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I love the idea of a rocket making competition. This can be done at every age level. A great way for the children to get their families involved in the fun!
I will introduce my infants to basic space concepts through play, stories and hands on activities.
We will start with a class discussion on “What is Space?”. We will read “Papa, Please get the Moon for me” by Eric Carle. We will create starry sky paintings with sponge stamps.
We will sing “The Planet Song”. We will use simple flashcards to identify the planets and we will make a paper plate solar system.
We will watch NASA clips for kids. We will dress up as astronauts. We will build paper roll rockets.
We will feel “moon dust” (Flour and glitter). We will make foil moons. We will read “On the Moon” by Anna Milbourne.
We will wrap up the week with a quiz and displaying our artwork in a “Space Gallery”
Engaging hands on activities build curiosity through exploration and play.
Where do you live-We could create a class map with the children placing photos or drawings of their homes on the map. We could use toy houses and roads mats to create a mini community.
Weather-The children can explore how animals stay warm by dipping “blubber gloves” into ice water to stimulate polar animal insulation.
Clothes-I could provide a dress up box with clothes for various weather types. The children can choose appropriate outfits for different weather cards( sunny, wet, cold etc)
Hot & Cold-We could use ice cubes and warm water to explore temperature change. The children can also sort objects as “hot” or “cold” and discuss safe ways to handle each.
Lesson on Stars for the Infant Class.
I would commence the lesson with the picture book “How to Catch a Star” by Oliver Jeffers. We would have a class discussion about what the children see at night when they look up at the sky. We will refer to the story-was the star in the sky or on the ground….can we really catch a star?
The children will learn that stars come out at night, are very hot and very far away. They twinkle in the sky. We will use a flash light in a darkened corner of the room to show the concept of “shining” The children will sing the song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” suing hand motions to mimic twinkling stars.
We will then incorporate art into our lesson. We will use black paper and star stickers to create our night sky.
We could extend this lesson by watching a short animation about the night sky. I can then introduce the sun as a very big star we see during the day.
I would focus my lesson on The Planets.
We would listen to the Planet song over the course of a week. We will have a class discussion on what the children already know about the topic and create a list of question of what they would like to know.
The children will be divided into pairs. Each pair will have to design and create their planet and learn facts about it from the song. Each pair will present their planet and its facts to the class. The planets will then be displayed in order on our display wall. The children will work together to write their facts to display underneath their planet.
We will refer to our list of what we would like to know to see if all our questions have been answered.
We will have a planet quiz at the end to see what information the children gained from the topic.
Hi, I’m Dee. I teach in Kilkenny and next academic year, I will have Junior& Senior Infants and First Class.
My favourite space fact is-Footprints on the moon will last for millions of years:)
One effective enquiry based activity I would use in the classroom to explore space is a “What would it be like to live on the Moon” investigation.
I would begin by showing a short video or picture book about astronauts and the moon, then pose the question-“Could we live on the moon?”
Children would work in small groups to explore this using simple resources like toy astraunauts, moon surface models(sand, foil, rocks) and pictures of spoace habitats.
We would discuss what humans need to live-air, food, water… and whether the moon can provide these.
Children could record their ideas through drawings. This activity encourages curiosity, observation and teamwork, while developing early science skills such as asking questions, predicting and drawing conclusions. It also integrates literacy, oral work and creativity.
