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I will use the How to Make Rocket Mice activity from the Science Museum in London https://learning.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/resources/rocket-mice/ with my class of Junior Infants as it is so accessible and engaging with lots of learning. The activity involves shooting a rocket mouse high into the air by squashing a plastic bottle launcher. It shows that “What goes up must come down”.
First, I will read the story Mousetronaut in Space by Mark Kelly and tell the children that today they are going to try to make their own rockets to investigate how the mouse could get into space and to the moon. I will show them the materials we have to make the rocket (bottle, template, scissors, tape and materials to decorate). As a whole class we will think about how we will make our rocket, what will make our rockets fly? What makes it come down again? How do you think a real rocket works? Working in pairs the children will make a rocket and they will each make their own ‘mouse’. They will then investigate how it launches. Next, they will investigate how they could make their rocket travel higher? How could they make it go more slowly? At the end of the activity we will discuss who got their rockets to launch the farthest, we’re there similarities in their designs? As an extension activity the children will describe what mouse would see once they got to the moon (is it made of cheese??) to build on learning about space.
I will use the ESERO activity Where Do You Live? with my Junior Infants class as it links really well with the Integrated Learning Through Play theme of My Home which we cover in September.
First, I will show the children some photos of homes on the whiteboard and point out details and ask them if they know what they are called, e.g roof, door, driveway. I’ll show them the painting The Yellow House by Van Gogh https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/art-and-stories/children/van-gogh-colouring-pages/colouring-page-the-yellow-house and ask the children to describe the colour of their homes, are they on a street or in the countryside? The children will then work in small groups to describe what their own house looks like – what colour it is, is it detached or terraced, is it a house or apartment, is it a bungalow or two-story, does it have a garden etc. Then the children will use the ESERO activity sheet, drawing a circle round the house that looks most like the house they live in. Next, they will create a model of their house using recycled materials such as cardboard boxes and cards using their activity sheet as a reference. They will present their house to the class, explaining details and pointing out features e.g. roof, door etc. Their homes will be placed together to create a class village which will be displayed in class.
This is a great activity to link in with the theme My Home that we use in Integrated Learning Through Play in Juniors, I’ll definitely be adding it to thematic plans.
I would use the ESERO What can you see? Looking at constellations resource https://esero.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/34_What-can-you-see.pdf to introduce the children to the concept of constellations. Then I would model how to use Stellarium https://stellarium.org/ posting details on the home-school communication App so parents can also see how to use it. In small groups the children would be given a constellation to research and create a star lantern https://www.spaceweek.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Make-a-Star-Lantern.pdf
As an extension activity I would challenge the children to find their constellation at night as part of their homework and invite them to take a photo to share with the class. A guide on what constellations are visible at different times of the year can be seen at https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/constellations The children would be able to present their projects to the whole-class and engage in a Q&A.
I really liked the activity from AstroEdu called Meet Our Neighbours the Moon. I think it would work well with junior classes as it is such a tactile activity to create a template of the moon using a variety of materials such as felt, sequins and tin foil https://astroedu.iau.org/en/activities/meet-our-neighbours-moon/
First I would chat with the class about the moon to elicit what they know, focusing particularly on what they think it looks like, and put any questions that come up on our Wonder Wall. Then I would read aloud the story Moon Earth’s Best Friend by Stacy McAnulty and look at the Wonder Wall and see if we can answer any of the questions following the story and if we have any to add https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMtkf8rrxLs
Then using the resource material in the AstroEdu lesson the children would work in small groups to create a tactile image of the moon with teacher support. Once the images are created I would ask the children to present their work to the class and point out different features e.g. craters. We would look at our Wonder Wall and answer any outstanding questions and document the lesson using Seesaw so the children can share their learning at home.I love the idea of asking the children to take photos of the plough when they are on holidays to compare how it looks in different countries.
I really like the idea of checking the shadows traced from earlier in the day later on to see how their position will have moved relative to where the sun is, I can see how it would really get the children engaged and encourage them to investigate it at different times.
An inquiry-based activity I would use with my Junior Infants class is from Curious Minds and is based on animals in the cold https://www.sfi.ie/site-files/primary-science/media/pdfs/col/animals-in-the-cold.pdf
The activity links in well with learning about the seasons and weather. The children will discuss what animals they know that live in cold or hotter places and will sort a selection of photographs of different animals e.g. polar bears, penguins, camels etc. into which live in colder/hotter habitats. Then the children will work in small groups to discuss the similarities and differences of the animals that live in colder habitats (they will discuss the animals that live in hotter habitats as an extension activity another day or as early finishers work). The teacher will prompt the groups with questions such as how do the animals keep warm and ask the children to add to the Wonder Wall (e.g. I wonder why they have fur?) All the questions on the Wonder Wall will be discussed as a whole class group and children will be able to share their ideas and knowledge. The teacher will explain that the animals have a thick layer of fat under their skin to keep themselves warm and that where the polar bears and the penguins live is so cold that this thick layer of fat is not enough. That’s why the polar bear also has a thick coat of fur and the penguin has a thick layer of feathers. The teacher will then ask the class what do people do when they feel cold? People put on an extra jumper or a thick coat. Polar bears and penguins don’t put on a coat. Their fur and feathers act like a kind of coat that they are always wearing. The penguin’s feathers and the polar bear’s fur are also covered in a layer of grease to repel water. The teacher will put some Vaseline on one of each child’s hands. Now the children also have a greasy layer on their skin and will see what happens when water drips on their hand. They will see that the water rolls off the hand with the greasy layer. Discuss with the children what they have learned. Come to the conclusion that the penguin and the polar bear have three ways to keep themselves warm: a thick coat of fur or feathers, a thick layer of fat under their skin, and a greasy layer on their fur or feathers. Explain that the animals have adapted to the conditions that they live in.
I love investigations that include plants and the children always get enthusiastic about trying them out at home as most have access to some plants either in parks or in their garden.
Hi my name is Catherine and I’ll be teaching Junior Infants again this coming year. I love facts that connect with real life experiences so one of my favourite ones related to space is that precious metals like silver and gold that many of us wear every day in our jewellery are created when dead stars collide.
First, I would introduce the children to some examples of traditions and stories from the past connected to night, often there is a moral or a lesson in these and I would ask the children to explore what this might be. For example, Jack O’Lantern will be out and about if you’re out late at night, this was to encourage people to get home and to bed at an appropriate time so they were fresh for the next day.
The children would then work in pairs to research other stories and traditions and they would be shown resources to use including;
Dúchas website https://www.duchas.ie/en
Ask About Ireland https://www.askaboutireland.ie/
Museum of Country Life https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Country-LifeThey would also be encouraged to ask older people they know about any stories and traditions they know and if children were from other countries it would be really interesting to compare difference and similarities between these stories and traditions.
When the projects were completed the children would present their work to the class and engage in a Q&A. Their work would be uploaded to the school website to share with the whole school community.
I teach Junior Infants and as much as possible I try to incorporate nature and wildlife into everyday teaching and learning. We have a few garden areas in our school and some wilder patches too with long grasses that I love to let the children explore in. I use these spaces for Integrated Learning Through Play. The children learn so much by just being outdoors and will ask questions all that time about what they find. This year a child in my class found and held a ladybird for the first time and for weeks after kept telling the class that he was finding more in his garden everyday. Next year all children in Junior Infants will have wellies and I hope this will make outdoor learning more accessible throughout the year.
We learn about hibernation each year and I think this would be a good link to discussing light pollution and the effect it has on hibernating and nocturnal animals.
