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Weather-related activities
I am very thankful for the wide range of online resources that we have been introduced to. I am excited to explore the plethora of resources next year. I especially like the ESERO resources, particularly the ‘Animals in the Cold’ lesson. I found the animal facts interesting, with the colours of the animals helping them stay disguised in their environment. Children could be asked to extend this idea, thinking of other animals that blend into their environment, or imagining ways that they could blend into their environments. In addition to the suggested activities in the lesson, I would also create a Hedbandz-style game, with a number of animals being included. The children can use their new learning to help ask suitable questions e.g. does the animal have fur, does the animal have a greasy layer. Children can then be asked to think of ideas that humans could do to help stay warm/cool in certain climates.
A special mention for Marvin and Milo too – I know the kids would love this as there always exists that cat vs. dog rivalry and this would draw them into the investigations.
I love the idea of this weather station dress-up. I would ensure to also include some of my own clothes for them to use as it’s always a novelty for them to wear larger clothing! This might also spark further questions: would a really tight, just right, or really loose jacket keep you warmest on a cold, windy day?
Ah the Aliens love Underpants stories are always a hit with the kids! I like your idea of allowing the children to use a range of materials to create their martians.
Activity Set: Stars
I feel like children are innately intrigued by the stars in the sky. They are usually more than happy to discuss Space. The ESERO ‘Lots and lots of stars’ lesson would act as the perfect basis of a hands-on exploration of stars. I would be excited to gradually build the children’s understanding of the vast number of stars in the universe. I would probably use marbles initially, as suggested in the plan. I would then use a sand tray to further extend this idea, before sharing the fact that there are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on Earth.Usually, in my school, we explore the theme of Space in either September or October. I feel that it would work well to adapt this art idea to coincide with the development of the children’s fine motor skills, offering small stickers to be added to the starry sky paintings, with each sticker representing a star in the sky.
That looks like a really well thought-out lesson! The children will surely enjoy it and will have a great bank of knowledge by the end of the lesson.
Activity Set: The Planets
The ESERO lesson would form a great basis for hands-on teaching of the planets in the Infant classroom. Prior to engaging in the activity in the hall, I would elicit the children’s prior knowledge, before teaching them the Drake and Josh planet rhyme, or using a new resource such as the “We are the Planets” song by Storybots. I especially like the fact that no children would be ‘out’ in this lesson, as that can often cause upset in the Infant room. I usually do a sun/ice warm-up in PE lessons but I could adapt that in this lesson, alternating between day and night instead, with certain activities being completed when a particular beanbag colour is presented. I would ask the children to also come up with some new names for the extra planets that are being used in the game, further encouraging their creativity.
Module 1 Reflection
I have really enjoyed exploring the course content so far and all of the Curious Minds and ESERO resources. I liked the explanation of the fingerprint experiment which supports inquiry-based learning in the classroom. The video was great as it clearly showed how experiments can be adapted to different class levels. The Infants would really love this experiment and it could easily be linked to a story, such as Goldilocks, trying to figure out which fingerprints were found on the bowl. The children would also love to find similarities between their own fingerprints and others, linking to the comprehension idea of connecting. I think it is very important to allocate time for reflecting within lessons, as it is often an overlooked area of lessons. I have a cognitive conclusion spinning wheel in my classroom which I like to use for this. The children enjoy this hands-on reflection too.
Hi All,
My name is Emma and I will be teaching Junior Infants next year. I have spent the last two years teaching the same class, carrying them from Junior Infants to Senior Infants.
Not exactly a space fact but I use the rhyme from Drake and Josh to remember the order of the planets!
I saw Mercury, then Venus, I saw the Earth, then Mars
I saw Jupiter, then Saturn, Uranus, and NEPTUNE.
Looking forward to learning some space facts to share with the kids.
