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Great set of activities Vanessa. I have often noted that children are fascinated with Laika the dog -but I wonder if they know the full story of her flight to space – it’s sad.
That video for the bottle rocket is lovely – simple materials, a wrapped cork to act as a bung – and off it goes!
Dervilla – what a great set of ways to extend and connect the learning about forces.
Is this the song? – https://youtu.be/DEHBrmZxAf8, I was fine with the ear-wormy-ness of it – but they went past Jupiter on the way to the Moon!!! (ok – we won’t mention that it was cats in space…) 🙂
Mary, that’s another super list that I’d like to share more widely. Are you ok if I publish it in this summer’s summer course summary?
What a lovely set of activities – so much wondering and exploring for the children to do!
I once put a whole set of spatter paintings together to make a giant mural of a galaxy – the children decided which spatters paintings had “lots of stars” so were in the middle of the galaxy and which were “not so many stars” and so were the outer edge of the galaxy. Then along comes the latest Webb Telescope image of the Cartwheel Galaxy – a very different type and shape of galaxy!! https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Webb/Webb_captures_stellar_gymnastics_in_the_Cartwheel_Galaxy
Dervilla – I agree with you on space scoop – I think it is best for taking very technical language about astronomy and space and simplifying it for a general adult audience, not specifically a child reader. APOD is my go to – simply wonderful images and links that allow you to find out more.
Celine, the UNICEF book looks really interesting: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/19616.A_Life_Like_Mine
and the ESA education resource on shelters may help: https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/edu/PR37_Moon_shelter.pdf, although it does have a suggested age of 8+. It does have lovely images of different regions of the world, and the types of shelters they have.
Roisin – I’m not familiar with planetstoday.com – and trying that address bring you to a very general site – do you have the actual link?
There is the NASA eyes on the solar system: https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/orrery/#/home
and this ESA poster that shows missions that have explored each planet: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2019/02/ESA_s_fleet_of_Solar_System_explorers.
The children might ask their own questions about why the planets look the way they do – and is it related to what they are made of? where they are in the solar system etc. This can be inquiry, even without an investigation “practical” activity.
Do you have a favourite one Catherine? As a fellow Canadian I love the all! but particularly the Chris’ Kitchen ones like this: https://youtu.be/AZx0RIV0wss,
We hope you will register events with spaceweek.ie — each year space week is always held between the 4th and the 10th of October, just before Maths Week.
You can register your planned activities here: http://www.spaceweek.ie/, there are no requirements for the whole school to be involved, but it would be great if they were!
Stellarium is great with a class – just try to get the room as dark as possible to be able to see the screen.
You can turn off the atmosphere with Stellarium – and then it completely shows what is up in the sky in the daytime.
Do you have a link to the poem? I tried googling it, but found poems written by children with that title.
The Moon is a great way into astronomy and space for children – have you a particular way you would like the children to record the moon phases? Would you start with the daytime moon at 3rd quarter and have a class observation?
Mayo Dark Skies have a Moon Observing Log that could be adapted for younger children: https://mayodarkskypark.ie/discover/the-moon, perhaps by putting in the suggested times that the children might look for the Moon – ie look for the Full Moon and the crescent Moon at sunset or sunrise, look for the 1st quarter moon in the afternoon, look for the 3rd quarter moon in the morning.
Hi Sinéad – a few years ago we worked with the National Children’s Choir and Jack L to do a Bowie video: https://youtu.be/xBZ034GHM4Q
Do you have a link to your class’s song?
