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Activity Set: Rockets
This activity begins with a short discussion and video clip showing real rockets launching into space. I would ask the children, “What do you think a rocket does?” and “What might we need to build a rocket?” This helps spark curiosity and introduces basic vocabulary such as “blast off,” “space,” “engine,” and “astronaut.”
We would then read a short story like Roaring Rockets by Tony Mitton, which gives a fun and accessible introduction to how rockets work and where they go. Following the story, the children will take part in a hands-on rocket-building craft activity using recycled materials. Each child will create their own rocket using toilet roll tubes, coloured paper, foil, glue, tape, and markers. Triangles for the top and flames made from tissue paper can be added also.
As the children work on their rockets, I would encourage conversation about their rockets. Once complete, we’ll display the rockets on the wall in the classroom. Each child can name their rocket and decide on a planet or star it is flying to.
To finish, we’ll do a countdown together from 10 and pretend to launch our rockets with a big group “Blast off!” This activity promotes creativity, fine motor skills, early STEM awareness, and language development and it encourages interest in space exploration.
Hands-on classroom themed activities.
Theme: Where Do You live?
I would ask the children to discuss what their home looks like with their partner including the colour, what sort of roof it has, what type of home it is, does it have a garden before asking some pairs to feedback to the class. I would give each child a copy of the worksheet from this module and ask them to circle the type of home that looks most like theirs and to colour it in using the same colours. I think it is very important here to be mindful of children’s individual circumstances and living situations e.g. some children could be living in hotels or other emergency accommodation.
Following on from that, I love the idea shared in this module of the children building their own homes using various materials. This would be a very hands-on, engaging and child-led activity to use in an infant room.
The next part of the lesson involves making a town from all the model houses. I would ask the children to look at our town and ask if there is anything missing. I would record their answers. After that, the children would make more models of buildings to represent the various places on the list we made.
To end the lesson, we would discuss the differences between our homes and the differences between the facilities we have in our town and what we would like to see added to it in the future.
Activity Set: Stars
I would start the lesson by reading a story about stars to spark curiosity. Two of my favourites are How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers and Laura’s Star by Klaus Baumgart. Both stories offer magical introductions to the idea of stars and can encourage children to think about stars not only as part of the night sky but also as something special and personal.
Following the story, we would engage in a whole-class discussion about stars. I would ask open-ended questions such as “When do we see stars?” and “What do you think stars are made of?” to prompt thinking and conversation. To build on this, I would show a video from YouTube that explains what stars are, where they are found, and why they twinkle in a child-friendly way. This helps introduce basic scientific vocabulary also.
I especially love the constellation-drawing activity shared in this module. After looking at some real-life constellations, I would encourage the children to create their own using black paper, white chalk or stickers, and star-shaped cut-outs. They could either copy an existing constellation or invent one using their imagination. We could then display the children’s constellation artwork on a “Star Gallery” wall alongside key facts we’ve learned about stars. To finish the lesson, we would sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star together.
This lesson sounds lovely. Elaine. Children usually love learning about the planets and are fascinated by it.
Activity Set: The Sun and Shadows
There are many lovely and engaging activities shared throughout this course and in the forum, but one that stood out to me is the “What do you do in a day?” sequencing activity. I particularly like this activity because it integrates very naturally across multiple subject areas—for example, understanding time in Maths, sequencing events in Literacy, and developing oral language skills. Sequencing daily activities is a challenging concept for young children, and this activity provides a hands-on, relatable way to explore it.
Using a puppet to model the events of a typical day is a fantastic strategy. It captures the children’s interest and makes the learning more concrete and meaningful. I also love that the activity highlights how everyone’s day might look a little different. The idea of sending a class toy home and having the child recount their experience with it the next day is especially enjoyable. It promotes language development, confidence, and a sense of connection between home and school. I think the junior classes would find this activity both enjoyable and memorable.
One inquiry-based activity I enjoy using in my classroom is exploring which items and materials will float and which ones will sink. This activity encourages curiosity and hands-on learning. I start by showing the children a basin of water along with a selection of everyday objects (e.g. plastic spoon, cork, pebble, sponge, metal key, rubber duck). Before testing, I encourage the children to make predictions: “Do you think this will float or sink? Why?” These questions promote observation, reasoning, and communication.
Children then record their predictions before testing each object. They observe what happens, and record the results results using a simple tick the box worksheet. This activity supports early scientific thinking, vocabulary development (e.g. float, sink, heavy, light), and collaboration.
Hi, my name is Sarah. I will be a Special Education Teacher supporting 1st class. My favourite space fact is that Space is completely silent. Sound needs a medium like air or water to travel. Space is nearly a vacuum so, astronauts cannot hear each other without radios.