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That sounds like a truly inspiring and immersive week! What a fantastic way to combine creativity with science and literacy—those hands-on projects like the papier-mâché planets and space-themed collages must make such a lasting impact. The Space Exhibition is a brilliant idea for celebrating the children’s hard work and sharing it with the wider school community
Space Week Class Plan
Throughout this course, I’ve explored a range of engaging, inquiry-based activities centred around space, and I’m excited to bring it all together for a meaningful and interactive Space Week in my classroom.
My class plan for Space Week will span five days, with each day focusing on a different theme:
• Monday – The Solar System: We’ll start with the planets song and a large outdoor layout of the solar system. Students will learn fun facts and compare planet sizes.
• Tuesday – Moon and Shadows: We’ll observe and draw shadows at different times of the day, discuss why the Moon changes shape, and read Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me.
• Wednesday – Stars and Constellations: Using the “Lots and Lots of Stars” activity, students will create constellation maps and tell their own constellation stories.
• Thursday – Life in Space: We’ll explore the ISS, watch astronaut videos, and complete a “Design Your Own Alien” activity that considers gravity and environment.
• Friday – Space Art and Reflection: We’ll create astronaut portraits (with student faces!) and rocket models, followed by a sharing circle where students reflect on their favourite part of the week.
This week not only integrates science, literacy, art, and drama but also puts student inquiry at the centre. I’ll use journals, photos, and voice recordings to document learning. Space has proven to be an excellent theme for encouraging curiosity, and I can already tell this will be a highlight of the term!Absolutely agree! ESA Kids offers such a rich variety of engaging content—perfect for sparking curiosity during STEM week. The competitions are a great way to inspire creativity and real-world problem-solving too!
For this module, I chose to focus on Hands-on Classroom Themed Activities because I believe that active, tactile experiences are some of the most powerful ways for children to build scientific understanding and confidence in STEM learning. One standout activity I’ve implemented is the “Design a Rocket” challenge, where the children are tasked with building a simple paper or straw rocket that can be launched using air pressure or a balloon. They work in pairs to test different wing shapes, body lengths, and materials.
This kind of activity does more than just teach about force and motion—it develops skills in questioning, testing, collaboration, recording results, and revising designs based on evidence. I’ve found the children become deeply engaged, especially when they get to compete in a friendly launch contest!
Using this hands-on approach regularly encourages children to see science as something they do, not just something they learn about. It also helps support the Science Skills strand of SSE (School Self-Evaluation). To further support a STEM-focused SSE in my school, I’d like to:
• Involve staff in sharing easy, low-cost STEM activity ideas.
• Use student science journals as evidence of developing skills over time.
• Introduce more opportunities for STEM across other subjects (e.g., designing a boat in history or creating weather stations in geography).
Ultimately, embedding hands-on activities into regular practice helps build a classroom culture where curiosity, problem-solving, and creativity thrive.The “Lots and Lots of Stars” activity set from ESERO is a fantastic resource that I would love to implement in my classroom. The activity provides a rich context to explore both the science of stars and the wonder of the night sky through observation, discussion, and creativity.
I would begin by introducing the topic with a night-sky video or planetarium-style projection, encouraging children to share what they notice and wonder. This naturally sparks questions like “Why do stars twinkle?” or “Why can we only see them at night?” From there, we’d explore the idea that stars are not just decorations in the sky—they are distant suns, each with its own story.
Children could engage in hands-on tasks like creating constellation maps with star stickers, designing their own constellations, and telling stories about them—linking science with storytelling. We’d also use models to compare the sizes and distances of stars and planets, reinforcing how immense space truly is.
What makes this activity especially powerful is how it balances fact with imagination. Children are encouraged to observe patterns, ask questions, and make sense of the universe on their own terms, while still learning real science concepts such as light years, star brightness, and star colour.
To document learning, I would use student star journals, voice recordings of their constellation stories, and time-lapse drawings of the night sky. It’s a beautiful way to nurture curiosity, connect science and culture, and build foundational astronomy knowledge in an age-appropriate way.For this module, I chose to reflect on The Sun and Shadows activity set. This is such a rich area for inquiry-based learning, particularly in the primary years, where the children are naturally curious about the world around them.
In my classroom, I would begin with a simple observation activity where the children go outside at different times of the day to trace their shadows using chalk. We’d record the time and discuss changes in shadow length and direction. This hands-on approach allows the children to gather data and build their own understanding of how the Sun moves across the sky.
Next, I’d introduce the concept of the Earth’s rotation and how it causes the apparent movement of the Sun. We could model this using a globe and a torch to simulate sunlight. Students would work in groups to test how changing the angle of the “Sun” affects shadow length.
This activity can also integrate beautifully with literacy by reading books like Me and My Shadow by Arthur Dorros, and writing reflections or poems about how the Sun affects our day.
By giving the children the opportunity to observe, question, and experiment, we’re not just teaching science content—we’re nurturing scientific thinking. This activity also supports cross-curricular learning, with links to art (shadow drawings), maths (measuring shadow lengths), and digital technologies (time-lapse videos of shadows).In my opinion this approach allows the children to develop a personal connection to natural phenomena while strengthening their inquiry skills.What a fun and engaging way to introduce the planets! Using the planet song and physically laying out the solar system really helps make the concept more concrete for the children. I love how you’ve connected science, literacy, and art—it sounds like a truly memorable experience for the children. The astronaut activity with their own faces is such a lovely personal touch! Totally agree—space captures everyone’s imagination, no matter their age. Thanks for sharing!
What a wonderful approach! I love how you’ve blended scientific facts with storytelling—it’s such an effective way to engage the children. The idea of using star journals and constellation stories really stood out to me. It’s a beautiful way to make learning both creative and meaningful. I can imagine the excitement in your classroom as the children design their own constellations and share their stories. Thanks for the inspiration!
I absolutely love your playful and hands-on approach to introducing gravity in junior classes! The “Drop Zone” and “Will it fall fast or slow?” challenges are such engaging ways to spark curiosity and encourage observation skills in young learners. Using gravity as the “invisible helper” is such a child-friendly way to explain a complex concept—it really helps to make the abstract more tangible.
Hello everyone!
My name is Catherine and I will teach second class next year. I have a keen interest in fostering curiosity and critical thinking in children.
Favourite space fact: Did you know that one day on Venus is longer than its entire year? Venus takes about 243 Earth days to rotate once but only 225 Earth days to orbit the Sun.Reflection on an Inquiry-Based Activity
One inquiry-based activity I would use in the classroom is a “Design Your Own Planet” project. This activity allows students to apply what they learn about space (e.g., planet characteristics, gravity, orbits, atmosphere) while engaging their creativity and critical thinking. Students would be prompted with guiding questions like:
• What kind of star does your planet orbit?
• Is it habitable? Why or why not?
• What is the climate and atmosphere like?
• Are there any moons or rings?
The children would work in small groups to research, design, and present their planet to the class, encouraging collaboration and communication skills. This activity encourages exploration and ownership of learning, as the children can decide the direction of their inquiry based on their interests (e.g., alien life, weather patterns, or gravity).
Through this, the children will begin to understand the scientific concepts behind planetary science while developing inquiry skills such as questioning, researching, evaluating evidence, and drawing conclusions. I think it would be a fun, open-ended way to bring space to life in the classroom.
