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Hi Paula,
I love the idea of creating a scale solar system and designing astronaut passports. These activities would really engage the children and create a sense of wonder and curiosity about space.
I am choosing the activity set Rockets.
I would begin the lesson by reading the book ‘Zoom, Rocket, Zoom!’ to engage the children. We would then discuss the different types of space vehicles and whether it would be fun to take a trip to space. I would ask questions such as ‘Why would you like to go to space?’ and ‘What is the most interesting thing you think you would see in space?’ We would spend a few minutes discussing this.
We would then watch the CBC Kids News ‘Rocket Launch’ video and look at some pictures of rockets.
The children would brainstorm how they could create their own rockets and then share their ideas with the class.
I would show the children the Marvin & Milo Balloon Rocket cartoon and we would then create our own balloon rockets.
The children would record the results through illustrations.
Hi Triona,
This sounds like a very fun and engaging lesson. I love the idea of telling the children you forgot your jacket as a means to get them interested.
Online resources and tools can significantly enhance the learning environment in classrooms in many ways.
The internet provides access to an unlimited amount of resources. Whether teaching about space or a specific country or any other topic there is a wealth of information and images on the internet.
When teaching space I would begin by showing the children some clips from the ESA kids website. They could then explore the website in pairs by playing games, watching videos and reading some facts.
There are numerous apps and games for kids on the theme of space that would also be of great use in the classroom and would definitely generate interest on the topic. Some of these include ‘Space by Tinybop’, ‘Star Walk Kids’ and ‘Nasa Kids’ Club’.
YouTube is a great online tool for teaching and learning. During science week I often spend a few minutes showing my class clips such as ‘astronauts floating in space’ which they thoroughly enjoy.
While online resources and tools are invaluable, I believe that it is also important to include regular hands on activities to provide the best learning opportunities. The wealth of online tools available should be used in conjunction with this to create the most meaningful learning environments.
Hi Tara,
I really like the idea of ‘star gazing’ in the classroom. The children would love this interactive and fun activity and would gain so much from being immersed in the experience.
I am going to focus on a lesson about aliens.
I think this is a topic that would really spark the curiosity and imaginations of younger learners.
To begin I would read the story ‘Aliens Love Underpants’ as a stimulus. We would then discuss what we think aliens would be like- what they would look like, how they would act etc. I would show the children pictures and illustrations of different interpretations of aliens and ask them if they think aliens would be like this.
I would give the children some playdough, toothpicks and googly eyes and ask them to construct their own aliens. They would then describe their alien to their partner/to the class. What is the alien’s name? What can s/he do? Is there something special about their alien?
I would link this in with the ESERO activity ‘Special Life’ where the children would have acted out special objects/animals from Earth.
Hi Claire,
I agree that this activity links in well with so many areas of the curriculum. I always use ‘Space’ as a monthly theme in my infant classroom as it is always a topic that the children find so interesting and there are so many activities that can be done in lots of different subjects.
I have chosen the activity set ‘The Planets’.
I would use the Planets song as a stimulus to introduce the lesson. The children could then share their favourite planet facts.
This is another Planets song that I have used with infants classes which they absolutely loved-
After this I would teach the children the planet game from ESERO with hula hoops as the planets and the sun. This could be integrated into a PE lesson.
I would present the children with a large blank outline of the planets and the sun. In groups they could discuss that they know about each planet and we could add the fact to the template.
To integrate with visual arts we could use marbling to create an outer space picture and then create some 3D planets using Styrofoam balls.
I would then read the story ‘Out of this World’ by Kat Uno.
This could all be linked into play where children spend time in the roleplay area ‘The Space Station’. They would be in role as explorers and astronauts who are exploring space.
I have taught infants for the past eight years and one of the inquiry based activities that they always seem to love is ‘floating and sinking’.
Usually the children would have spent time exploring floating and sinking with different objects at the water station during playtime prior to doing this activity.
The question I would pose to the children at the beginning is ‘Which of these objects will float in a basin of water and which will sink?’
I always start off by showing the children some of the items we are going to experiment with and asking them to brainstorm in pairs or small groups whether they think the items will float or sink. The children would predict the outcomes and give a reason e.g. size/shape of object etc.
We then conduct the experiment and the children describe what happens. I always ask the children questions such as ‘why do you think that happened?’
After we have finished I often get the children to discuss in pairs/groups again and to illustrate an aspect of the experiment.
Hi Ciara,
This is a great interactive and engaging inquiry based activity that I’m sure would be of interest to all of the children in the class.
The clip of the Apollo 15 feather and hammer drop is a great way to link in real life space science. Sounds like a very fun activity with lots of learning opportunities.</p>I have taught infants for the past eight years and one of the inquiry based activities that they always seem to love is ‘floating and sinking’.
The question I would pose to the children at the beginning is ‘Which of these objects will float in a basin of water and which will sink?’
I always start off by showing the children some of the items we are going to experiment with and asking them to brainstorm in pairs or small groups whether they think the items will float or sink.
We then conduct the experiment and the children describe what happens. I always ask the children questions such as ‘why do you think that happened?’
After we have finished I often get the children to discuss in pairs/groups again and to illustrate an aspect of the experiment.
