Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Thanks for the book suggestions – I know they are valuable to other teachers.
Asking the children to discuss what a shadow is and then letting them have time to explore shadows is essential.
For very young children this would be enough – older children can check how shadows vary in the day and link that to the direction to the Sun.
Aoife- I like the planning for buddying – and if 6th class can help, all the better.
Making simple parachutes is great- use tissue and string to tie a parachute to one of the maths proportional bears and you have an easy activity that shows air resistance slowing down the bear.
Hi Sharon,
I’m glad the rocket mice have another fan – I just love them. Start collecting your milk bottles so that you have a range of launchers ready for Space Week.
I like to ask children to work together and have one child hold up their arm to mark the highest the mouse goes. To make a record, they could then go to a nearby wall and put a post it note at that height. Measuring with a meter stick can come later.
Hi Sharon,
I was reading about Inuit hood ruffs – apparently they are designed to disrupt the air flow around your face so that you stay warmer! Different Inuit groups have different styles, so the ruff on the parka tells you where someone is from!
Not this article, which is if you really want the details.
We created an activity around designing clothing for Polar regions as part of Polar Star. You can find it here in English and Irish and other European languages too,
Hi Margaret,
I also love that fact about stars – and since stars last for billions of years, most of the nearby ones are still there.
With the volcano activity, asking
Ask the children what they think will happen when you mix the baking soda and vinegar together.
will only build on their science if they have some background in mixing and chemical reactions.
I’d be inclined to do the demonstration as an amazing prompt – and then ask the children how they think they could make the eruption bigger/ or quicker / or last longer… and let then apply their new understanding in a testable way.
I did this with my Brownie Guides last year- and many of these 8-10 year old girls had seen a similar eruption, either in school or from a book/video. It meant we could have fun building on their ideas – so we made a paper volcanoes and looked at the difference the volcano shape made to the eruption.
Rachel,
this is very much about forces and materials – the egg is strong, but if it hits the edge of something it will break. Nice twist and addition to the dropping materials activity from the module.
Anne,
I like that you have incorporated listening to the children to first gauge their knowledge. I do this when groups come to me at BCO, where classes might do a “Mars” workshop. I ask them to talk to each other and choose their favourite Martian fact, and to have one in reserve in case another group share that same fact. If they have no facts I ask them to identify something that they would like to know.
There are a good set of planet images that are card sized as part of this ESA resource, the images by themselves are here.
Áine, you have a lovely plan to engage infants. And I’d reward the child who spots the exaggerated science in the story.
(https://www.ashlea.notts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Whatever-next.pdf)
HINT: the Moon is closer to the Earth than any star.
Louise,
both Venus and Jupiter will be very easy to see in the evening sky this October, so you could add some stargazing of actual planets too!
I like your wide approach to the theme of Planets and how you have really focused on the playful needs of young children.
I’ve reminded my colleague of the certs – we definitely used to have them on spaceweek.ie for teachers to use, but I had a quick poke around and didn’t find them for this year.
Sarah,
the Planet game is great fun – I have played it with 8 and 9 years olds, as well as with the much younger crowd. It helps to have a list of words ready, since you will run out of “astronaut” “moon” “star” etc as you try to have those words between the planet names.
Mary, glad to see that you are working out ways to incorporate this course’s science and space ideas into your own classroom and linking it to existing units.
Michelle – if the Plough, with 7 stars to position is too challenging, you could try Cassiopeia, and that is described as activity 5.4 on page 149 of Universe in Box.
In that version, the stars are held on sticks.