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ASSIGNMENT
Choose from one of the activities or activity sets outlined in this module:
- Activity Set: Stars
- Activity Set: Space and Aliens
How would you use the activity in your classroom? Post a reflective piece (150 words min) to the forum as a reply to this post. You may include digital records of the activities.
Also, please respond to at least one other participant’s post. -
Activity Set: Stars
I would use these activities to structure an inquiry based series of lessons on stars. As a prompt I would show the children a striking image of a starry night sky and ask them to engage in a think pair share, to tell their partner what they know about stars. Then we would create a collaborative KWL chart, I would ask the children what questions they have about stars. We would also discuss how we will find answers to our questions.
We will do the ‘Lots and lots of stars’ activity which will help the children grasp the vastness of the milky way and how many stars there are.
We could also learn about constellations through the lovely ‘Universe in a box’ activities – 5.4 Constellation shapes and 5.5 Constellation stories.
To consolidate learning the children will create their own painting of a starry night sky. They will also complete the counting stars worksheets. They could also draw their own constellations.
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That sounds like a wonderfully thoughtful and engaging way to explore the topic of stars! I really like how you’re starting with a visual prompt and using the KWL chart to guide inquiry—it sets a clear path for meaningful learning. The inclusion of the “Lots and lots of stars” and “Universe in a Box” activities is a great way to make such a vast topic more tangible for young learners. The creative tasks like painting and drawing constellations offer a lovely way to consolidate learning through art. A very well-rounded approach!
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I also like including a KWL as it focuses the lesson and ensures the children get the information they want out of the lesson also. The addition of an art activity is always popular and I think this topic really lends itself perfectly to the exploration of the children’s creative sides. Thanks for sharing.
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This is a lovely way to explore stars with young children. The image and think-pair-share is a great way to start off the lesson. The KWL chart will help guide their learning and the Lots and Lots of Stars activity is a fun way to show how big the Milky Way is. Finishing with art and drawing their own constellations will help the children remember what they’ve learned in the lesson. They’ll have something to bring home to show their parents and tell them about what they learned.
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I would use the “Space and Aliens” activity set to engage my First Class students in a fun and creative way. This topic is highly imaginative and gives students the opportunity to create, describe and discuss ideas that interest them, while also developing their oral language skills.
I would begin by introducing key vocabulary using visuals (space, planet, Earth, stars, rocket, spaceship) . I would encourage the children to name different planets and imagine where aliens might come from. This would lead into a whole-class discussion, where students get to share ideas about what an imaginary planet might be like such as weather, colours and what you might find there.
The children would then design their own planet and present them to the class. They would have the opportunity to answer questions.
For differentiated learning, I would provide visual supports and sensory materials such as playdough or Lego. This ensures that all learners, including those with additional needs, can participate confidently.
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I really like how you’ve structured the learning through inquiry and creativity. Using an image of the night sky as a prompt is such an effective way to get children thinking and talking at the beginning stages of the inquiry cycle.
I haven’t really thought much about Space myself. I sometimes think maybe children wouldn’t be able to relate to the topic as I feel it’s very distant from their lives and experiences. The ideas in the course have reminded me how valuable it is to spark that sense of wonder though and space is certainly a topic that can do that. I feel it is a topic that children will definitely be interested in and curious about.
I particularly like the idea of combining science with storytelling through the constellation activities. It’s such a nice way to bring the topic to life and help children connect with it on a deeper level. -
This sounds like a lovely lesson Aveen. I find the use of a KWL chart great for gauging where the children are at and gives them some ownership over what they would like to like to discover. The lots and lots of stars activity is a great way to give the children an understanding of the vastness of the universe.
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Activity Set:stars
I would begin my lesson using the book ‘how to catch a falling star’ by Oliver Jeffers to encourage discussion of stars and determine what the children know and want to know (use a KWL chart for this part). This would also be a good oral language lesson and also bleeds into SPHE as we integrate discussion on reaching for the stars and what our dreams would be.
Then to shift the focus more to the scientific perspective on stars we would watch a short animation by dr binocs about stars. Prompts before the clip would be ‘how many stars do you think are in the universe?’ ‘Can anyone name any of the different types of stars?’ We would answer these questions after watching the animation and add to our KWL chart from before.
I would complete these series of lessons with an art lesson on stars inspired by what we have learned and by the illustrations in the Oliver Jeffers book. The children would focus on one star type and paint it over a blue canvas as in the book. We would then put the different groups of stars together and create a class universe display.
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I would choose the Stars activity set, as it provides an ideal opportunity to combine science with storytelling, imagination, and creativity. I would begin by introducing the children to constellations and how people across different cultures have looked up at the night sky and created their own stories and meanings from the stars. This naturally lends itself to integration with literacy, history, and even art.
To bring the learning to life, we would create simple star viewers using black card, pinholes, and torches to project constellations in a darkened room. The children could then design their own constellations, name them, and write a short backstory or myth explaining their origin. This promotes not only scientific thinking but also oral language development and creativity.
We would also explore how sailors and early explorers used stars for navigation, linking it to Geography. This activity set is engaging, cross-curricular, and helps children appreciate both the science and wonder of the night sky.
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Hello Sean. Your ideas for teaching about stars are very hands-on and engaging for the students in your class. I enjoyed reading about the opportunities for integration when covering topics regarding space. I also for the comment of exploring navigation interesting as it highlights the links between stars in geography, history and culture.
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Teaching young children about stars is important because it can help spark their natural curiosity and sense of wonder about the universe. Linking the teaching of stars to navigation shows the children how vast the topic is.
This linkage can help children to observe, ask questions, and think critically about the world beyond Earth. It can help them to realise that the world that we live in is uniquely wonderful and vast and that we should appreciate all that it entails.
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Hi Sean, I love the idea of integrating a science lesson on stars and constellations with literacy, history and art. This would be such a lovely thematic unit of work and could be differentiated up and down the school levels. The kids would like the experience of “looking at the stars” being projected in the classroom. These would make for some really memorable lessons!
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Hi Sean,
Your post describes the many ways the topic of stars can provide for integration, within the classroom. The children would be greatly engaged, with such a variety of ways to address this topic, allowing for deeper understanding and the wonderful inclusion of creativity, in their learning. The Star Viewer activity is a super way to showcase their scientific learning and would be wonderful at either Halloween or Christmas.
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I would focus on the activities set of Stars from this module and create a star lantern with the students in my class. This hands-on, creative way to explore stars is ideal for infants, as it encourages curiosity and imaginative thinking.
Introduce: I would introduce the concept of stars to my class by reading the book *Under the Stars* by Rosie Adams to instigate a discussion around stars. We would talk about where we see stars, what they look like, and how they make us feel.
Explore: Children would examine pictures of stars in the night sky and notice their brightness, shape, and colour. They would then create their own star lanterns. While working, we would observe how light shines through and talk about why stars shine.
Reason: I would ask, “Why do you think stars twinkle?” or “Why can’t we see them during the day?” to encourage thinking and discussion.
Reflect: We would finish by displaying the lanterns in a darkened room and reflecting on what we’ve learned and how it felt to “create our own stars.”
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I like how you’ve structured the lesson around the STAR framework—it’s both accessible and meaningful for young learners. Using Under the Stars as a starting point is a lovely way to spark curiosity, and the lantern activity adds a fun, hands-on element that helps children connect creatively with the concept of stars. I also liked how you encourage reasoning with open-ended questions—this really supports critical thinking even at an early age. I might try something similar with my class.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
To spark interest, I’d start by inviting the children to share what they already know—or wonder—about space. This would naturally lead into reading the picture book Aliens Love Underpants, a fun and engaging story that opens the door to talking about aliens in a lighthearted way.
Following the story, we’d have a lively discussion about alien appearances. I’d encourage the children to describe what they think aliens might look like, sound like, or even eat! This would be a great opportunity to build vocabulary and practice expressive language.
Next, the children would design their own aliens—first through drawing, then by sharing their creations on the white board or come to the sharing space in the class to tell the others their idea. I find that this sharing moment helps build confidence and communication skills. To extend the activity, we’d move into constructing 3D models of their aliens, integrating art and design while continuing to develop their descriptive storytelling.
This activity set not only supports creativity and language development but also allows for cross-curricular links with science, literacy, and drama. I think its a good way to let imagination lead learning.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
I would choose to teach the ‘Space and Aliens’ set in my classroom. I feel that this is such a rich lesson with so many opportunities for integration.
I would begin by asking the children what they know about space and the planets that have life. I would then introduce the book, ‘Aliens Love Underpants’. I would read this story with the class and discuss the story afterwards- specifically aliens.
We would then have a whole class discussion – is this what you think an alien looks like? This should lead to a rich class discussion on aliens and the use of descriptive language. After the class discussion, I will give the children some drawing materials and ask them to sketch an alien. I will give them about ten minutes to do their drawing. I will then allow for some children to sit on the ‘Illustrators’ Chair’ and share their drawing. Again, I will be asking the children to use rich, descriptive language.
After the sharing of the drawings, I will allow the children to construct 3-D models of their drawings. This may take some time, and I will allow for linkage with other curricular areas (Art, Drama, Literacy).
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
I chose this set because I feel it is very well-suited to the age group of my class. I would introduce the lesson by showing the children pictures of Earth, space, and the planets, and ask questions such as ‘Who lives on Earth?’ and ‘Who do you think lives on this planet?’. I would continue on by reading the story ‘Welcome to Alien School.’
We would then have a whole class discussion on the aliens that we saw in the book, focusing on using descriptive language and mathematical language, e.g., shapes and colours seen, and comparing the sizes of the aliens. I would then give the children some time to draw and create their very own alien. The children will then turn to the person beside them and discuss their drawings, talking about similarities, differences, etc.
After creating the drawings, the children will turn their designs into sock puppets. This lesson will lend to a drama/music lesson as the children will use their sock puppets to create voices and movements for their aliens. The children will be encouraged to use their imagination when it comes to making a voice for their alien and exploring how it might move to different music and sounds.
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Sarah I like how you emphasise the use of descriptive and mathematical language when describing the aliens you see in the book. Aliens are such a great subject for cross-curricular activities and for stimulating the imagination, so it’s important to keep these learning goals as the focus of your lesson.
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Activity set: Space & Aliens
I chose this set because I feel that infants love the idea of aliens and different creatures. We have plenty of books about aliens in our classroom library. I would choose one of these books for example Here come the Aliens. We would have a whole class discussion on aliens, what do we think aliens look like, what do we think they like to eat, what do we think aliens like to do. We would compare the characteristic of aliens and the characteristics of humans. We would play a drama game of acting how we think aliens might walk or talk.
I would then ask the children to design their own aliens. They would draw their alien and then each have a turn to describe their alien to the rest of the class. We would then aim to make our own aliens using playdough. The children would then have time to play with their aliens during playtime and continue to act as aliens.
I would integrate Maths, by counting the arms, legs and eyes. I would encourage the children to make patterns when colouring their legs and arms.-
Aliens are a great topic for doing cross-curricular activity, as you describe clearly in your lesson plan Aideen! Asking the children why their aliens look a certain way, or eat certain foods, and linking this to where they live, what type of planet it is (hot, icy, etc..) would be a nice extension.
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Stars
I plan to teach the “Make a Star Lantern” activity as part of Space Week. I think the children will be very excited to do a space-themed art lesson. We will start by talking about stars – what they are, how they shine, and when we can see them. This will help them learn more about the night sky.
Then we will make star lanterns using card, tracing paper, scissors, and small LED tea lights. I will show the children how to fold and cut the card. They will follow along and help each other. I hope to see teamwork and problem-solving during the activity.
As we make the lanterns, I will encourage the children to talk about stars and space. They may ask questions and share ideas. Even though this is an art lesson, they will also be thinking like scientists.
At the end, we will turn off the lights and switch on the lanterns. I think the classroom will look magical, and the children will be proud of their work.
This activity will support art, fine motor skills, and science learning. It will be fun and easy to do. I look forward to teaching it during Space Week or when learning about light and dark.
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I really enjoyed Module 3, particularly the use of aliens as a learning tool. I decided the Activity Set I would use with a class would be the Space and Aliens activity set. There were many good lesson ideas but I decided I would complete the Design a Martian investigation. I think this would suit both junior and senior infant classes in particular.
As an introduction for this activity, I would read the book The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers and discuss the alien and the story with the children. Our starter question for the activity therefore would be what would an alien look like? Each child could then make their own prediction by drawing what they thought an alien would look like. The children would then make their Martian by using 3D materials brought in from home to introduce a school home link.
This activity allows for cross- curricular extension. The children will practice their oral language skills by showing their alien to other children and talking about its features. Early math skills can be introduced through discussion of the alien features, for example, number of eyes, number of legs. Comparative language could be used, for example, smaller, larger, taller and shorter.
Finally, this activity will result in a wonderful display, with the potential to share with other classes.
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I really like your approach, Andrea! Using The Way Back Home to spark imagination is a fantastic way to engage young children right from the start. The Design a Martian activity sounds perfect for encouraging creativity while also connecting home and school through the 3D materials. I love how you’ve highlighted the cross-curricular potential, especially around oral language and early math skills like counting and comparative language. Sharing their creations will definitely boost the children’s confidence and give them a real sense of pride. Plus, the display will brighten the classroom and inspire others. Thanks for sharing such a well-rounded, fun, and educational idea!
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I completely agree, Laura — the topic of Aliens offers so much scope for cross-curricular learning! While it can have a strong science-based focus, it also opens the door to exciting opportunities in creative writing, storytelling, and art. From imagining alien worlds and designing spacecraft, to writing intergalactic adventures and creating alien character profiles, it’s a brilliant way to spark curiosity and creativity across multiple subjects. There are many books children love with Aliens. I love reading the Way Back Home to my class, the illustrations and simple sentences capture their attention.
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Reflection on Using “Stars” Activity Set
In my Senior Infants classroom, I would use the Stars activity set to blend science, art, and sensory learning in an engaging way. We could start by exploring the Milky Way—talking about how it’s a galaxy made up of billions of stars and using simple visuals or videos to spark curiosity. To make this concrete and fun, I’d have the children create their own star constellations using black paper, white paint or chalk, and stickers to represent stars. This hands-on art activity would help develop fine motor skills and introduce spatial concepts such as “connect the dots” and patterns.
To make the learning memorable, I’d finish with a sensory treat—sharing magic star-shaped snacks and Milky Way chocolates. This would create a positive association with space learning and give a playful way to reinforce vocabulary like “stars,” “galaxy,” and “constellation.” This multisensory approach supports diverse learners and helps embed new knowledge through creativity and enjoyment.
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Activity: Create an Alien – Junior/Senior Infants
I would set the children the challenge of design a Martian and that they need to have a reason for each design choice that they make. I would use prompt questions such as “What is the weather like on Mars?”, “Is it hot or cold there?”, “How do animals and people on Earth adapt to different climates and landscapes?”. After discussing the children’s ideas and suggestions I would show them a presentation or video describing the weather and terrain on Mars.
Next, I would ask the children to brainstorm their ideas for their Martian and to then draw what they would look like in their scrapbooks. The children could take a photo of their design and explain the reasoning behind their choices in a voice recording on Seesaw.
I could collate all the children’s designs into a slideshow and the children could present them to the rest of the class and answer their questions.
Finally, during Aistear, the children could use Marla to build a 3D model of their Martian. They could add photos or videos of their 3D models to their Seesaw portfolio. -
Activity set: Space & Aliens
I would choose this set because I think that the idea of aliens is something children in the infant classes would love to explore. We would begin with the starter question of ‘what do aliens/ martians look like?’. I would get the children to pair and share their opinions and then feed back to the class. We would then read one of our alien stories, for example, Aliens Love Underpants. In a whole class discussion we would compare the children’s answers to the images of the different aliens in the book. We would further investigate aliens in space using the following questions-what do we think they like to eat, where do they live in space? what do we think aliens do all day? what language do they speak? how are they similar and different to us?We would record all the childrens answers in a class mind map. I would then ask the children to design their own aliens, and provide them with opportunity to describe their alien to the class- encouraging them to describe characteristics etc. They would draw their alien and then each have a turn to describe their alien to the rest of the class. This could then be integrated into our art lesson where we could create a 3D alien. We could then write or tell stories about or alien or write a postcard to school from our alien as part of our literacy lesson.
There are also opportunities to extend this activity into a drama lesson where the children can act out as their aliena and bring them to life. -
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Activity set: Space & Aliens
I would choose this set because I think that the idea of aliens is something children in the infant classes would love to explore. We would begin with the starter question of ‘what do aliens/ martians look like?’. I would get the children to pair and share their opinions and then feed back to the class. We would then read one of our alien stories, for example, Aliens Love Underpants. In a whole class discussion we would compare the children’s answers to the images of the different aliens in the book. We would further investigate aliens in space using the following questions-what do we think they like to eat, where do they live in space? what do we think aliens do all day? what language do they speak? how are they similar and different to us?We would record all the childrens answers in a class mind map. I would then ask the children to design their own aliens, and provide them with opportunity to describe their alien and its characteristics to the class. This could then be integrated into our art lesson where we could create a 3D alien. We could then write or tell stories about or alien or write a postcard to our school from our alien as part of our literacy lesson. There are also opportunities to extend this activity into a drama lesson where the children can act out as their aliena and bring them to life.
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I love how you’ve structured this lesson around the natural curiosity infants have about aliens! The use of Aliens Love Underpants is a fun and familiar starting point, and your questions really encourage imaginative thinking and oral language development. I especially like how you’ve integrated art, literacy, and drama into the lesson—it offers great opportunities for creativity and differentiation. The idea of writing a postcard from an alien is brilliant and could make a lovely display. I’d love to try the drama element with my own class too!
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I would choose the Activity Set: Stars for use in my senior primary classroom. One activity that stood out was “Make Your Own Constellation.” I would begin by introducing students to the night sky using a digital planetarium app or video, followed by a discussion about famous constellations and the stories behind them. Students would then design their own constellations using black paper, white crayons or chalk, and star stickers. They’d give their constellation a name and create a short myth or story to accompany it.
This activity is cross curricular including literacy development through storytelling, creativity through art, and scientific observation and inquiry. I’d link this with a homework task where students observe the evening sky (weather permitting) and record visible stars or planets using a simple observation sheet. I would allow time for the children to share and present their constellations with the class. I believe this hands-on and imaginative approach helps demystify astronomy and fosters a lifelong interest in the stars. -
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Activity Set: Stars
I would use these activities to plan a couple of inquiry-based lessons all about stars. I am fascinated my stars myself and I know the children in my class will be too.
To begin, I’d show the children a picture of the night sky filled with stars. This would then lead into a think-pair-share activity where they could talk with a partner about what they already know about stars. As a class, we would brainstorm what we already know about stars and what we might like to find out.
The Lots and Lots of Stars activity will help the children understand just how many stars are in the Milky Way and give them some sense of its vast size.
We would also explore constellations through the Universe in a Box activities, especially possibly Constellation Shapes and Constellation Stories.
To wrap up the topic, the children might paint their own starry sky, complete the Counting Stars worksheet, and create their own constellation drawings. I think the children would be really engaged in these lessons and enjoy them a lot. -
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Activity: Stars
I would conduct an inquiry based lesson whilst integrating with story telling and art. As a stimulus I would use The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. Using his painting I would hope to foster observation, interpretation and creativity in my students.
To introduce the lesson I would display the painting and ask questions such as
“What do you notice first?”
“How does this painting make you feel?”
I would divide my students into small groups with printed copies of the painting.I would pose open-ended questions, for example,
“Why do you think Van Gogh used swirls and bright colors for the sky?”
“What time of day is it? What clues tell you that?”
“If this painting could tell a story, what might be happening in the village below the stars?”
Encourage them to jot down their thoughts.Children could draw their own version of a “starry night” scene inspired by their feelings.
To conclude groups could share their interpretations.
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Topic: Aliens and Space
I would start the lesson by reading a read aload to the class regarding aliens…when the aliens came for tea. I would then ask the children to think pair share what they know about aliens/ Marshens. We would contruct a KWL chart regarding aliens.
In pairs chidren would draw pictures of what they think aliens look like.
We would then use modelling clay to create aliens with an assortment of material available to children to enhave their alien…pipe cleaners/ eyes etc
We would then have an alien walk around the classroom and children can intordice their alien to other people’s alien.
The next lesson would be looking at the landscape of mars and recreating this landscape for their alien to live in
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Activity Set: Stars “Create Your Own Constellation”
Stars are a fascinating part of space that naturally capture children’s curiosity. One engaging and educational activity I would use in my classroom is “Create Your Own Constellation”.
Introduction & Discussion
To begin, I would gather the class together and ask:
• What do you know about stars?
• Have you ever seen stars in the night sky?
• What do you think constellations are?
I would then explain that constellations are patterns or pictures made by groups of stars in the sky, and people long ago created stories about them.
We’d look at some simple, well-known constellations (like Orion, the Big Dipper, and Leo) using pictures or a short video, discussing what they look like and the stories behind them.
Main Activity: Create Your Own Constellation
Materials:
• Black or dark blue paper
• Star stickers or white chalk/crayons
• Silver or gold pens
• Glue and glitter (optional)
Instructions:
1. Each child places star stickers (or dots with chalk) on the paper to form a pattern.
2. They connect the stars to form a picture, creature, or shape using lines or drawing.
3. Once the constellation is formed, they give it a name and create a short story or legend about it.
After the artwork is complete:
• Children share their constellations with the class.
• They explain what their pattern represents and tell the story they created.
We would display the constellations on a classroom “night sky” wall to celebrate their work and continue referring back to it during the space unit. -
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
I think this is a great topic for junior classes as it can really spark children’s imagination and curiosity. An initial discussion in pairs and then as a group on what they think already about aliens is a good place to start. Where they live? What language do they speak? What do they eat? etc. We can compile all of their answers on a mind map and gather their thoughts and opinions on a large sheet of paper.
Listen and respond activities are nice to use here as you can integrate math’s into the directions. Give each child a blank piece of paper and ask them to; draw a large circle (for the aliens body). Give them 3 oval eyeballs. 4 legs. A triangular nose. Colour their body in a pattern using 2 colours of your choice. You can differentiate and adapt the instructions depending on your classes ability.
There are great stories about aliens and one that I have used is ‘Aliens Love Underpants’ by Claire Freedman. There is lots of lovely rhyming, colourful illustrations and descriptive language.
Designing their own aliens is a lovely way for each child to bring out their imagination. This can be done simply with paper and colours or you can add recycled craft paper, wool, felt, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, pom poms and much more.
Finally you can refer back to their mind map and see if we could update it, using a different colour marker to add more information!
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I would choose the stars activity set and incorporate Science, Art and English into the lesson plan. I would begin the lesson by reciting the nursery rhyme ‘ Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ to the class. I would encourage the children to say the nursery rhyme and join in with the actions also. After this I would then ask them what part of space do you think we are going to be learning about today. I would display an image of a starry night on the whiteboard. I would then ask the children to work with their partner and discuss what they already know about stars. Together we would investigate the colour and shape of stars. Then we would discuss what stars are made up of. After this we would move onto the art lesson. The children will get paper, glitter and paint to create their own star. I will then display the children’s star on black paper. At the end of the lesson the children will come together to discuss what they have learned about stars and share their knowledge with eachother.
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That sounds like a lovely lesson for younger children. It’s great to be able to incorporate Space into so many areas of the curriculum.
As a side note – one of my colleagues at Blackrock Castle Observatory uses that nursery rhyme in her planetarium shows to explain to children that planets don’t twinkle in the sky. She will say “Everyone knows twinkle twinkle little planet?” and is quickly corrected that its star not planet. She then explains that twinkling is one of their differences – stars do and planets don’t!
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Activity set – Space and Aliens
Introduction: Story – Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman.
I would start by using the story Aliens wear underpants as a stimulus for discussing space and aliens.
We would discuss what we know about space and aliens as a group. We could the look at footage of aliens
1. Wax Crayon Painting
Needed: paper, white wax crayons, watery paint, paint brushes.
Children draw an alien from the story using white wax crayons. Ensure they press hard with white crayons while drawing, chunky white crayons work best.
Talk about what the children notice, can they see their drawings? …..explain its difficult to see as both paper and crayons are white.
Now do some magic painting to make their drawings appear.
Children paint over the top of their drawings with watery paint.
Why can they see their picture now?…….Watery paint won’t stick to the wax from the crayon.
2. Flying Alien
Needed: green balloons, markers, toilet roll, sellotape.
Draw an alien face on the (uninflated) balloons using the markers.
Blow up the balloons but do not tie them.
Using the sellotape attach some toilet roll to the slimmer end of the balloon to make a tail.
Let go of the balloon and watch your alien whizz around the room.
3. Grow a Balloon Alien
Needed: bottle, vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, balloon, marker.
Before beginning, blow up a balloon. Pinch the end closed and use a marker to draw an alien face on the balloon and then let out the air. This will make the balloon easier to inflate when doing the experiment.
Place two tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda into the bottle.
Add 200ml of vinegar.
Immediately place the balloon over the mouth of the bottle and hold tightly.
Watch the alien grow as the balloon fills with gas.
If the reaction is slowing down, give the bottle a little shake to mix the ingredients together.
Carefully remove the balloon and tie it -
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Activity – Stars.
For a fun and educational activity about stars in the sky, second class students can create their own constellations. Begin the lesson by discussing what stars are and when we can see them. Introduce the concept of constellations—patterns of stars that people have identified and named throughout history. Show students a few simple examples, such as the Big Dipper or Orion, and share a short myth or story related to one of them. Then, give each student a piece of black construction paper and either star stickers or white chalk. Ask them to place the stars in any pattern they like, forming their own unique constellation. Once they’ve created their star pattern, they can draw lines connecting the stars and think of a creative name and story to go along with it. After everyone finishes, have a sharing session where students present their constellation and the story behind it to the class. This can be followed by displaying the constellations on a “Night Sky” wall in the classroom. This activity helps students understand basic astronomy while encouraging creativity, storytelling, and presentation skills in a way that’s fun, engaging, and age-appropriate. -
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Activity – Space and Aliens
Pretend and play Space Station
I absolutely love teaching this topic in my junior classes. It never fails to excite the children and get their imaginations flared up. I once asked them to build a class spacecraft out of boxes, tinfoil etc and inside we put lots of alien masks, costumes, alien themed writing pages and pens etc. (We made some during art) and it was the best free play the children ever engaged in.
Lots of art like paper plate UFO’s, galactic slime (School glue, baking soda, saline solution, food colouring, glitter) is a massive hit with the kids of all ages, Outer space shape and colour aliens with goggle eyes is a great craft idea and it has colours, sorting, numbers, counting and shapes all in there.
National geographic has some great alien investigation primary resources which introduces the children to the idea of extra terrestrial life and explains some of the most well known mysteries around aliens like what happened at area 51? Why is Roswell famous as the area of an alien encounter? The children ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge and maintain attention and participate in class discussions, staying on topic.
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The work would begin with a prompt: photographs, music and a telescope, encouraging a class discussion on the topic of stars. We would look at some of the star constellations that the children may name or are familiar with. Our class would utilise the resource of “Seeing Stars! Looking at The Plough two different ways”. This is a very interesting activity for the senior class, allowing for a great deal of integration with mathematics and science. Our work would allow for the consideration of lines, angles and measurement. Pupils would work in pairs and the digital video would be shown to the class and then shared on their online classroom platform, to allow for revision of this work and to support pupils with subtitles and slowing the speed of the video. Pupils would discuss the steps involved with each other and each pupil would complete a piece of procedural writing, outline the steps,integrating literacy work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFdqLZqqcXU&t=4s
On completion of this task we would utilise the following resources, from this module, as a body of work on the topic of stars. This would also allow for the integration of Geography and History, looking at how people have used the stars in navigation and in Myth and Legend.5.3 Planisphere: A Turnable Star Map
5.5 Viewing Constellations through Stories
Our class would share their completed artwork with another class, providing opportunities for each child to reflect on their learning, explaining what the Plough is, to other children.
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Activity: Space and Aliens.
I love how this topic can be so cross-curricular. I would use it to start a discussion with various questions
“Do you think there are aliens in space?”
“Why do you think this?”
“What do you think aliens look like?”
Children by giving their opinions can see how everyone has different ideas on how the alien would look, and they can also see similarities between their ideas. How many come up with the idea of a ‘little green man’!!
Now I would get the children to draw their own aliens and then write a short description of them. After they get a chance to share their picture and drawings with the class during circle time.
As a follow up to this lesson I would offer some story starters for some creative writing. Examples of these are
” I looked out the window and saw a spaceship in the garden, the door opened and out came…”
“One night I heard a strange sound coming from my garden. I looked out and saw…”
” There was a little tap on my bedroom window one night, I saw 3 bright eyes looking in at me…”
Just a few ideas, or the children devise their own.
They also, after stories are completed, get a chance to share their story with the class.
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I would choose the activity Space and Aliens
I would start off with a poster of space and ask the children what they can see in the poster. Next we would complete a KWL chart on the board.
I would then teach the children the song “ Zoom, Zoom We’re Going To the Moon “ by The Kiboomers.
Next we would discuss whether aliens were real or not. Then we would discuss what the planet they would live on might look like.
The children would then with draw what their planet would look like or use LEGO to build what the planet would look like.
Lastly the children would draw an image of what they think an alien would look like. Then they would create 3D models of their aliens using junk art.
These would all be presented to the class showing what they used to construct their aliens.-
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Nice work Jenny – a good addition would be incorporating the planet the aliens live on to what the aliens look like. For example if the children say that the planet is cold, maybe their aliens are covered in fur to keep warm.
LEGO is such a great building tool for children, if only it weren’t so expensive!
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Activity Set: Stars
I would use these activities to structure an inquiry-based sequence of lessons focused on stars. To spark curiosity, I’d begin by showing the children a striking image of a starry night sky. This would lead into a Think-Pair-Share activity where they discuss what they already know about stars with a partner. As a class, we would then create a collaborative KWL chart, recording what they know, what they want to find out, and later, what they’ve learned. We would also talk about the different ways we can investigate and answer their questions.
One of the key activities would be “Lots and Lots of Stars”, which helps children begin to understand the immense scale of the Milky Way and the vast number of stars it contains.
We would explore constellations using the engaging Universe in a Box resources—specifically activities 5.4 Constellation Shapes and 5.5 Constellation Stories.
To consolidate their learning, the children would create their own paintings of a starry night sky. They would also complete the Counting Stars worksheets and have the opportunity to design and illustrate their own constellations.
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Activity Set-Aliens
I really like the outline of the Esero lesson on Special Life. It’s clear and it’s simplicity makes it adaptable to all age levels. It’s also a very engaging and active lesson for the children. I think there are ways to also extend the lesson or provide opportunities for UDL. For example, depending on time constraints or availability of technology, I would get the children to perhaps chose their medium instead of drawing if they preferred. For example, they could use a digital programme like Paint to create the alien or another child may choose to paint the alien.
I think this lesson could tie in really well with visual arts and English. For example, children could then crate a 3D alien. We could first orally describe the alien, then we could write our description of the alien. It would be an interesting lesson stimulus for ‘adjectives’.
These activities could also be done during Aistear. -
To teach the topic of stars to junior infants, I would ask the children to sing the song ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ to open up the discussion. Asking them questions such as ‘Have you ever seen stars?’ ‘What did they look like?’ and ‘Do stars give light? How do you know?’ I would elicit their prior knowledge. After listening to them speak about the occasions when they’ve seen stars, we would begin the discussion on how many stars there are using the marbles in a jar concept from ESERO. I would also bring in a jar of sand to show them and give them the fact that there are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on earth! I would tell the children that the sun is the nearest star to us. This might be a chance to explain perspective to the infants. Possible vocabulary development might include the word ‘universe’ and ‘constellation’. We would look at different photos of the sky and discuss whether the stars are still there in the day time. As mentioned in the ESERO lesson, this topic integrates nicely with a splatter painting art activity which could be completed after this.
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Activity set: Space and aliens
I am looking forward to teaching this activity to my 1st class. I would introduce this activity sitting on the mat in a group by asking questions such as ‘who lives on earth?’, ‘what do they look like?’ before asking questions such as ‘do you think anyone lives on any other planet?’, ‘what do you think they look like?’, ‘do you think they speak to each other?’. I would encourage a discussion amongst the children about their opinions.
The children would then sit in their seats where each child has access to playdough, pipe cleaners, match sticks, lollipop sticks, googly eyes and clay tools. They would be given the opportunity to create an alien based on their imagination. Each child would have the opportunity to present their alien to the class once the lesson is finished.
I would integrate this topic through drama by giving the children time to create a role play in small groups of life on their planet, through English by creating a narrative story using their alien and planet and through art by drawing/painting their alien and planet. -
Activity Set: Stars
To teach the topic of stars to my junior autism class, I would create a starry night sensory bin using black rice, small star shapes, glitter, moon beads, scoops, tongs and containers so that the children could explore stars through sensory play. The children can dig and scoop to find stars in the bin, count the stars together and sort stars by size, shape or colour.
As the children are playing I would ask them questions such as ‘Have you ever seen stars?’ and ‘What did they look like?’ to elicit their prior knowledge. After listening to them speak about the occasions when they’ve seen stars, we would begin the discussion on how many stars there are using the marbles in a jar concept from ESERO. I would also get the children to create constellation dot art by placing star stickers or chalk dots along a simple constellation guide.These activities are calming, engaging, and easily adapted for students with varying needs. -
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Design an alien activity.
Having done some work on planets and space and as part of the unit of work I’d do the ‘Design a Martian/Alien activity. I think this would be a fun and engaging activity for younger children. It allows them to be creative and allows for active playful learning. There is opportunity for cross-curricular links with this activity. It also allows the children to work scientifically by questioning, observing, predicting, estimating and measuring.
I would question the children with some of the following questions and we would wonder about what aliens might look like.
– What might an alien look like? How are animals adapted for places that are very cold or very warm? Are other planets the same as the Earth? (Some planets are closer to the Sun, some are bigger or smaller. So conditions on those planets are different to Earth.) How might this play into our designs?
The children would make a 3-D alien from a modelling material.
They can share their designs with the class and discuss the different features.
They can then sort the aliens into families based off observable features and children can be asked “Why are these aliens in the same family? Are they both blue, have three eyes, etc.”.-
Great work Sarah! Aliens are a very stimulating topic for children but I think it’s important to keep a lesson on aliens as scientific as you can. Incorporating where the aliens live in to what they look like is so great for this, and I really like your addition of sorting the aliens they create into families.
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Activity Set: Stars
I would introduce the lesson explaining how people long ago saw pictures of the stars (constellations). In Junior/ Senior Infants I would show them this by darkening the room, using a piece of black paper with holes. I would use the torch to shine through the holes, revealing the shape. I would also use visual images to show them examples, and children would guess what they thought each constellation was as this may be an abstract concept for some. Following on from this, the children would then create their own constellation craft, using black paper and cotton bus/stickers depending on the age but for Infants these would be good options to incorporate fine motor skills. Using early maths and spatial language, I would encourage various counting activities and use spatial language when creating their constellation e.g. put a star under the star on the right. This is an effective way to promote maths talk. The children will then engage in a class discussion about their creations. I would then use the Space Week template ‘Draw your own constellation, I used to be a ____, now I am a ___’, where the children can build on each others’ constellations.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
To spark interest, I’d start by inviting the children to share what they already know—or wonder—about space. This would naturally lead into reading the picture book Aliens Love Underpants, a fun and engaging story that opens the door to talking about aliens in a lighthearted way.
Following the story, we’d have a lively discussion about alien appearances. I’d encourage the children to describe what they think aliens might look like, sound like, or even eat! This would be a great opportunity to build vocabulary and practice expressive language.
Next, the children would design their own aliens—first through drawing, then by sharing their creations on the white board or come to the sharing space in the class to tell the others their idea. I find that this sharing moment helps build confidence and communication skills. To extend the activity, we’d move into constructing 3D models of their aliens, integrating art and design while continuing to develop their descriptive storytelling.
This activity set not only supports creativity and language development but also allows for cross-curricular links with science, literacy, and drama. I think its a good way to let imagination lead learning.
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Activity set – Stars.
Based on the activity lots and lots of stars. (Junior class)
I would begin with a picture book (How to catch a star by Oliver Jeffers). The class will discuss what can we see in the sky at night? I would introduce the word “star” and talk about how stars come out when its dark and are very far away.
Students will create a night sky picture using black pepper, star stickers or chalk/crayons. They will draw what they see in the night sky also.
Students will sing twinkle twinkle little star to incorporate music into the lesson. The class will display their art work and revisit key words learned in the lesson.
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I personally chose the stars activity set and the lesson from ESERO is called Lots and Lots of Stars. I must admit I love nothing better than a clear country night sky and looking up at the stars. I am always amazed by how many more stars are visible just a few kilometres from Dublin City Centre at night. Bringing this passion in would help immensely, I feel.
Reflecting on the activity itself, my class last year really responded to music and song. I think as a prompt I would use some simple nursery rhymes-Twinkle, Twinkle and Star Light, Star Bright which brings in a connection with Literacy. I think this would lead well to the activity with the marbles and how many stars there are, it may lead us to ask wondering questions such as I wonder how many stars there are, I wonder what shape stars are etc. This would highly motivate my crew to get involved in the next activities.
For my school context, many of my students have mobility issues and many with poor upper body strength so I think to get the most effect we would do a collaborate night sky using A2 or A1 and maybe long loofah style brushes to get the stars effect. This means they can be part of the creation process. Even using water droppers or water balloons with paint would mean all our students get involved in the process. The effort involved would also emphasize the sheer number of stars in our universe for the discussion piece. To end, I would probably put the worksheet on the IWB or on children’s individual devices using our OneDrive rather than worksheets. A number of my students have Cortical Visual Impairment so something like that would need to be on a device to be backlit and perhaps in contrast too.
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Activity Set – Space and Aliens
Introduction: Think pair share activity: Do we think aliens exist? If they do what would they look like? Get feedback on your partners beliefs.
Prompt: Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner (textless book)
I would start by showing the children the picture of the alien in Mr. Wuffles where the size of the alien is not clear. I would explain that this is how David Wiesner pictured an alien. What do they think? Does it look scary/threatening/friendly? How would they expect this alien to behave? How big do they think this alien might be?
I would then ‘read’ the book to the children. We would discuss all the toys that had been bought for Mr. Wuffles and discuss their prices. As the story progresses, the children would see that the aliens are tiny and in danger from the cat and pose no threat to the people in the house.
The aliens plot and plan as a group to escape the cat with the minibeasts that live in the house (while speaking in symbols!)
Reflect with the children: Was this how they thought the story would go?
One step more: Draw the picture of how they visualise an alien.
Reread the story allowing the children (especially those who find reading challenging) to give voice to the pictures or photocopy a page where the aliens are speaking and ask the children to write what they think the aliens are saying/decode the alien text.
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As part of Space Week, Sixth Class students will take part in a fun and imaginative “Create an Alien” activity using the Mars Resource. The aim is to engage students in STEM learning by exploring the harsh environment of Mars and designing a fictional lifeform that could survive there.
I would begin with a short discussion or video introducing Mars – its cold temperatures, thin atmosphere, lack of liquid water, and dusty, rocky terrain. Ask the class: “What would a creature need to survive here?” I will highlight adaptations such as thick skin, the ability to survive without oxygen, or special limbs for moving on rocky ground.
Students will then draw and label their own Martian alien, describing its features and explaining how each one helps it survive on Mars. Encourage creativity alongside scientific thinking.
To extend the activity, students can present their aliens to the class, write a short story about their alien’s life on Mars, or compare life on Earth to life on Mars. -
I enjoyed learning how to teach both lessons, however due to the fact i did the lesson sun and sky in the last lesson it would be a natural progression to move onto stars .
lesson: lots of stars
I loved that the first experiment is concrete and so visual for the children. Looking at what the children think about how many stars are in the sky. continue with conversations about stars at days and night, show them a picture of a night sky and let the children have discussions about the stars. even get pictures of different nights and discuss the way the sky is same, different.
I like that it than moves to art and letting the children making their own sky. even using paint in different colours reminding the children that stars are different colours. this allows them to compare and contrast each other night skies. even counting or at least try to count how many stars in the sky.
I can even seeing me continue it and move to see how important and amazing our planet is and see what the children come up with.
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I would choose the stars activity set. To introduce the lesson I would sing the song ‘Twinkle,Twinkle Little Star with the children. I would then show the children an image of starry sky. They would think, pair, share their ideas about the image and teacher would record their ideas on a chart.
As a follow on I would complete the lots and lots of stars activity to help the children grasp the vastness of the universe and to help them form their own questions/wonderings about stars. I would include the fact about the grains of sand on earth being less than all the stars in the universe as children tend to enjoy this.
As I will be teaching an infant class, I think the art activity using toothbrushes and a comb would be a nice way for the children to engage in a hands on activity to explore this topic.
To assess the children’s learning I would once again ask them to think, pair, share anything new they have learned about stars and these could be added to the chart using a different colour to highlight what was previous and new learning.
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I would choose the Activity Set: Space & Aliens for a Junior Infants class and would hope to implement it using the following steps:
1. Introduction: I would begin the topic with a great sense of excitement by saying “Today, we’re going on a journey into space!”. We would then discuss flashcards of planets, aliens, rockets and astronauts. I would read aloud the short story ‘Whatever Next!’ by Jill Murphy, and then ask the children simple questions such as “What do you see in space? Who might we meet?”
2. Development: I would provide the children with alien and astronaut puppet figures attached to craft sticks. In small groups, children will tell simple space stories e.g. about visiting planets or meeting aliens, and act them out using their puppets. Next, I would give children playdoh and space themed playdoh mats, and encourage them to create
planets or aliens using the dough.3. Conclusion: We would gather back in a circle and I’d ask the children reflective questions such as “What did we see in space?”, “What did your alien look like?” and “What was your favourite part of our space adventure?”. Finally, recap on any new vocabulary learned today such as rocket, alien, moon, star, planet.
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“Aliens & Space!”
1st Class
We’ll begin by reading Aliens Love Underpants aloud. It’s a fun, silly story that always captures their attention! I’ve used this book many times and the class will have prior knowledge, but this module has made me think a little more outside the box. I’ll ask lots of questions. (Where do aliens come from?, What do you think space is like? Could you grow plants in space?
I’ll show them a few real images or short video clips from space (e.g., astronauts)Planting Activity : Can plants grow on another planet? Children will plant seeds (cress or beans) in small pots. One will stay in a sunny window and one will be covered to mimic “space conditions” (no light). We’ll observe them over the week and record changes.
Art Activity : Children will create their own alien using collage materials, googly eyes, and art materials. We’ll also create a class Alien Planet mural where each alien can live. (To introduce the understanding of planets)Draw or build a model (using junk art or blocks) of a garden that might grow alien plants or space-food.
We’ll link this to what astronauts need in space; oxygen, food, water and talk about how plants help.We’ll come together in a circle and reflect:
What do plants need to grow? Could they grow in space?
What did you learn about aliens and space? What features do your alien have?Use the tablets to record short clips of children presenting their alien or garden.
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Good work incorporating different areas of the curriculum into this lesson. I do like your planting activity, but just to note there is light in space. For example, sunlight hits the Moon and Mars just like it does on Earth. The reason we cannot grow things on the Moon is because it has a very thin atmosphere and therefore no oxygen or water. You could try not watering one of your plants instead, or leaving one in an airtight container.
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I would use the Space and Aliens activity with a junior infant class to get them talking, imagining, and having fun. I’d start by reading a space-themed story like Aliens Love Underpants. We’d chat about what we think aliens might look like—How many eyes do they have? What colour are they? What planet do they live on? We could create a mind map.
Next, the children could draw or paint their own aliens and describe them to a partner or to the class. We’d also build spaceships using junk art or blocks, and work in small groups to come up with names and stories for our aliens. We might even take a pretend trip to space and talk about what we see on the alien planet.
As an extension activity, the children could write a short sentence or caption about their alien or spaceship, or we could record short videos of them explaining their alien to the class. This adds a literacy and speaking element to the lesson.
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Aliens are such a great stimulus for creativity and work well as a topic to integrate into so many subjects such as english and art. I think it is important however to try keep it a little scientific, so it might be nice to discuss what type of planet their aliens would be from or something similar. For example if they describe a furry alien, they might be from an icy/cold planet, or the alien could look like a fish and be from a planet entirely covered in water.
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The activity set I would use is space and aliens.
I would start off with asking the children to draw / design an alien (integration with Art). The thing that I like about this activity is that there is no right and wrong answer, everyone’s perception of what an alien is like will be different, unique and equally correct.
Next, I would read stories that I have used before in first class, which I know the children love, for example, Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman, The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers and Ten Little Aliens by Mike Brownlow (integration with Maths).
Finally, I would do the investigation “Martian Landscape”. There would be lots of discussion about Mars’s surface (with photos of the Martian landscape and Earth’s landscape). Children would discuss similarities / differences. Children would then model a Martian landscape using clay, and paint it red / brown.
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Hi Aileen,
I love this lesson idea. You have integrated Science, Visual Arts and Literacy here which is really great to see. I think the use of stories about aliens is a really great way of capturing the children’s attention and also to open up their imagination and allow them to get creative with designing their alien. I love that you have also pointed out that there is no right or wrong answer in this activity as everyone’s perception of what an alien will look like will be completely different. The ‘Martian Landscape’ activity at the end of your lesson sounds brilliant. I think the children would find it very funny to compare their landscape to the alien’s landscape!
I would build on this even more if I was to do this with an older class, even 2nd class up. I would add another aspect of literacy and ask the children to write a diary entry as the alien they have created telling the class what a day in their life looks like living on their planet.
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Activity set: Space and Aliens
I would choose this activity set because Junior Infants would be very excited to talk about their ideas of aliens and also because of the availability of resources in Irish, as I work in a Gaelscoil.
Like Aileen, I would start by asking the children to draw an alien – I might link this to 2d shapes in maths and provide them with logitech shapes to make an alien. I would ask them lots of questions and give them an opportunity to explain the different features they chose to give their alien.
I would also set up a small world and role play area in which the children could explore different stories about their Aliens.
I would then move on to a follow on art activity of painting a view from the window of a spaceship – the children could explain what they have depicted and use their space vocabulary to answer and ask questions about their work.
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I have chosen the Stars activity set as there are so many fantastic hands on and engaging resources. I would start by discussing star and the night sky with the children and let them talk about their experiences of looking at the night sky. I will tell them that groups of stars are called constellations. I plan then to read the children the Constellation stories from the UAWE Activity book. I plan to show the children pictures of named contellations. From here I plan to concentrate on the Plough. I will will ask the children why they think it is called the Plough. I will use the pictures of the old plough to demonstrate how it got it’s’ name. I will explain the importance of the Plough for sailors in the past and how it helped with navigation. I will then use the ‘Draw your own Constellation’ activity where the children can draw the Plough but I will also give them the opportunity to draw their own constellation and name it. I will finish the unit of work with the activity ‘Seeing Stars- Looking at the Plough in two different ways’. The children will work in pairs and I love that they will get to use the Maths measuring Skills
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This sounds like a nice lesson Regina. A nice thing to point out about the Plough is that many countries have different names for it (the wagon, the big dipper, etc) which shows how important it was for navigation for many in the Northern Hemisphere. It also might be a nice example for getting the children to be creative when creating their own constellations.
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
For an introduction to this lesson, I would read aloud one of the books from the ‘Aliens Love …..’ series. I would use one of the pages to illicit adjectives to describe the aliens based on colour, size and features.
For the main body of the lesson, depending on the previous related knowledge of class, we would complete a mind map about Mars listing and discussing all of their prior related knowledge. From my experience, there are always a cohort of pupils in a class with a great interest in Space and they will be able to give lots of facts they know about Mars. Based on these facts, pupils will think, pair, share what they think Martians would look like.
As a conclusion, pupils will use whatever materials they choose to create their own Martian. Time will be left at the end of the lesson for pupils to describe their Martian, explain why they chose the materials and how they decided on the appearance.
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I too use the ‘Aliens love..’ books and find they always go down a treat with my classes. I can imagine that designing a martian would be really enjoyed by students and it could also be conducted through group work which could result in really great creations. I like to extend such craft activities by incorporating literacy and getting children t0 create a personality for the martian
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
Upon looking at the resources attached to this module, one stood out to me which I thought was a really nice lesson for children to engage with called ‘Martian Craters’.
In this lesson, children will learn how the craters on the the surface of the moon or mars were formed by meteorites hitting them.
This lesson is really interactive and involved the children in hands on active learning, with messy play, which is obviously going to be of great interest to them.
The children will mix cocoa powder and flour in a plastic bowl, giving a reddish colour similar to Mars. They will then spread a thin layer of cocoa power on the top. Using pebbles and stones of various sizes, they will drop them from eye level into the power and watch the crater form. The children will discuss what is different about the craters that are formed.Another lesson I really liked in this module and will plan to use with my own class this year is ‘Design a Martian’.
This lesson involves questioning, predicting, investigation and sharing/interpreting data and results. I think it’s really important to integrate across the curriculum so I was very pleased to see visual arts, SESE and maths all being integrated in this lesson.
The Martians could also be used for the lesson in the previous module to use in a shadow activity with torches. -
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The Plough
Introduce the Plough Constellation:
Storytime/Discussion: Briefly explain to the kids what the Plough (Big Dipper) is.
Show a Picture: Present an image or star chart of the Plough constellation and explain how the stars are shaped like a plough, with the “handle” pointing towards the North Star.
Talk about the Stars: You can discuss how stars are formed and how constellations are a way of connecting the stars into shapes.
2. Create the Night Sky Background:
Set up a Workspace: Give each child a piece of black construction paper to represent the night sky.
Draw the Plough: Use white crayons or chalk to draw the outline of the Plough constellation on the paper.
Add Stars: Let the kids add extra stars to their paper. They can make random star patterns, or they can create their own constellations by connecting dots of stars in creative ways (e.g., making animals or shapes from stars).
Decorate with Glitter or Stickers
3. Texture and Details:
Cotton Ball Clouds (optional): For a fun texture effect, let the kids use cotton balls to create clouds in their sky. T
4. Create a Story or Poem:
Storytime: Once their art is finished, ask the children to imagine a little story behind their constellation. -
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I would use the ‘Create an Alien’ activity from the Space and Aliens set to spark imagination and develop cross-curricular skills in my classroom. This activity would encourage children to design their own alien based on conditions on another planet, promoting scientific thinking about life in extreme environments. I also think it would link really well with literacy, as pupils could describe their alien in writing or present it to the class. I’d integrate art by allowing students to draw/craft/mould their alien which would also invite the children to portray their learning and understanding in a creative way. The ‘Special Life’ activity would be nice as a follow on lesson in that it would prompt discussion on what makes life special. All of the activities mention in the module sound really fun and appropriate for children, engaging their natural curiosity.
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The activity set: Space and Aliens
I think this topic would engage the learners immediately and as a teacher would really enjoy all the fun and imaginative ways you can explore the topic with the kids. I have used a drama activity in the past as a stimulus for this particular theme. The children get into groups and you get them to each come up with a vocal sound (They have great fun making squeaky sounds/ deep sounds, ) They stand up at the front of the class in a line and when I touch them on the head they make their sound one after the other) we try to spell the sound on the board. The children have a great laugh with this and then I tell them this is the name of their alien. They write the name of the alien on the top of a big piece of paper and the group begins to draw the alien how many eyes / legs ect/ what food it likes to eat/ what planet it lives on ect. I will add to this lesson now about acting out the alien they have created. The children write wonderful creative stories around their alien and present to the class. I like to think that their knowledge of space from me doing this course and carrying out the lessons with them will enhance their understanding of space and I would hope to see elements of that in their writing in future lessons.-
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I love your method for making up an alien name, that sounds like lots of fun. Maybe you could incorporate a little more science into the drawing section by discussing how the environment of the planet the alien is from might affect how the alien looks. A could planet might mean the alien has fur for example. Great lesson Lianna!
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in my classroom, I use this activity as a springboard to explore concepts such as the conditions necessary for life, planetary environments, and what makes Earth habitable. I begin by asking students, “What would an alien really need to survive?” Students then work in small groups to design a life form that could live on a specific planet or moon in our solar system. They research the temperature, gravity, atmosphere, and surface conditions of their assigned location and must justify how their alien’s features help it survive.
This activity fosters critical thinking and creativity. Students develop their own questions, make evidence-based decisions, and collaborate on a final model or drawing. They often use digital tools like Canva, Google Slides, or 3D modeling software to present their alien’s adaptations. At the end of the unit, we hold an “Alien Expo” where students present their life forms and the science behind their survival design. I document the process with photos, student reflections, and short videos of presentations, which I share on our class website.
Beyond just being fun, this activity builds foundational understanding of planetary science and helps students recognize how life is influenced by environmental factors. It also opens up powerful discussions about astrobiology and how scientists are searching for life beyond Earth. It’s always rewarding to see how excited and engaged students are when given the freedom to explore and create with science as their guide.
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I would start the lesson by reading Under the Stars to the class, creating a calm atmosphere with the lights dimmed or some fairy lights to set the scene. After the story, I would use the interactive whiteboard to show short videos from the stars activity pack that explain what constellations are and how people have used their imaginations to make pictures in the sky by joining stars. Then I would introduce the eight stars of the Plough and ask the children what shapes or ideas they can see. Using peg boards with elastic bands or tangrams, they would create their own constellation, give it a name, and tell a short story about it. I would link it to maths by looking at the shapes and lines they have made, counting sides, spotting triangles or measuring with string. To finish, I would invite everyone to share their constellation in a mini show and tell.
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<li style=”text-align: left;”>Topic : Stars
Class/ age range : second class.
I would like to do a lesson or series of lessons with my class on stars.
I had second class this year and they enjoyed and had a really good understanding of maths.
I would introduce the lesson by having a chat with the children on what they think stars are and see what level of understanding they have.
We would look at pictures of stars in the night sky. I would ask them lots of questions about shapes stars make in the sky and if they know of any of these. I would hope that this would help the children’s understanding of what a constellation is.
The6t lesson would be whereby the children would make a replica of the plough constellation.
I think this lesson is a wonderful example of maths / science/ geography/art all incorporated into 1 lesson.
Children could work in pairs or small groups to help each other to assemble their constellations.
A class/ group discussion could follow to explore how constellations seem according to how we view it.
In another lesson The children could design and make and name their own constellations and present them to another class upon completion. -
I would use the “Create an Alien” activity with my 2nd class to spark both imagination and scientific thinking. We would begin by learning about Mars, focusing on its thin atmosphere, cold temperatures, dusty surface, and lack of water. Then I would ask the children what a creature would need in order to survive on Mars. They could brainstorm features like big eyes for low light, strong legs for rocky terrain, or no nose due to the lack of oxygen. The children would then design and create their own alien through drawing or junk art. I would link this to SPHE by encouraging a discussion about diversity. No two aliens would look the same, and that would be celebrated. This activity would also support oral language development, as children explain and describe their creations. We would finish with a gallery walk where everyone presents their alien and explains its features and habitat.
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Reflection & Lesson Plan – Space and Aliens (Senior Infants)
I would use the Space and Aliens activity to develop curiosity, vocabulary, and creativity in my Senior Infant class. We would begin by reading the story Aliens Love Underpants, which provides a fun, imaginative entry point into space themes. Before reading, I would introduce key vocabulary: planet, moon, star, spaceship, astronaut, alien, galaxy, orbit, crater, atmosphere. We would discuss each word with simple visuals so children can connect meaning to images.
After the story, I’d explain that we are going to create our own aliens using playdough. Children would decide what their alien looks like—number of eyes, legs, colours—and then imagine which planet they come from. I would prompt with questions: “Is it hot or cold?” “What colour is the sky?” “Does it have craters or rivers?” This encourages descriptive language and imaginative thinking.
Finally, each child would introduce their alien to the class, describing both its features and its home planet, helping to reinforce new vocabulary in a fun, memorable way.
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This sounds like a really fun lesson Andrea. When I had senior infants who were mostly EAL, we used to do listen and draw with aliens, which they loved. I would use a whiteboard and call out what my alien had and then at the end, everyone would compare. As their language improved, the children would make these pictures as a barrier game.
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I think my class would also enjoy the lesson that Andrea has discussed. The book Aliens wear underpants would be an excellent introduction to Space and Aliens. As Andrea suggested I would also begin the lesson by discussing lots of vocabulary to do with Space and perhaps use a KWL chart.
I really like the idea of getting the students to create their own aliens using playdough and then describing their alien to the rest of the class. This would be a great way to get them to use lots of vocabulary too.
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Seeing stars
After reading through this module, I would like to do a lesson about stars, including the sun in a senior primary class.
I would try to time it during the winter as I think this is the best time for the children to try to see stars at night. Over the last year, there was great interest in the sky at night due to the Aurora Borealis so if it was possible, I would try to link in with this phenomenon.
It would also link in it with history, in particular with Newgrange and the sun (Early peoples and Ancient Societies, also linking with Geography under Human environments and Natural environments).
Whole class discussion: We would undertake a KWL about the stars, starting with what we know (K).
Spark/hook: I would show the children a video of the Aurora over Ireland from 2024 and watch their reactions to it. We would revisit the KWL and add any further questions that we would like to know (W). We would compare and contrast the picture with one without the aurora. What do you notice? What’s the same? What’s different? Why do you think that? Where are the stars? What do we call their location? How do we know about stars?
Groupwork: Children get into pairs/groups and undertake the seeing stars lesson. This links to maths and measures. Children with maths difficulties will be put with supportive children.
They will create their night sky/constellation picture using the following materials: Black paper, string, blue tack, ruler, scissors, map of the constellation, tinfoil, pencil, sellotape.
Art: Following on from this, the children would be given pictures of different constellations visible from Ireland such as Orion, Taurus, Gemini. Using black paper and chalks they could recreate the night sky with/without aurora.
KWL: The KWL would be completed at the end of the block (what we have learned).
Universe in a box (UNAWE) could be used to extend this into Planets or these could be made in STEAM class (SESE/Art/Maths). Children could write fact sheets about the stars, constellations or planets in English with reports or explanations – or could write a recount or narrative about visiting the stars. Debates/persuasive writing could be undertaken about going to space. Children could also research the Bovedy meteorite, which landed in Ireland. Links to women in science such as Jocelyn Bell Burnell in “Listening to the Stars: Jocelyn Bell Burnell Discovers Pulsars”.
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I would choose The Stars activity set as it is such a great topic for curious minds.
I would start and end with an art lesson, showing Van Gogh’s Starry Night art and ending with children creating their own ‘Starry Night’
Scientifically the objective would be to explore what stars are, understand that the sun is a star and learn about constellations.
Using a KWL to ascertain prior knowledge and formulate differentiated questioning throughout the lesson.
Show this video on constellations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqis3gZwVaY.
Differentiated questioning and whiteboard paired activity to record a map of what they learned. Time to feedback to the class to reinforce learning.
Revert back to Van Gogh to continue activity based learning and explore more.
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This topic is such a lovely way to integrate some art appreciation and link in Van Goghs starry night. I will definitely do the same. It’s always nice to explore a topic from many different angles and it was nice to see the star painting activity in this module.
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Van Gogh’s Starry Night is so lovely for an integrated art and science lesson. Interestingly, it’s believed that Van Gogh based this painting off of drawings by the 3rd Earl of Rosse. Lord Rosse, of Birr Castle in County Offaly, built the Leviathan telescope which was once the biggest telescope in the world.
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I would like to do the inquiry based lesson on Space and Aliens with my class as I think first class would really enjoy the lesson Special Life and Life in Space.
I would introduce the lesson by discussing the planet Earth and the other planets in the solar system. We would then have a discussion around the special things that we have on Earth and if someone from another planet came to visit what we would like them to see.
Next I would give the students a sheet of paper and colours and ask them to draw a special object on it without letting anyone else see what they have drawn.
Once all the students have this done we would sit in a circle and each student would be given a chance to act out what they have drawn and the others would have to guess what it is for example, a dog.
Finally, we would finish the lesson by asking the students what they think an alien looks like. I would ask them to draw their ideas on a sheet of paper. They would then show their drawing to the class and explain what they have drawn and why they think aliens look this way. I would tell them that we don’t know if aliens exist as no-one has found any real aliens.
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I would use the suggestions from Esero 19 to get the children thinking about life in space. I would ask them to suggest reasons why they think there might or might not be life on other planets. We could then brainstorm reasons why we are able to live on planet Earth i.e. we have water, are a safe distance from the sun, temperature etc. I would then introduce the story Aliens Love Underpants. I would ask the children to imagine what an alien might look like. They could draw this or construct an alien using play dough. I would ask the children to pretend to be the alien they created and answer questions from their peers about life on Earth and the planet they live on. This would integrate with oral language and art. I know the children would come up with very interesting answers.
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Using the stars activity set, I would begin with the ‘lots and lots of stars’ activity, to introduce to the children the concept of stars being so numerous. They could do the art activity described. We could discuss star facts, e.g. there are more stars than grains of sand in the world.
We would discuss and explore the constellations next, beginning with any the children already know, eg the Big Dipper. I would encourage the children to look at the night sky for a few nights and try find some of the constellations visible at that time of year. We would discuss this each morning.
The children could then begin making their constellations lamps as described in this module. They could work on small groups or individually and pick their favourite constellations, marking it out on coloured paper. They would then prick holes where the stars should be on these constellations and fold the paper into a circular shape, stapling it in place. They would use a stick to hang the lantern and torch from to create a constellation lamp.
The children could then ask other children / groups to identify their constellations. We could see if any lamps match!
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As a Junior Infants teacher, I see the Space and Aliens activity set as a fantastic way to ignite imagination and curiosity in young learners while also developing early oral language, creative thinking, and scientific questioning. Children at this age are naturally intrigued by the unknown, and the concept of aliens and space travel provides a perfect stimulus for inquiry-based learning.
I would begin this theme by reading a fun picture book like “Aliens Love Underpants” to spark imagination and discussion. I’d then pose a simple question: “What do you think an alien looks like?” or “What would you do if an alien landed in our playground?” This type of open-ended questioning supports children in developing ideas and expressing themselves confidently.From here, I would set up a series of Aistear play stations:
Creative Area: Children can design their own aliens using art materials (pipe cleaners, googly eyes, clay, etc.)
Role Play Area: A space station or alien planet setup, with costumes, control panels, and mission logs.
Construction Area: Build alien spaceships using LEGO or recycled materials.
Small World: A moon surface tray with toy astronauts and aliens.
We would also explore the concept of real planets and stars, gently introducing the idea that, while aliens are imaginative, space is real and vast—and we are still learning about it. This activity supports language development, creativity, and the ability to ask questions about the world. Most importantly, it keeps learning joyful and meaningful for young children through imaginative engagement.
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I would use the Stars activity set to explore the science and stories of the night sky with 3rd Class pupils. We would start with a discussion about what stars are and why they appear to twinkle, linking to their prior knowledge of day and night. Using the interactive whiteboard, I would display images of constellations and explain how different cultures have created myths about them. Pupils would then design their own constellation by placing gold star stickers on black card and connecting them with chalk or white pencil. Each pupil would name their constellation and write a short creative paragraph telling its “legend.” This combines science with literacy and art, while also developing presentation skills as children share their stories with the class. We would finish with a short demonstration of a planetarium app to locate real constellations currently visible in our area, encouraging real-world observation.
Sallyanne Barry -
For a lesson for first class for the activity Stars, I would begin by looking at ideas from Lots and Lots of Stars from ESERO 13. Using black paper and stickers, children would create their own starry sky, then count and compare, linking to early maths skills like number recognition and estimation. We would observe real night-sky photographs, discussing how stars appear brighter or dimmer, and connect this to the science of light.
Next, we would explore Constellation Shapes & Stories, learning that constellations are patterns people have imagined for thousands of years. Using star cut-outs, pupils could arrange them into shapes such as The Plough or invent their own, linking maths (shapes, spatial awareness) and language.
Children would then create Constellation Star Lanterns by punching holes in paper cups or card, forming their chosen constellation. When lit with a torch inside, the pattern would shine—bringing their design to life.
The lesson we would encourage children to think scientifically by observing images, patterns, and light effects, making predictions, and recording results.
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Some lovely ideas here Megan. Quite a few cross-curricular links with Maths and Art which is always nice and I think really drives home topics for students. Finding stories related to stars or constellations for read alouds or shared reading could give the opportunity for even more cross-curricular links.
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I would use the activity set on Space and Aliens, particularly the “create an alien” activity as it is available in Irish and I teach in a Gaelscoil.
I would do this activity having given some background on what Mars is like as a planet and what features it has eg. it is covered in rocks and sand, it has no oceans and lakes. I would begin by asking students what they think a Martian looks like and give them time to sketch their own martians, then students could share their drawings with the class and I’d draw attention to particular features asking why they chose those features and try to get them to relate back to how these features might be useful for life on Mars.
The following day I would ask them to make their drawn Martian using 3D Materials and allow them to adapt based on what they have heard/learned from their peers. I like the opportunity for cross-curricular links here, where the martians could later be used for sorting and counting.
Further cross-curricular links could be made through reading stories about Mars aloud eg. “The boy from Mars”
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Activity Set: Space and Aliens
We would begin by discussing where we live, on planet Earth. We would talk about the other planets we know, and all the ones we don’t know yet. Are they different or the same as Earth, do you think? How are they the same/different? Do you think these other planets have life? What would need to be present for life? Why is there life on Earth? What kind of life? What if an alien came to Earth? Would we know? Would they be the same as us?
I would then read the poem “The Marrog” by R.C. Scriven. I loved this poem as a child and most children think it’s very funny. The children could draw a Marrog to start with and then they could build one out of clay or playdoh, decorating it using the craft box and their imagination!The Star lessons are great too – I like the idea of counting stars, or even trying to understand the sheer scale and enormity of space. The spatter paining art activity is lovely to illustrate this. Also, I will use the Make a star pattern activity – I like the idea of making a 3D Constellation and seeing it for m different sides – what we see on Earth isn’t what will be seen from other planets.
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Activity: Space & Aliens
I would show my class the Martian landscape and get them to discuss it. Then, I would show my class the Milky Way from the Gaia Data release and ask the students if they think there is life on any of the other planets and why?
I would teach the students about Mars. I would ask the students if they were an alien, where would they live? What would they need to survive? What would they do for fun? What would they look like?
I would then show my class a Marvin and Milo cartoon video. Get them to discuss the video with their peers on their group table.
For the main activity, I would get my class to make their own Martian using playdoh & then socks using googly eyes, pipe cleaners, buttons etc.
In conclusion: I would show my class Stellarium: as it can show the view of the sky from any place, planet and location. If I had time, I would read the story “The Boy from Mars”.
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Activity set: Stars
Usbourne have a lovely book called Night sky Things to spot. We would use this as inspiration for our activity on Stars and star constellations.
Firstly we would open with a discussion on stars and make a KWL chart. I teach 5th class so find these charts are really helpful and focus our learning.
During a maths session we would learn the language we need for shape and space and patterns so that we are able to describe our shapes and patterns and the properities they have.
Students should be able to use everyday language to discuss size, position, and direction, as well as interpret and create simple maps and scale drawings .
During our Art lesson we would do the Seeing the Star activity. I really love this activity especially for 5th class as they would be able to punch the holes themselves. It is a brilliant visual of what the plough would look like and also using maths to measure the distance each star is away from space.
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