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Thank you for sharing these books that would fit perfectly into science week! Story books are a fantastic way to anchor the lesson
Hi everyone,
I would use the foam rocket activity as part of a Space Week theme with my class. To introduce the lesson, I would read The Way Back Home and use the story to encourage discussion about space travel, rockets and how astronauts reach space. I would ask the children to share their own ideas about what helps a rocket move and record their predictions before beginning the investigation.
The children would then design and build their own foam rockets using simple classroom materials. Before launching them, we would agree on our investigation question: “How does the amount of force used to launch a rocket affect the distance it travels?” Working in small groups, the children would predict what they think will happen and explain the reasons for their answers.
The children would test their rockets several times, measuring and comparing the distances travelled. We would discuss the importance of carrying out a fair test by keeping the rocket the same while only changing the force used to launch it. Afterwards, we would reflect on our findings and consider whether our predictions were correct.
To extend the activity, we would compare our rockets with other flying objects such as paper aeroplanes and gliders, discussing how different designs affect movement through the air. This investigation encourages children to observe, predict, measure and communicate their ideas while developing teamwork and problem-solving skills. I think it would be an enjoyable, hands-on activity that would engage children during Space Week while helping them develop important scientific inquiry skills.
This is a really well planned lesson Emma, thank you for sharing. Using a Teddy as the main character creates such immediate interest from the children!
Hi everyone,
I chose the topic of online resources and tools because I have found that digital technology can make science more engaging and accessible for young children. In my Junior Infants classroom in a DEIS 1 school, I would use simple, age-appropriate online resources to introduce and reinforce STEM concepts alongside practical, hands-on activities.
For a space theme, I would begin by reading a picture book before showing a short child-friendly video or animation about the planets or the Moon. We would then discuss what the children noticed and compare it with what they already knew. This would be followed by a practical activity, such as creating Moon craters using flour and cocoa powder or building rockets from recyclable materials. Using digital resources first helps to spark curiosity and gives children a visual understanding before they begin exploring through play.
I would also use interactive whiteboard activities, simple quizzes and digital photographs to record children’s learning. Taking photos of investigations and displaying them in the classroom encourages children to revisit their learning and talk about the scientific skills they used, such as observing, predicting and describing.
As a teacher in a DEIS 1 school, I find that combining digital resources with practical experiences helps to engage all learners and supports children with different learning styles and language abilities. It also encourages collaboration, communication and curiosity, which are central to inquiry-based learning.
This module has reminded me that technology should enhance learning rather than replace hands-on exploration. By carefully selecting high-quality digital resources and combining them with meaningful investigations, I can create enjoyable STEM experiences that encourage children to ask questions, explore ideas and develop a positive attitude towards science from an early age.
Its always so benifical to the children when you can integrate what they have learned into other areas. Linking the stars to an art activity whereby they are making lanterns is a fantastic idea Ciara. I must keep that in mind for the future
I chose the Activity Set: Space and Aliens because it provides an excellent opportunity to encourage creativity while developing children’s inquiry skills. Young children are naturally fascinated by the idea of life in space, making it a very engaging topic for Junior Infants.
I would begin the lesson by reading a space-themed story and asking the children open-ended questions such as, “What do you think an alien might look like?” and “What kind of planet might it live on?” This would encourage the children to think creatively while understanding that we are imagining rather than describing real scientific discoveries. We would discuss the different features aliens might have and why they might need them to survive on their imaginary planets.
The children would then design and make their own alien using art materials such as coloured paper, fabric scraps, pipe cleaners and googly eyes. Once finished, they would introduce their alien to the class, describing where it lives, what it eats and how it moves. This provides valuable opportunities to develop oral language, vocabulary and confidence when speaking in front of others.
As a teacher in a DEIS 1 school, I find that activities involving art, storytelling and discussion allow all children to participate successfully, regardless of their literacy levels. The activity can easily be differentiated, with children expressing their ideas through drawing, model making or simple sentences. I would also incorporate digital technology by taking photographs of the children’s creations and recording short audio clips of them explaining their alien. These could be shared with parents through our school’s digital platform or displayed as part of a classroom presentation.
This activity encourages imagination while developing communication, creativity and inquiry skills. It also helps children understand the difference between scientific facts and imaginative ideas, making it an enjoyable and meaningful way to explore the topic of space.I chose the Activity Set: Space and Aliens because it provides an excellent opportunity to encourage creativity while developing children’s inquiry skills. Young children are naturally fascinated by the idea of life in space, making it a very engaging topic for Junior Infants.
I would begin the lesson by reading a space-themed story and asking the children open-ended questions such as, “What do you think an alien might look like?” and “What kind of planet might it live on?” This would encourage the children to think creatively while understanding that we are imagining rather than describing real scientific discoveries. We would discuss the different features aliens might have and why they might need them to survive on their imaginary planets.
The children would then design and make their own alien using art materials such as coloured paper, fabric scraps, pipe cleaners and googly eyes. Once finished, they would introduce their alien to the class, describing where it lives, what it eats and how it moves. This provides valuable opportunities to develop oral language, vocabulary and confidence when speaking in front of others.
As a teacher in a DEIS 1 school, I find that activities involving art, storytelling and discussion allow all children to participate successfully, regardless of their literacy levels. The activity can easily be differentiated, with children expressing their ideas through drawing, model making or simple sentences. I would also incorporate digital technology by taking photographs of the children’s creations and recording short audio clips of them explaining their alien. These could be shared with parents through our school’s digital platform or displayed as part of a classroom presentation.
This activity encourages imagination while developing communication, creativity and inquiry skills. It also helps children understand the difference between scientific facts and imaginative ideas, making it an enjoyable and meaningful way to explore the topic of space.Hi everyone,
I chose the Activity Set: The Sun and Shadows because it is a very practical and engaging way to introduce young children to scientific inquiry. In my Junior Infants classroom, I would begin by asking the children what they already know about shadows and encourage them to make predictions about when shadows are long, short or disappear. This would allow them to share their ideas and develop their curiosity before starting the investigation.
We would explore outdoors on a sunny day, observing our own shadows and those of playground equipment. The children would work in pairs to trace each other’s shadows with chalk at different times during the day. We would return later to compare the outlines and discuss what had changed. I would encourage the children to ask questions, describe what they noticed and suggest reasons for the changes.
As a teacher in a DEIS 1 school, I find that active, hands-on learning gives every child the opportunity to participate, regardless of their literacy or language abilities. This activity also supports oral language development as children explain their observations using their own words. We could extend the learning by reading a story about day and night, drawing pictures of our investigation and creating a simple class display showing how our shadows changed throughout the day.
This inquiry-based activity develops observation, prediction and communication skills while making science enjoyable and meaningful. It encourages children to explore the world around them, ask questions and discover answers through first-hand experiences, which is an approach I aim to use regularly in my classroom.
Hi Sinead,
Thank you for sharing some great ideas. I have taught a few lessosn before but never using a torch. Such a fantaic tool to captivate them!
Hi everyone,
My name is Eleanor and I teach Junior Infants in a DEIS 1 primary school in Cork. I am looking forward to learning new ways to make space engaging and accessible for young children. My favourite space fact is that the footprints left by the astronauts on the Moon could stay there for millions of years because there is no wind or rain to wash them away. I think this is a fascinating fact that always captures children’s imaginations.
One inquiry-based activity I would use in my classroom is a “What makes shadows change?” investigation. After reading a space-themed story, I would ask the children what they notice about shadows and encourage them to share their own ideas and predictions. Using torches, toy astronauts and different objects, the children would work in small groups to explore how moving the light source changes the size, shape and position of shadows. They would be encouraged to talk about what they observe, compare their findings with their classmates and explain their thinking using simple language.
This activity supports the Junior Infants curriculum by promoting curiosity, observation and communication. It also develops oral language, cooperation and problem-solving skills through play. In a DEIS 1 setting, I find that practical, hands-on activities allow all children to participate successfully regardless of their language or literacy level. The activity can be extended through drawing, role play or creating simple picture records of their discoveries, giving every child an opportunity to share their learning in a way that suits their needs.
I really liked this experiment using the cotton balls to demonstrate climate change. I feel that this experiment would be suitable for all ages. I also like the fact that is could be very simply recreated at home as the materials are so easily found,
This experiment is just a perfect way to consolidate the effects of climate change in a very effecttive way.
HOME showcases stunning aerial footage of the Earth, highlighting the beauty if our planet and the profound impacts of climate change. It emphasises the urgency of addressing environmental issues and protecting our natural resources.
I would use this with my class as I find the video clips would be perfect to captivate their interest.
I would use images and infographics to explain complex concepts visually.
I would use interactive activities to capture their intereest. For exampl,e I would use simple experiements to demonstrate effects like the greenshouse effect.
I would integrate role play for the pupils. I would have the students act out scenarios e.g being a polar bear in a melting habitat to understand the impacts on wildlife.
Susan, I really like the idea of giving the opportunity to predict temperatures in the future. This idea made me think of doing a classroom capsule. Children could do some research on the current climate and record their findings. Then compile their predictions for the same questions and then put both into a capsule that could be buried on the school grounds.
It would be such an exciting school activity and would be great to refer to over coming years to see how climate trends are tracking and if the predictions are looking to be correct or not.
I found this module very informative. I found myself learning so much and enjoyed looking at the videos as I am a visual learners and this helped me to fully understand concepts such as the greenhouse effects. The PAXI video was very informative and very relatable for children . It can often be difficult to make the link between our own day to day activities and the impact on the environment eg. Leaving the screens turned on when know on is watching. I liked also how it explained how the greenhouse effect is what makes life possible on earth and then went onto explain that human activity is what has increased greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, making the effect of the greenhouse effect too powerful, which has in turn increased temperatures on Earth. I have found this concept difficult to teach in the past. The PAXI video really would help children to understand the WHY humans need to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that they produce.
The TEAL tool was a very simple yet effective tool to explore different climate variables as well as carbon emissions for the past 40 years. This would be a great way to link learning about the climate in with maths as children study the different data.
