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I think that’s a brilliant idea Valerie; to carry out the rocket launches against a backdrop of a block wall or similar and number each one upwards to allow us to count how many blocks high the mouse goes, and record / compare the height and discuss whether the container used made a difference to the height reached etc. Thank you!
An activity from this module that I can’t wait to do with my Senior Infants is the Rocket Mice. To excite the children about rockets I would read the Smeds and the Smoos to them; then we could chat about other Julia Donaldson books they know and the mouse from the Gruffalo etc and how he may like to visit the Smeds and the Smoos on their planet but how could he get there from Earth… Then we could begin designing our own rockets using bottles from the Junk Art box and the template mouse provided; I think they would find this so enjoyable, and love the competitive element of trying to make it go the highest or be launched the quickest; and develop an understanding of forming pressure inside the bottle by squeezing it. This has so many cross curricular links too such as Literacy; Hickory dickory dock or 3 blind mice, procedural writing, Drawing a picture and describing the mouse’s adventure in Space, Maths; measures and height, Art; designing and decorating the rockets further etc.
I love the idea of setting up a weather station in the school, Louise. The children would engage with this so brilliantly as they love discussing and investigating the weather every day. It provides numerous cross curricular links also and would develop STEM skills wonderfully.
An activity from this module that I will do in my Senior Infants classroom next year will be the Investigating our Coats idea. I would do this as a whole class lesson ideally at the end of a unit of work on materials so the class would have already carried out other investigations on materials and be familiar with the various characteristics and vocabulary such as hard, soft, furry, fuzzy, rough, smooth, shiny, waterproof, colour words etc. I would begin by getting ready for yard or home-time earlier and singing our Cuir ort do chóta song as a trigger, then gather the children in a circle for the lesson with the game; If you are wearing a pink coat join the circle, a coat with a zip, buttons, shiny coat, furry coat etc etc. to revise and further explore the materials / coats vocabulary.
We will then investigate the types and characteristics of the coats further with question such as What colour do we see most in our coats today; predict and count/ make a data chart if time permits. I would then ask the children to make up other questions about the coats for us to “predict and count how many”, I could extend this by prompting them to include more than 1 characteristic – how many coats are pink with buttons? Make a real Venn diagram with hoola hoops for the children to step into each time if time permits.
A follow up activity for the week after in Aistear would be for the children to design their own coat for one of the dolls in Junk-Art using materials such as felt, plastic, cotton wool, pipe cleaners, sequins, pencils, crayons, buttons, fabric and fibre; discussing what season/weather it is and why they are choosing particular materials for the coat; and where she may be going in it.I also love the theme of Aliens and the Aliens love… books; also the Julia Donaldson book The Smeds and the Smoos. The children are fascinated by them and their imagination responds so well. I have also encouraged the children to design their own aliens in the Junk Art and playdough stations with pipe cleaners, googly eyes, sequins, sparkles, buttons, tinfoil, sticks, bottle caps etc. during Aistear and found it fantastic in helping them develop their creativity, fine motor skills and explore their thinking around Space further.
Activity: Lots and lots of Stars
I will definitely be availing of this ESERO activity next year; perhaps in a thematic unit of work on stars during my Space month. I think I would introduce it after the Counting Can game and ask who thinks there are more stars than those marbles? We would count and move to a see-through container. I explain that there are more and ask are there more stars than there are children in the class? We count the number of children and put that many marbles in a second transparent container. I explain that there are even more and fill a third large container to the top. Explain that there are so many stars that we need computers to count how many there are. I would open up a discussion with questions such as: ‘Have you ever seen the stars? What did they look like? Were there a lot of them? Do stars give light? When do you usually see the stars? Is the Sun a star too?’ The photo of the starry sky would lead to more discussion and discovery and help me explain that the Sun gives off so much light that we have light during the day and this light is so bright that we can’t see the other stars. The children would discover that there are lots of stars in the universe.
My class would love creating their Starry Sky extension Art activity and this would really emphasize that there are so many stars; I would link this with Van Gogh’s Starry Night piece for Looking and Responding in art, star related stories and Twinkle Twinkle in literacy and Gaeilge Lonraigh, lonraigh, réalt os cionn https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=3XVxrgn73ps, the Maths counting worksheet and numerous other possibilities in Maths, Aistear and Geography: making constellations with playdough or Junk-Art, star themed musical and drama performances and activites etc.I really love these ideas Lucy; really interesting and effective. The pictures would keep the whole class completely on task throughout the activity and the game with the room darkened would be so much fun and sensory for the children. It is so inclusive also and appropriate for all levels.
Activity Set: The Planets
I would definitely utilize all the activities in this module in my classroom. I especially loved the planet song: Family of the Sun, which I had never come across before, for infants. I would use this activity to introduce a unit of work on the planets. It depicts the solar system as a family which the children would all relate to and connect back to themselves; and definitely trigger their interest in the topic. The song is so catchy and easy to listen to and learn and teaches them facts about each planet in a clear and fun way. The video is lovely too and would fascinate the children and make them feel like astronauts floating through space exploring each planet. I think they would find the mention of Pluto very funny as this has been a big topic my classes always mention in recent years when we first start investigating Space; that Pluto was “kicked out” of the solar system. I think the song would have numerous cross curricular links with possibilities for Drama / Musical performance, Art, P.E., Maths and Literacy activities and endless prompts for Aistear.I love this idea for a gravity investigation; I will be teaching the same children next year into Senior Infants and I know they would love this!
Hi, my name is Dympna and I have been teaching Junior and Senior Infants for the last few years. My favourite fact about space is that the sunset on Mars is blue.
One inquiry-based activity I have used in my classroom with Junior Infants is an investigation into strong and light materials using the story The Three Little Pigs as a prompt and to engage and interest the children. A question I would ask would be “I wonder what other materials the pigs could have chosen to build their houses…/The wolf could have blown down…” The children think of other materials or items around the room or from the nature table or Junk Art box etc. such as paper, cardboard, a wooden jaggo block, a feather, a metal spoon, a plastic pot, a plastic straw, a rock, a shell, pom, etc, naming the item and what it is made from. The starter question would be Could the wolf blow it down? We begin the investigation; first discuss what we will use as the wolf’s breath / air/ wind – and how to make sure it’s a fair investigation – a child could be picked to blow through a straw; a hairdryer at a low setting, a battery fan etc. (I have used all of these). We go through the items; first predicting yes or no and record each result by placing the item in the yes or no section of the investigation table like a 3D data chart/display. More interpretation and discussion of the results is done after; discussing why the wolf could blow – light or strong; was anyone surprised by this etc, making connections where applicable e.g. I used that for my Junk Art bird feeder but it blew away etc. Lots of reflection opportunities arise for me after when the children are prompted to make the pigs houses themselves during Aistear and I can see them choose light, weak, strong, very strong materials, and hear them using the correct vocabulary.
