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I really enjoyed all the activities outlined in this module and I think they are all activities that would really appeal to children in my class.
An activity that I would love to try out is the dancing raisins experiment. I would gather all the children around me so as they could assist with the experiment. First we would place the raisins in a cup and add some still water. I would then question them on what is happening, if anything, and why they think this might be. After that we would place the raisins in another cup and this time we would add some fizzy water and observe what happens. We would then discuss what has happened this time and what the difference was between the still water and the fizzy water. I would then enable the children to conduct this experiment in small groups themselves. I think this is a very practical activity that is suitable for many age groups.I really enjoyed working my way through all the various activities and activity sets outlined in this module and I think there are many very worthwhile and practical activities that I would really like to try in my classroom in the coming year.
One activity in particular that I would definitely like to try is the activity based on clothes for different seasons. I think this is a very concrete and hands on activity that would really appeal to the children as clothes are something that are part of their everyday life. I would begin by discussing the different seasons with the class and the characteristics of each season. I would then present the dress up box with all the clothing and the children would work together to sort them based on which season they are appropriate for. Following this we would discuss why they chose each item for a particular season. I would then encourage the children to draw a picture of themselves wearing their favourite item of clothing for the current season.
Hi Saoirse, I really like the activities you have outlined, in particular the use of the story time website. I think they would be very suitable for my teaching of infants next year.
I found all the activities contained within this module to be very interesting and insightful and also, most of all, very practical for use within the classroom and easy to follow too. I particularly like the Special Life lesson as I will be teaching junior infants in September and I feel like this lesson is very appropriate for this age group and would definitely appeal to young children.
I would begin by discussing planet earth with the class – perhaps by looking at a globe and pointing out where we live. We would then discuss the other planets and how we don’t know of anyone living there and that earth is special because people live here. I would then discuss with the children what they think is so special about earth. They would work in pairs to draw something that they feel is special about earth and these would then be presented to the class during a circle time. Following this we would discuss the concept of aliens and what we think they might look like. Children would then, in pairs, draw and share what they imagine an alien would look like.
I really enjoyed discovering the variety of activities and activity sets outlined in this module. I feel a lot more prepared now to teach the topic of space to my class. One activity which particularly caught my attention was that of The Man in the Moon. As I will be teaching junior infants, I think this activity will be certainly well suited to them and their ability.
To begin with, I would ask them what they know about the moon and also what they would like to know. We would then explore some images of the moon and discuss it’s shape – there could be good linkage with 2D/3D shapes here also. Following this, the children would construct their own moon using materials provided and we would then discuss why they made their moon the way they did. I would then introduce the moon rhyme and discuss the concept of the man on the moon.Hi Claire, I really like your use of stations for teaching about the moon and engaging the children.
Hi everyone,this year I will be teaching junior infants. My favourite space fact is that there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the earth’s beaches!
An inquiry based activity that I have previously used in my classroom and which I would love to use again was based on how we would create a suitable home for a friendly alien here on earth. The children discussed what the alien might need to live here, the type of house he would live in, how he would communicate with humans, and so on. This also led to a discussion on how we could maintain the earth so as it is a welcoming place for others to visit, we linked in with caring for the environment, conserving water etc. The children also then designed a home for the alien using cardboard boxes and other materials. They discussed what materials would be best to use, what the alien might need in his house to adapt to life on earth and also what his options might be if he decided to return to his alien planet. This also led to a further investigation of space travel and how space travel and exploration has developed over the years.
Hi Michelle, many thanks for sharing that interesting fact. I always find Brian Cox very insightful.
