use of questioning, types of transport, why a rocket is suitable for space travel, how it is created and reasons to consider for its shape.
Exploring: We would consider, suggest and explore the variety of materials the children would have at their work stations, providing time for talk and discussion as a whole class and within their smaller group.
Prediction: Pupils could consider their materials, similar characteristics of the shapes needed to design and build our rocket and complete a design, using component parts of 2-d and 3-d shapes required. Pupils will predict how far their rocket will travel. This work allows for integration of mathematical work, at the appropriate class level.
Moving to the Investigation stage – we would use a starter question(s) and pupils would conduct their activity.
Recording: Their recording would follow on from their launch day of their rockets, allowing for self and peer assessment. Pupils woul reflect on their work, with a rubric provided.
This work would allow for follow up activities, looking at parachute designs, satellites and space rovers.
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Hi Fiona – rockets are such a good stimulus for learning. Could you tell me more about the rockets you would make, such as what mechanism they would use to fly? An inquiry based activity should involve a question/prompt, followed by a hands on investigation where the students can investigate that question come to conclusions themselves.
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Inquiry Activity: “How can we help a toy car go the farthest using only ramps and gravity?”
Introduction: Pose the question to the class and then encourage the children to share what they already know about ramps, cars, and rolls, and invite them to suggest things they’re curious to try or experiment with.Exploring: Provide small groups (2–3 children) with materials such as cardboard pieces, plastic toy cars, books, wooden blocks, tape, rulers or measuring tapes, and an iPad
Let them:
Design and build different types of ramps—vary the height, angle, or surface (e.g. smooth vs textured cardboard).
Launch their cars down each ramp several times, measuring how far each car travels from the end of the ramp. Make a video recording of each launch using the iPad.
Record their observations and data using drawings and a table showing the distance travelled by the toy car on each of the ramps.Reasoning: Class discussion to talk about what they observed:
Ask: Which ramp made your car go the farthest? Why do you think that happened?
Guide them to notice patterns: maybe steeper ramps led to faster speed and longer distance, or certain surfaces slowed the car.
Introduce vocabulary like gravity, friction, angle, and force in simple terms (“steep ramp = strong push from gravity,” “bumpy surface = slows things down”).
Encourage them to explain in their own words, create simple hypotheses (“If we make it steeper, the car will go farther”).Reflecting: Invite each group to share their findings and thinking:
“What did you learn about building ramps?”
“What surprised you?”
“If you could do it again, what would you change?”-
Nice lesson Regina – this is very similar to making marble runs. We do this at Blackrock Castle with children using cut up foam pipes as ramps. They work very well with marbles because you can adjust the curve/angle they are at easily and tape them together as much as you like. They may not be the best surface for a toy car though.
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To teach space to 2nd class using an enquiry-based learning activity, I would start by sparking curiosity with a question such as, “What would it be like to live on another planet?” I would encourage students to share ideas and questions they have about space. Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a focus topic (e.g., the Moon, planets, stars, or astronauts). Provide books, videos, and simple digital tools for research. Guide them with prompts like, “Why does the Moon look different each night?” or “What do astronauts need to survive in space?”
Students could record findings using drawings, labels, or short written sentences, depending on ability. Encourage hands-on activities like making models of the solar system or moon crater simulations with flour and marbles. Each group shares their discoveries through posters or short presentations. Conclude with a reflective discussion: “What new questions do we have about space?” This fosters critical thinking, collaboration, and curiosity—core goals of enquiry-based learning.
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Hi Keith – I like all of your ideas and the inquiry process can be used for research, but be careful with being too vague/broad in your initial prompting. The children should have an appropriate starter question and then gather information based on that question. Covering too many different topics at once and providing activities for each different group could prove to be a lot of work for you too.
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One successful enquiry-based lesson I conducted with infant students focused on exploring how different variables affect the growth of plants. The children were introduced to the basic needs of plants and then invited to investigate what happens when one of those needs is altered.
Each group of children planted a bulb and we explored the impact of different variables by changing one condition for each plant. One bulb was kept in a dark storage press to observe the effect of no light. Another was not watered to see how lack of water impacted growth. A third bulb was given all the conditions needed for healthy growth (light, water, soil) and served as our control plant.
Over the course of several weeks, the children observed the changes daily, recording their observations and discussing what they noticed. They were incredibly enthusiastic about the process—eager each morning to check on their plants, share their thoughts with their peers, and update their group charts.
As the investigation progressed, the children worked in groups to:
Form hypotheses about what they thought would happen to each plant
Collect and record data on plant growth and appearance
Compare results to their predictions
Discuss and interpret the outcomes & Present their findings to the Senior Infant classes using simple charts and drawings
This lesson involved critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills, as well as early scientific reasoning. The children developed a deeper understanding of how living things grow and what they need to survive. It was a highly engaging, memorable activity that integrated science, maths, oral language, and SPHE seamlessly. -
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Hi, my name is Brenda and I am currently teaching infants. I am looking forward to completing this course as Space is topic I struggle with. I find it’s a very engaging topic for the children so I would like to improve my teaching methodologies for the future. My favourite space fact is the moon is not actually round, it is shaped like a lemon.
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Inquiry Based Activity: What Sinks? What Floats?
I completed this lesson in my junior autism class last year, the children were extremely engaged and found it enjoyable.
Strand: Energy and Forces
Strand Unit: Forces1)Show the children the water tub and the first few objects. Ask: “Have you ever played with toys in the bath?” “Have you seen something sink before?” “What do you think will happen to this object when we put it in water?”
2)Allow the children to handle the objects and make predictions: Will it float or sink? One at a time, place each object in the water. Let children observe and discuss what happens. Use simple language/visuals: “Look! The spoon floats on top!” or “The coin went down!”
3)Use a large visual chart with object pictures and place them under “Sink” or “Float.” Involve children in moving the pictures or sticking them on with velcro.
4)Ask:“What did we notice?” Encourage children to share why they think some things float and others sink. You might say: “Things that are heavy for their size, like coins, usually sink.”
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The inquiry based lesson I have decided to talk about is an experiment I do nearly every science week with Junior classes. It is called Dancing Raisins. After working through this module this is how I would reimagine this lesson.
Prompt-Dancing Fruit video by hey Bear Sensory
Wondering-I wonder can fruit and vegetables really dance?
I wonder have you ever seen food move?
I wonder how does it move?Exploring-I would ask the students to work in pairs with some raisins, some strawberries, a cup of water, a cup of 7up and some classroom objects like a pencil, spoon and markers. Get them exploring and asking could any of these objects get the fruit dancing
Starter Question-What here will get our raisins to dance?
Predicting- Pick the materials you think might be best and ask the pairs to record your prediction.
Conducting the Investigation-Teacher performs the experiment for the class, with just the 7up and the raisins. And then into the cup of water. Ask the students to observe which liquid causes the movement. Perform the experiment with the strawberries also. The students will record with thumbs up signs which fruit moved and in what liquid.
Interpreting data/results
Using the thumbs ups, discuss that the raisins dance in the 7up but not the water. Why did this happen? Give guesses. Teacher then explains the raisins are heavier and sink but they take on the CO2 in the 7up making them lighter, thus making them dance and move.Taking the next step
Students discuss the impact of CO2 on other fruits/veg and lesson on uses of Co2 -
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Inquiry based activity-Chromatography
Prompt-Large chromatography vase of flowers
Questioning-How did they create these flowers? Get suggestions and try them out e.g. colour them with pencils/markers-does it look the same? The paper keeps breaking etc.
Exploring-Get markers in a variety of colours, several glasses of water and paper towel strips. Cut them into inch wide strips. Draw a heavy line with a marker near the top of one stripe. Hang the strip over the edge of the glass. The colour will spread as the water travels. What is happening ? Are there any differences/similarities between the colours? Take pictures and disply on IWB for all to see. Use visualiser if possible and take a video of the process. Speed up/Slow down the video when watching.
Reasoning-Explain how things are made up of different things that move differently. E.g a ball and a doll would move differently/travel differently if a flood came.
Reflecting -Is there anything else we could try? E.g. food dye. What could we create with our strips? Would you like to create the flowers? What materials would we need? Is there anything else we could make?
There are a large range of art activities that could be incorporated into this. -
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One inquiry-based activity I will use in the classroom to support curiosity and critical thinking is to explore the question: “Why do leaves change colour in the autumn?”
Strand: Living things
Strand Unit: Plants and Animals
At the beginning of the year, students naturally enjoy collecting leaves and observing the changing seasons, so this is a perfect opportunity to build on their interests. I would begin with a nature walk around the school grounds, where they can collect leaves of different colours, shapes and sizes. Back in the classroom, they would document their findings through simple drawings and discussion.
We would then create a pictogram to represent the different colours and patterns observed. This would lead into a class discussion, encouraging students to ask questions, form ideas and suggest possible explanations.
This activity would also allow for integration across subjects including Gaeilge and Maths. They learn to ask questions, identify patterns and think critically about what they observe.
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I’m Rebekah and I will be teaching in learning support. My favourite space fact is that Laika was the first dog in space.
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Understanding gravity
Objective: To understand that gravity is a force
Materials Needed: Ball, small toy, feather, pencil, paper
Questioning:
Have you heard the work gravity before? What does it mean? Is it the same everywhere?
Exploring:
The children will be given different items in groups. They will consider how gravity would work with each object falling from a height.
Encourage them to consider if all objects will behave in the same way when falling. What might be the same/different? Discuss safety of dropping objects. Predict what will fall faster.
The children will drop things from different objects and observe how they behave.
Reasoning:
What did you notice? Why do you think that happened? Would the same thing happen on a windy day? Would they fall as fast if it was water, not air they were moving through? Why/why not?
Reflect/assess:
The fall of the objects is affected by things other than gravity. What could these be?
The children draw a picture or write sentences to reflect their understanding of gravity.
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Hello all.
My name is Laura O’Sullivan. I teach in a DES city school in Cork and haven been charged with senior infants for the last few years. Looking forward to getting to know my new class of seniors in September. My space fact, which the kids love, is that dogs went into space travel before humans.
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Inquiry activity: “what material makes the best raincoat?”
Introduction: Pose the question to the class and then ask what is a raincoat. Ask what is the purpose of a raincoat and what would make a good raincoat. Invite them to answer these questions and to identify what materials they think would make a good raincoat.
Exploring: In pairs or small groups the children will be given different materials-
Cotton wool, tin foil, cling film, plastic bag, newspaper.
The children will examine the different materials and predict which one will make the best raincoat.
They will then make a raincoat for a doll using their chosen materials. They will test this raincoat by spraying water on it.
They will repeat the process using each of the different materials.Reasoning: Class discussion to see which materials worked best. Why do they think this was the best material? What properties did the material have. Was it waterproof?
Reflection: Invite each group to share their findings and to show their different raincoats.
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Strand: Living things
Strand Unit: Plants and Animals
I see inquiry-based learning as a powerful way to spark curiosity and deepen understanding in science. Children are naturally inquisitive especially in the younger infant classes, and science gives them a chance to explore the world around them.
In a lesson on “What do plants need to grow?”, I would begin by asking the children what they think plants need. Their ideas—sunlight, water, soil, even music—would be recorded and discussed. Together, we’d discuss this, draw what they think might be needed, design a simple experiment using seeds, soil, and varying conditions (light, water, etc.).
The children would observe the plants over time, documenting changes through drawings and simple notes. We’d revisit our predictions and reflect on the results, encouraging questions like “Why didn’t this plant grow?” or “What would happen if we tried something different?”
This approach helps children think like scientists—asking questions, testing ideas, and learning through experience. Inquiry-based learning makes science meaningful, memorable, and fun.
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Hi, my name is Sarah Bird. This year I have junior infants. My favourite fact about space is that it is not completely silent.
The inquiry based activity I have chosen is floating and sinking . I did this lesson with my senior infant class past year and they found it very engaging. I began this lesson by asking the children if they have ever heard of the words float and sink. I would explain to them that if something was light it would float and if it was heavy it would sink.Next I would carry out some hands on activities using various objects in the water. I would ask the children to work with their partner to predict if different item was going to float or sink. Then I would ask the children to test the various objects and record their findings.Finally I would discuss why they thought certain objects would float and other objects would sink.For a follow up lesson I would ask the children to work in pairs to create a boat using different junk art material. We would then go out to the yard and test the boats to see if they stayed afloat.
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An enquiry based lesson would be ‘How should a rocket be designed?’
Questions:
What materials should be used? What shape should the rocket be? What are the most important design features? What is the rockets main purpose?
Exploring:
The children will be able to explore a variety of materials, discussing with their group which they think will be most suitable for purpose. They will create a multitude of designs, assessing which design works best but is also functional. They will have to explore a variety of rocket designs and see which features they will combine to create their own rocket.
Reasoning:
The children will discuss their findings with their small group before discussing them with the whole class. They will outline the ‘why’ behind their findings and answer questions from their peers.
Reflection:
The children will compare their initial thoughts and designs with their final design. They will reflect on what worked and didn’t work.-
Hi Chloe – rockets can be such a a great topic for engaging children. For an inquiry based lesson however, be careful with giving them a task that can have a wide range of answers or is open ended. You want to focus on a clear question, followed by a hands on investigation that allows them to learn and draw conclusions by themselves.
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I have used the example of floating and sinking which I think works well as an inquiry based activity in the infant classes.
Stimulus; Reading the story ‘Who Sank the Boat’
Starter Question; ‘I wonder if we could make a boat that could hold some passengers (peas and plasticine). The problem is when I place a ball of plasticine in the water it sinks’ (shows this to the children and brainstorm ways to make the plasticine float ie. change it’s shape)
Predicting how many ‘passengers’ their boat will hold and designing their boat (whiteboards and markers)
Creating their boats (basin of water at each table). Observe how they manipulate their boats to allow for better floating and refer to this when examining results.
Circle time to evaluate results. What worked well/ did they change anything along the way/what they would change next time/ were they close to their predictions.
Vocabulary; Upthrust, passengers, cargo, float, flatter, wider, narrower
Further learning; Floating and Sinking continued/ change material and try again (ie. tinfoil)/ Floating orange experiment/ swimming lesson as a stimulus/ salted water vs normal water
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Hello
My name is Catriona. I am in the Junior Special Class in September. To be honest I am doing this course to learn about Space and Science for the Children I will be teaching because when we went on a trip to Blackrock castle they were so motivated by it and knew alot of facts. I learnt while there that Saturns rings are made of ice.
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Inquiry question: How can different objects be moved ?
Prompt– Toy car – how can we move the toy car?
Wondering – I will introduce the concept of forces by reading the story ‘Newton and Me’ by Lynne Mayer. We will discuss the various examples of pushing and pulling in the story and how these make the objects move – what happened when the boy doesn’t push or pull on the object?, What does he have to do if he wants the ball or wagon to move?, Why did the ball go really far? (pushed it really hard).. What did the boy learn about pushing and pulling ?He says that pulling and pushing are forces of motion? That’s a tricky word, does anyone know what it might mean?
Explore – The children will explore and investigate for themselves with objects (toy cars, trucks, toy wagon, toy crane, ball) whether they move by being pushed or pulled. -what happens if you push the toy car?, what about if you push it harder? Can you make it go faster?, How can you make it stop? ..
Predict – They will predict how it might be moved.
The children will then identify if certain objects move by being pushed or pulled and sort the objects/pictures into push or pull hula hoops.
Record their finding on a worksheet.
Discussion about what they found out and a chance to share their wonderings.
Further extend the lesson – Design and Make activity
– The children will design and make their own toy transport object that can hold a Lego man and be moved by being pushed or pulled (a car, a cart, a wagon etc.).
– They will plan their design on a planning sheet – resources needed, will it move by being pushed or pulled?, a sketch.
– Making the design
– Testing their design – other children could predict whether it is move my being pushed or pulled.-
Lovely lesson Sarah – we do a nice activity with children at Blackrock Castle that we call ‘Silly Robot’ that is really great for getting them thinking and using descriptive language around forces. You pretend that you are a silly robot that doesn’t know or understand very much english and you take everything very literally. You tell the children you want to move something, a chair for example, across the room and ask them how to do it. They will immediately begin telling you to push it, or move it. You say you don’t know what pushing is, and they tell you where to put your hands etc. It’s very fun and the children are usually so engaged in getting you to understand what they mean, especially when you continuously misinterpret their directions.
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When looking at all the amazing experiments on curious mind I had the children that I teach in mind and what they will get the most from and also work on some life skills for them.
Investigating Fruit
Prompt Question–what do fruit do you Know?
Class Discussion: Before showing them the fruit for some children drawing the fruit they know and labeling it and some children can list the fruit they eat. present the fruit and let the investigating begin. Talk over each frit on the size, shape, colour. Allow the children to cut fruit up and see what each fruit has inside. they will hopefully touch, taste and smell every fruit.
adapt- for my children hopefully they will taste a few fruit and they can than start having different fruit for lunch. We can keep the investigating on the fruit and where they grow and what weather do they need to grow, Even pick fruit that we could grow.
Reflect: with the children–what fruit they liked and what they may like to try
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Why Do We Need the Sun?
- Livings things
- Plants and animals
Engage/Questioning:
Begin with a short story or picture book or picture about a day without the sun. Ask children: What do you think would happen if the sun disappeared? Encourage them to share ideas, would plants grow? Would it be warm?Investigate:
Set up simple observations. Place two small trays of soil, one in sunlight, one in shade and plant seeds. Over the week, observe changes. Ask: Which one grows better? Why? Use torches to mimic sunlight and talk about warmth, light, and shadows.Take the Next Step:
Encourage children to draw or build a “sun helper” something that helps plants grow using light. Can they think of ways people use sunlight (solar panels, drying clothes)? Draw and record their observations over a few days. Take photos with the class ipad and put if on their class ebook for investigationsReflect:
Gather the group and ask: What did we learn about the sun? Why is it important? Help them connect their discoveries to everyday life. Record their thoughts on a class poster titled “The Sun Helps Us Because…” What other ways can the sun help living things? Draw some responses . What would you do differently the next time? -
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Activity – What would it be like to live on the moon?
Id begin with this simple question to spark discussion, allowing the children to share ideas freely. Together we would explore books, images and videos about space focusing on the Moons environment. The children would work in small groups to research things like gravity, food, shelter and day/night cycles on the moon. They would record their findings in a logbook before presenting their ideas to the rest of the class.
This activity encourages collaboration, questioning, and independent discovery. It also integrates many areas of the curriculum including science, literacy and oral language skills.
Reflecting on this, I can see how inquiry transforms students into active participants in their learning, making topics like space exciting and deeply engaging for young learners.
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Activity:
For art/engineering/oral language using STEAM:
We’d discuss the presence of space junk orbiting earth.
I’d ask the children to design a machine to gather space junk. We might discuss regular cleaning appliances or new ocean cleaning technology and see if we could adapt that for space.
I’d then use the structured group work time and allow a group each day to build their design from the building materials in the classroom and present their creations to their peers (we wouldn’t have enough materials to do with all the kids simultaneously).
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Inquiry Activity:Floating and sinking lesson in junior/senior infants
Introduction:
I would show the children a picture of a boat in the ocean and pose the questions “Do heavy things always sink?” and “Do light things always float?”Exploring:
Hands on exploration in small groups- Each group will have a selection of objects, a basin of water and a record sheet. They will chose and object, predict what will happen and then test it. They will record their results using smiley/sad faces. Teacher will record these on the whiteboard so that children can interpret the results.
Reasoning:
The children will come together to discuss their results and talk about any patterns they may have noticed. Did any of the objects surprise them?
Reflecting:
Teacher will check for understanding and evaluate if learning objectives have been met and if children can use topic related vocabulary during the discussion.
Extension- sinking is the object being pulled down- what happens in the air- gravity.
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Inquiry Activity: What do Sunflowers Need to Grow?
Prompt: I would show the children a time lapse video of the life cycle of a sunflower form seed to flower.
Question: I would ask the children “What do you think the seed needs to grow into a big sunflower? (Soil, water, light) If we took away just one thing, do you think the sunflower would grow?
Exploring: We will plant a sunflower seed for each child in a compostable cup, plus a few extras (some for the experiment and a few spares in case a child’s seed fails). We will put one seed in a empty cup with no soil. Another seed will be planted but will not be watered at all and a third will have a lid put on the pot to deprive the seed of light. We will observe the seeds over a two – three week period. Children will water the seeds each day and we will write/ draw pictures in our SESE copies to show the progress of the seeds.
Reasoning: When the seeds have grown a few inches, we will observe the seeds that has no soil/ light / water. We will chat about the difference in the seeds that were given everything they needed to grow, and the ones who were missing light/ soil or water.
Reflecting. We will discuss and record how well the seeds have grown. We will reflect on what we should have done differently to ensure all the seeds grew. Finally, the children can take their sunflower plants home and enjoy watching them grow.
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One fun inquiry activity I’d use in class is getting students to create their own planet. After learning about the planets in our solar system, I’d ask them to design a brand-new planet using what they know. They’d think about things like size, how far it is from its star, what the planet looks like, if it has weather, and whether any living things could survive there. The big question would be: What makes a planet special or able to support life?
I like this kind of activity because it gives students room to be creative while also thinking scientifically. They’d do some research, share ideas with classmates, and present their planet to the group. It’s a great way to get them thinking deeply without just memorising facts. Plus, as we go through each new space topic, they could go back and add new ideas to their planet design, which keeps the learning going!
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My inquiry based activity would investigate temperature and changing states. It would be a hands on activity that aims to engage a junior infant class in problem solving.
Prompt: I would show the children that some of our resources (e.g. maths manipulatives) were frozen in ice: I would have put them in an ice cube tray the night before.
Question: How can we remove the ice from the resources so we can start our maths lesson?
Exploring: Different groups could try different approaches based on our discussion (wrapping them up/banging them/chipping ice off/ putting them on the radiator etc).
Reasoning: Ice is frozen water – it returns to liquid from a solid when it warms up.
Reflecting: which approaches were the most effective, why? Follow on discussions about warm clothes, ice in cold drinks etc.
The different ideas raised by the children during this activity could be a guide for future inquiries.
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One inquiry based activity from Module 1 that I think would work very well, and I will definitely be using next year is the ‘Create a Waterproof Jacket for Teddy’. Usually, by Senior Infants, the children are familiar with waterproof materials. It would be very easy to engage pupils in this lesson as we constantly have spills in the classroom, usually someone’s water bottle. To grab their attention, I would ‘accidently’ spill my water/coffee in the classroom and ask pupils to help me clean it up. This would give opportunities for many questions – what should we do? What do we usually use to clean up spills? Is there anything else we could use? Why do you think the blue tissue paper good for cleaning up spills? Would blue tissue be good if we spilled a pot of glitter? Why/Why not? etc. The children would then have a chance to explore which materials are better for cleaning up liquids. I like the idea of the smiley/sad face chart and whole class pictogram and this would lead to great discussions as to why some materials are better than others. To ‘take the next step’, I would give pupils the task of creating a jacket to keep Teddy dry in a rain shower. As the pupils are working, I would have the chance to go around the class, questioning the pupils on their choice of material.
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I too really like this as a lesson and I like the approach you would take in finding something to clean a spillage. I carry out a waterproof test with my senior infants every year and find it to be a highly interactive and engaging lesson. The way in which I do this is wrap an item in the material we are testing and dunk it in water. We then unveil the item and check if it has been kept dry or not.
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I will be teaching senior Infants next year and an inquiry based lesson that I would be eager to try with my class is the “Falling Things: Gravity and Air Resistance” investigation from the Curious Minds/ESERO Framework. This activity is ideal for junior classes because it sparks curiosity, involves hands-on exploration, and builds scientific thinking skills in a playful age appropriate way. I think it would make for a very enjoyable lesson and it would invite the children to discover and draw conclusions independently. I would introduce this lesson by dropping an item and then another and inviting the children to predict what would happen if various items (big/small/heavy/light) are dropped. Although there are many ways of allowing children to experiment themselves, I think group work would be the most productive means of conducting the lesson
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I have enjoyed looking at inquiry-based learning in module 1 with great examples. I think the use of inquiry-based learning is so important for children when engaging with all aspects of the curriculum in order for them to really lead their own learning through asking questions and thinking for themselves about a topic.
One activity I have used lots of times in my own classroom around inquiry-based learning is ‘What do plants need to grow?’ This is a lesson showing children what the basic needs of living things are.
I would begin with a stimulus of a plant and ask the children what they think it needs to stay alive, sharing all answers on the board for children to discuss. Once we have all our ideas we would test out the children’s answers. We would set 3 plants in different areas of the classroom with different conditions (light, water, soil etc.) We would leave the plants out for a week or two, observing them every few days to see what way they are/are not growing, recording changes etc. At the end of the two weeks, we would line the plants up and discuss our predictions and ideas. We would come to a conclusion from seeing the results of the plants and what exactly they need to survive.
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Activity which I have done before in mainstream: Design Your Own Planet
Students will explore various aspects of space including the types of planets, conditions for life, and distance from the Sun.Introduction – Find out prior knowledge of class
Begin with a brief overview of the solar system, emphasising the different types of planets. Help them with a rhyme to remember order of the planets. Discuss the factors that make a planet habitable (atmosphere, distance from the sun, gravity, etc.).
Present the students with the question: “What would your own planet look like, and what conditions would it need to support life?”Brainstorm
What is the planet made of?
What kind of weather and climate will it have?How does the planet interact with other objects in space (e.g., moons, asteroids)?
Design Phase:
Have students draw and label their planets. Encourage creativity while ensuring they integrate the scientific concepts they’ve learned. They could create a model of the planet using craft materials, paper etc.
Group Discussion;
Each student presents their planet to the class, explaining the conditions that support life -
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This year with my 3rd class, I did a simple inquiry-based science lesson linked to our space theme and art. The question we explored was “What happens when we put salt on wet paint?” The children painted circles to represent planet, then sprinkled salt on the paint. They observed closely as the salt absorbed the water and created patterns that looked like textures on real planets. From this investigation, the children discovered that salt soaks up the water in the paint and pushes the colour away, creating interesting effects. They really enjoyed combining science and art, and it helped them understand how materials can react and change.
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Inquiry-Based Activity: Why Does the Moon Change Shape? (Senior Infants)
Prompt:
I would begin by showing a short video or images of the Moon in different shapes and ask, “What do you notice?” and “Why does the Moon look different on some nights?” This would prompt curiosity and discussion.Question:
Children would share ideas like, “Maybe the Moon is hiding” or “A cloud is in the way.” I would write their ideas on the board to explore later.Exploring:
Using a lamp (Sun), foam ball (Moon), and our heads (Earth), we’d model how the Moon appears to change shape. Children would observe how light hits the ball differently as it moves, just like sunlight on the Moon.Reasoning:
We’d discuss what they saw: the Moon doesn’t change shape, we just see different parts of it lit up.Reflecting:
In circle time, I’d ask, “Can you tell a friend why the Moon changes shape?” and have them finish the sentence, “The Moon changes shape because…” or draw Moon phases. -
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Inquiry-Based Activity: Junior/ Senior Infants
To begin I would plan the lesson using the framework for inquiry based learning. Explore: I would use a variety of questions to spark interest in the subject. I wonder what life is like in Space? I wonder how you would get there. I would use think pair share to discuss their ideas Engage: We would read stories associated with the theme and listen to videos about space. How would you survive in space? Food, water ect? Investigate: Design and make a rocket to get to space- we would look at a variety of different rockets made out of a variety if materials. They would draw a picture of what their design might look like and create their design. We would examine a variety of premade rockets to give them ideas of the ways the rocket could be launched. Take the next step: Launching rockets- look at videos of rockets and discuss how they think the rocket launches. Try to launch their own rockets. Question the position of rockets and what position would be best to help the rocket go the furthest. Are there any adaptations you could make to help the rocket go further?-
Hi Lianna – rockets can be such a a great topic for engaging children. For an inquiry based lesson however, be careful with giving them a task that can have a wide range of answers or is open ended. You want to focus on a clear question, followed by a hands on investigation that allows them to learn and draw conclusions by themselves.
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I think this investigation would be great for my class as well. I like the idea of firstly investigating what life is like in Space and how you would get there. I would also get the students to work in pairs or groups and then share their ideas with the class.
I think they would love the idea of designing their own rockets and then re creating these designs. We would then look at ways to launch the rockets and the materials that worked best.
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Hi everyone, I’m Denis, and I’ll be returning to the classroom this year after a few years away, my last mainstream classroom year was 2018/2019, so I’m feeling a bit nervous but excited too. I’ll be teaching 2nd Class in an Educate Together school in Dublin.
My favourite space fact:
Saturn is so light that it would float in water…if you could find a bathtub big enough!Inquiry-based learning offers a powerful way to spark curiosity and develop early scientific thinking. One simple activity I could use with my second class is a “falling things” investigation, using the Curious Minds/ESERO framework. I’d begin with the prompt “Oops! I dropped it!” and ask, “What happens when we drop different objects?” Pupils could predict, then test objects like feathers, coins, and balls, observing how they fall. Through questioning and discussion, we’d explore the concept of gravity and what affects the speed or motion of a fall. By guiding them to reflect and ask further questions (e.g. “Would this fall the same way on the Moon?”), we move beyond the activity into critical thinking. I like how this approach encourages inclusion, collaboration, and making connections with real-life contexts. Using the inquiry framework regularly could really help build children’s confidence and enjoyment in science while also supporting oral language and recording skills.
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“What would we need to live on the Moon?”
The Activity:
This inquiry began with a simple provocation: “What would happen if we had to live on the Moon?” I presented the children with a short, age-appropriate video showing life on the International Space Station and pictures of the Moon’s surface. Then, we posed a class question: “Could we live there? Why or why not?”
Children were invited to discuss in pairs and then share their ideas with the class. From this, we generated a list of “I wonder…” questions such as:
How do astronauts breathe in space?
Is there food on the Moon?
What would houses look like on the Moon?
The Inquiry Process:
We grouped the children’s questions into themes (air, food, shelter, gravity) and spent the week exploring each one through different subject areas:
Science: Simple experiments like testing gravity with different objects, or observing how air takes up space using balloons.
Art & Design: Creating their own Moon habitats using recyclable materials.
Language: Dictating or writing simple captions and explanations for their Moon designs.
Drama: Role-playing astronauts preparing for launch and living in a Moon base.
Throughout, I acted as a facilitator—encouraging questioning, offering resources (books, pictures, short videos), and prompting deeper thinking with questions like “What else would you need?” or “What if there was no water?”
Reflection:
This inquiry-based activity shifted the focus from teaching content to guiding discovery. Children were highly motivated, often bringing ideas and questions from home. I noticed increased engagement particularly from quieter pupils, who found new ways to express themselves through design, play, and discussion.
The open-ended nature of inquiry allowed for differentiation—some children focused on imaginative design, while others became fascinated by the science behind space travel. While time management was a challenge (it’s easy to go off on tangents!), the learning was richer and more meaningful.Sallyanne Barry
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<p style=”text-align: center;”>My name is Kelly and I will be teaching 1st class in September. My favourite fact about Space is the sunset in Mars looks blue.</p>
I would like to try this inquiry based activity with my class as I think they would enjoy it.Prompt: Oops experiment. Show a photo of different foods spilling on the table
Wondering: Brainstorm with the class what materials we could use to clean up the spill. What do we use everyday?
Exploring: Give the students different materials to explore which they think would be useful, for example: newspaper, plastic bag, kitchen paper, cloth. Ask them have they seen or used them before and what similarities/differences do they have.
Investigate: Starter question, predicting, conducting the experiment, interpreting the results.
Starter question: Ask the students what material do they think might be most useful to soak up the spill.
Predicting: Choose the material that you think might work best.
Conducting the investigation: Spill a small amount of water on the table and use the four different materials to try to soak up the spill. Observe which material worked best and put a smiley face beside it.
Interpreting the results: Make a pictogram on the board of the materials that worked best and that didn’t work. Ask why those materials did and didn’t work.
Applying learning and make connections:
What kind of materials are good at soaking up spills. Design and make a waterproof jacket for a teddy.
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Hello everyone! My name is Odhrán.
One of my favourite space facts is that a day on Venus is longer than its year! Venus takes about 243 Earth days to rotate once on its axis, but only about 225 Earth days to complete one orbit around the Sun. That means the Sun rises and sets fewer times in a Venusian year than you might expect. It’s such a fascinating and counterintuitive idea that sparks lots of questions and wonder in students.
Reflection:
Inquiry-based learning is a powerful method to inspire curiosity and deepen understanding. One activity I would use in my classroom is a “Planetary Conditions Survival Challenge.” Students are placed in small groups and given a hypothetical mission: they must design a shelter for astronauts on one of the planets in our solar system. Each group researches the environmental conditions of their assigned planet (temperature, gravity, atmospheric composition, solar radiation, etc.) and proposes a solution for human survival using this data. This activity taps into inquiry because students are not given all the answers—they must investigate, evaluate credible sources, collaborate, and present their findings.
This kind of activity promotes scientific thinking, teamwork, and creativity. It also allows for differentiation, as students can explore the depth and complexity of their planet at their own level. Most importantly, it helps students make real-world connections between abstract science concepts and practical human challenges, which increases engagement and retention.
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Hello everyone. My name is Lisa Fitzpatrick.
My favourite space fact is that the moon is slowly spinning away from the planet earth. So it would have looked a little bigger in the sky when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
I love exploring gravity with my classes. One activity I love to do is falling things and get the children to predict what will happen if we drop several things from the same height.
The Starter question might be which will fall quickest…. Get the children talking together & predicting! We then explore and investigate and record results.
Discussion around why one thing might fall slower (eg a feather ) can spark great conversations and further experimentation.
I love to follow this up with an inquiry based lesson on paper spinners using the template online, scissors and paper clips. The Starter question is usually ‘do you think the spinner will turn clockwise or anticlockwise?’ and then the children compare their results and try figure out how to change the direction of the spin (fold the wings in the opposite direction!)
Halving the wings, halving one wing, etc can all make for an interesting lesson.
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Hi, my name is Megan and I will be teaching 1st class next year again.
An inquisitive question I could give the children is ‘What does an Astronaut need when he is going to Space to stay safe?
We could begin by watching a clip of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon and discuss what he is wearing.
We could then further the discussion by asking the children what they already know about gravity and provide them with simple facts about this.
I would then ask the children if they think it is hot or cold in space?
If time allowed to further this discussion we could investigate the properties of materials and see what would keep the astronaut warm in space (eg. tin foil)
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Hi I’m Órla and I’ll be teaching junior infants in September. My favourite space based fact is that you age slightly slower in space – as per Einstein’s theory of relativity, astronauts aboard the ISS age a tiny bit slower than people on Earth, due to time dilation caused by their speed and lower gravity.
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An inquiry based activity that I have done with classes before is one centred on the question “Why do stars come out at night?”
We begin with the question and sharing of ideas as to why, some of the answers are inevitably always pretty funny. It’s a topic students tend to be interested in and it’s always great seeing them share their ideas and process and question those of their peers. Then we do an investigation with a globe and a lamp. We turn on the lamp and spin the globe and we show how one side faces away and one side faces towards it. The message comes across even better if it can be done on a dark winter day with the classroom lights off. Then we explain how the stars are always there, they just can’t be seen because of the sun. We then do a little art activity where the students create their own night sky and get the opportunity to share their creations with their peers and explain to them anything they learned. -
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Hi my name is Fiona. I will be teaching second class in September. My interesting fact about space is that it rains diamonds on Neptune and Uranus.
Inquiry based activity: Do magnets attract all objects?
Prompt: Why do some things stick to the white board and other don’t?
Wondering: What are magnets and where do we find them in school and at home?
Exploring: the children will be shown various items e.g. coin, straw, pencil, nail and asked to predict if they think they will be able to pick up the object with a magnet. They can record their predictions on a page under the heading prediction. Happy face means they predict the magnet will attract the object.
Investigate: The children will use the magnets and investigate what items are attracted to them. They will update the result side of their work sheet, happy face means the object was attracted to the magnet, sad means it was not. The children can discuss their predictions and results, which ones surprised them etc.
The children can then gather other items and continue with their investigations.
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Last winter during the really cold weather, my second class had an impromptu science investigation! They were saying how they didnt want the snow to melt . Our school is situated in an exposed hilly area and we had quite a bit of snow and ice while some children living only 5 mins away only had sleet and slush.
We chatted about why this was and we started an experiment as to which was the best insulator if we wanted to keep the snow a little longer or bring some snow home!!
We used some paper cups and filled them with snow. We then wrapped the cups in different insulators- tin foil, cotten wool, kitchen roll and cloth. We ;eft one with nothing , just the paper cup itself.
They decided and chatted amongst themselves how to carry out a fair test – not putting the cups too near the sunny window or radiator, but finding a place where the temperature is relatively constant. The chose a shelf at the side of the classroom and we checked them at various times during the day. The children gave their predictions as to what they thought would be the best insulator and which would not be a good one. afterwards they wrote up how they conducted their experiment and their results and findings. -
Hi everyone!
My name is Karen Mernagh, and I teach Junior Infants in a lovely school in Wexford. I’m really looking forward to exploring the topic of space through this course and sharing ideas with fellow educators.My Favourite Space Fact:
Did you know that a day on Venus is longer than its year? Venus takes about 243 Earth days to rotate once on its axis, but it only takes 225 Earth days to orbit the sun! It’s fascinating how different other planets are from Earth.Reflective Learning
One inquiry-based activity I would love to use in my Junior Infants classroom is a “What if we lived on the moon?” exploration project. This would start by showing the children a short video or picture book about astronauts or life in space. I would then pose open-ended questions like:
“What would we eat?”
“How would we sleep?”
“Could we jump higher on the moon?”
This would spark curiosity and lead into a group-based inquiry where children draw, role-play, build models, or ask their own questions. We could use building blocks to make a moon base, or act out moonwalking using slow movements. I would integrate this with Aistear, particularly through socio-dramatic play and construction.
Inquiry-based learning is particularly powerful at this age because it encourages language development, collaboration, and critical thinking in an age-appropriate way. Children are naturally curious, and giving them the opportunity to lead their own discovery helps build confidence and love for learning. I think the children in infants love the topic of space and have wonderful imaginations to explore this topic. I am delighted to have new resources to share with my class this year.
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An inquiry-based activity I would use in my 5th class classroom is a “What if we lived on the moon?”. Using fact based comprehension pieces for inspiration and look at videos about the moon and astronauts, we would create projects about what it would look like to live on the moon:
“What would daily life be like on the moon compared to on earth?”, “What would we eat?”
“Where would we sleep and would we sleep?”
‘’What would be the pros and cons of living on the moon? ‘’
This would spark curiosity and lead into a group-based inquiry where children draw, write, build models, or ask their own questions.
Inquiry-based learning is particularly powerful at all ages because it encourages language development, collaboration, and critical thinking. We all know that children are naturally curious, and giving them the opportunity to lead their own discovery would help them build confidence. I really love this resource and I think that the children in my class would love to discovery more about space.
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