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Hi Eleanor,
integrating the facts about planets into maths and language is a super way to include them with junior classes. The Solar system / planets only appear in SESE Geography for 5th and 6th class (too late in my opinion) – so having a reason to include earlier is great.
Clodagh,
I’ll let Niamh know that she is one of your space stars – she’ll be delighted. We have huge interest in one of our Space Week programmes that connects a space science professional to the classroom – recently it has been branded as ESERO Space Goes to School – you can register your interest at spaceweek.ie
this page https://www.spaceweek.ie/for-organisers/for-teachers/space-speaker-in-your-classroom/
Also worth checking is Norah Patten, who has recently been selected to carry out some experiments in a sub orbital flight (in 2026):
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2024/0620/1455670-space-dr-norah-patten/
Stephanie, I had a quick look at the first video and the image of the snowshoe sent me back in time to when I completed my snowshoe badge as a girl guide in Canada.
Did you know that different types/shapes of snowshoes are used for different snow conditions? and that there is a snowshoe magazine? with advice on what type of trail needs snowshoes!
thanks for that – I’ve a big smile on my face now!
Muireann,
with an older class the children can watch the demo, then try out their own ideas about making the rocket go fast/ carry more.
I’d structure it slightly differently, by giving the children their own balloon first, so they can see that it flies off when released – then ask them how can we make this balloon become a rocket? This then gets them to the balloon rocket set up as a ‘design and make’ a launch system for a balloon, and they have more ownership over the activity.
There is some really lovely science that can be deeply explored, particularly if they try different size balloons and different amounts of inflation. Get a bunch of balloon pumps!
Katie- Jo, this is perfectly pitched to allow children to explore
• recognise the difference between hot and cold in terms of weather, food, water and the body
The water offers them a direct experience, and you can ask them what really hot water might look like – and how they should be careful around cooking pans etc.
I had a student once doing soldering with me at a summer camp. Despite numerous cautions that the soldering iron got really hot, he still decided to touch it. The blisters were something else! I can only think that he had no experience with hot/cold before! (he was 10!).
Hi Jill,
this can be treated as an investigation activity or a design and make using the results of their exploration with the materials.
It can be connected to “• explore how shadows are formed” – if they treat the darkness of the shadow as the desired condition. (from Infants Science)
Please note that 1st/2nd class has “• investigate the relationship between light and materials” and that the activity you are planning is an exemplar for 3rd/4th class (design and make a light shade for bedroom), so I’d check with colleagues that they don’t plan to do this later in the children’s school years.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience (and the pic of the underpants!!).
Can I check that these are the books you suggest? https://books.google.ie/books/about/When_Aliens_Come_to_Tea.html?id=XWfSAwAAQBAJ&s
https://www.google.ie/books/edition/Here_Come_the_Aliens/smFnQgAACAAJ?hl=en
For Dolores, Padraig and Laura.
ESA launched a new rocket yesterday!
https://youtu.be/uCf-mN7ABWk?si=uJ0r5hdzoAfIKZSP
and Irish company Réaltra worked on the cameras that helped the livestream!
Katie- Jo,
what a super context for the children to engage with for this Design and Make activity. Teddy’s boots are a great prompt and I think it is just brilliant that you take a pic of Teddy on the farm at the end!
I am still on the endless hunt for a decent waterproof jacket that doesn’t leave me too sweaty when I wear it, but I guess Teddy doesn’t sweat so he’ll be ok.
Hi Emma,
thanks for sharing this detailed and useable plan. I like how you use “why do you think…” questions to help the children to articulate their science understanding.
Thanks also for sharing the space dust fact- it sent me on a “lets find out more” quest:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230915-the-cosmic-dust-sitting-on-your-roof
Hi Corinna,
you have identified one of the key ideas of the framework for inquiry -which is to let the children engage with the ideas that you want them to learn before carrying out the investigation. In this case, playful time with the balls may lead to the investigation quite naturally – as you model “I wonder…” statements and let the children tell you what they wonder, and what they think is going on.
Is this the play? https://www.outoftheark.co.uk/christmas-with-the-aliens.html
Your playful take on aliens is super – may I share with teachers in my end of course summary?
Rachel – for the child who isn’t confident in their own drawing, you can use the folded paper and each person add a different part of the alien – simple but effective.
Padraig,
have you much experience with map work with 2nd class? I was doing some simple map activity with my Brownie Guides (ages 8-10 – most are 1st-4th class) and was surprised at how complicated they found the maps. They found it very difficult to give directions to a place from a map of the local area (that we had walked through the previous week) -I wonder if they are driven so much that they don’t have a sense of turning left or right at junctions to be able to navigate.
Near me, the Tidy Town associations have local maps and that is what we use. I have also generated my own map of the local area from Open Street Map, which is copyright free: https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/51.89989/-8.40296