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Hands-on classroom themed activities: Clothes and Weather
How would you use the activity in your classroom? I would cover this theme in Aistear over a few weeks using the following stations:
1. Storytelling Station:
• Create Stories: Develop simple stories where characters need to dress appropriately for various weather conditions.
• Ask Questions: Pause during the story to ask the children what clothing should be worn and why.
2. Dress-Up Dolls Station:
• Paper Dolls: Use paper dolls with various clothing options. Have the children dress the dolls for different weather scenarios (sunny, rainy, snowy, windy).
• Magnetic or Velcro Boards: Use magnetic boards where the children can stick different clothing items onto a figure based on the weather conditions given.
3. Weather and Clothing Chart Station:
• Visual Charts: Create a chart with different weather types (sunny, rainy, snowy, windy) and corresponding pictures of appropriate clothing.
• Matching Activity: Have children match pictures of clothes to the appropriate weather type on the chart.
4. Role Play Station:
• Dress-Up Play: Provide a box of various clothing items (coats, hats, boots, sunglasses, raincoats) and let children physically dress up based on the weather scenario you call out.
5. Art Station:
• Art Project: Let children create pictures of themselves dressed for different types of weather.
6. Songs and Rhymes Station:
• Weather Songs: Use simple, catchy songs and rhymes about dressing for the weather. For example, “If You’re Happy and You Know It” can be adapted to “If It’s Raining and You Know It, Wear Your Coat.”
• Movement Activities: Incorporate actions into songs, like pretending to put on a raincoat or sunglasses.
7. Weather Reports Station:
• Daily Weather Chart: Have a daily weather chart in the classroom. Each day, discuss the weather and ask children what they would wear.
• Student Weather Reports: Use a microphone and TV screen to let children take turns being the “weather reporter” and suggest appropriate clothing for the day.
8. Games Station:
• Weather Bingo: Create Bingo cards with different weather types and clothing items. Call out weather conditions and have children mark the corresponding clothing.
• Sorting Game: Provide a mix of clothing items and ask children to sort them into categories based on weather.Introduction to Stars for Senior Infants
Objective:
• To introduce young children to the concept of stars, their characteristics, and their importance in space.
Materials Needed:
• Picture book – Stars by Mary Lyn Ray
• Star stickers
• Black card
• White chalk or crayons
• Glow-in-the-dark star stickers
• A torch
1. Introduction
o Begin with a simple question: “Who has seen stars in the night sky?”
o Show a picture book about stars, discuss a few pages to spark interest.
2. Discussion: What are Stars?
o Explain that stars are big balls of burning gas far away in space.
o Use simple language: “Stars are like big, hot lights in the sky. They are much bigger and hotter than our sun, but they look small because they are so far away.”
o Show pictures of different stars and constellations.
3. Activity: Star Creation
o Give each child a piece of black card and white chalk or crayons.
o Encourage them to draw stars on their paper.
o Hand out star stickers for them to add to their drawings.
o Discuss the constellations they created, explaining that people see pictures in the way stars are arranged in the sky.
4. Interactive Demonstration: How Stars Shine
o In a darkened room, use a torch to represent a star.
o Explain that just like the torch shines bright light, stars shine because they are very hot and bright.
o Let each child take a turn holding the torch and shining it in the room to understand how light travels from stars to us.
5. Conclusion:
o Review key points: Stars are far away, very hot, and shine brightly in the sky.
o Ask a few questions to reinforce learning:
“What are stars made of?”
“Why do they look small?”
“Can you name something that stars help us with?” (Guide them towards understanding navigation, light, and beauty in the night sky)Activity Set: The Sun and Shadows
I would use the activity in my senior infant classroom in the following way:
Materials:
• Flashlight (to represent the Sun)
• Small toys or objects (to create shadows)
• White paper
• Markers or crayons
• Outdoor space for observation
• Clock
Introduction:
1. Begin with a brief discussion about the Sun. Ask questions like “What is the Sun?” and “What do you think it does?”
2. Explain that the Sun gives us light and helps us see during the day.
3. Introduce the concept of shadows by showing a simple shadow puppet using your hand and a flashlight.
Activity 1: Indoor Shadow Exploration:
1. Pair students and give each pair a flashlight and a small toy.
2. Turn off the classroom lights and have students use the flashlight to create shadows of their toys on the wall or paper.
3. Encourage them to move the flashlight around to see how the shadows change.
4. Discuss their observations: How do the shadows change when the light moves?
Activity 2: Outdoor Shadow Observation:
1. Take the students outside with white paper and markers.
2. Have them place an object on the paper and trace its shadow.
3. Note the time and position of the Sun.
4. Return to the same spot later in the day to trace the shadow again.
5. Discuss how the shadow has moved and changed size. Why do they think this happens?
Conclusion and Discussion:
1. Return to the classroom and gather students for a discussion.
2. Ask them what they noticed about the shadows outside.
3. Explain that as the Sun moves across the sky, our shadows move and change size.
4. Reinforce the concept by summarizing how shadows are longer in the morning and evening and shorter at midday when the Sun is directly overhead.
Assessment:
• Observe students during activities for engagement and understanding.
• Review their drawings and shadow tracings to ensure they grasp the concept of changing shadows.I really like the idea of doing stations to teach the moon. I use station teaching mostly for Maths and Literacy, but never thought of using it for a space activity. The more teachers I could get involved, the more engaging and more opportunities for oral language development, questioning, critical thinking etc. Excellent idea!
This is such a lovely idea for a lesson – i love that you have linked the lesson to Frozen. The children will have your attention immediately and the hands-on approach will ensure they stay engaged throughout the lesson. I will be trying this in the future!
Hello everyone, my name is Grace and I am a support teacher working with senior infants. I was scrolling through Instagram shorts last night and I found a space fact that I’m not sure is true, but it got me thinking anyway – scientists do not know where RH blood type came from, perhaps from somewhere else in space?
Using an inquiry-based space activity for senior infants would be a highly engaging and educational experience, fostering curiosity and critical thinking. I would create a “Space Explorer Mission.” I would set the stage with a story about a mission to a new planet. Provide children with simple, questions to guide their exploration, such as “What do you think we might find on this new planet?” or “How do astronauts travel to space?”
Next, create hands-on activities where the children can explore these questions. For example, set up different stations with various space-themed activities: a craft station to build model rockets, a sensory bin with “moon sand” and hidden “space rocks,” and a station with picture books about planets and space travel.
Encourage children to ask their own questions during these activities. Prompt them to think about how astronauts live in space, what planets are like, and how rockets work. Facilitate discussions where they can share their ideas and hypotheses.
Wrap up the activity with a “Mission Debrief,” where each child can share what they discovered or created. This debriefing session helps them process their learning, articulate their thoughts, and listen to others, reinforcing the inquiry-based approach. Through this method, children develop problem-solving skills, creativity, and a love for learning about space.
