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Junior Infants Space Week Action Plan
Space Week will provide opportunities for children to develop curiosity, observation and scientific thinking through play-based, hands-on learning. Using resources from SpaceWeek.ie, the class will explore space across the curriculum. Each day will begin with a short “Space Fact” and a story to introduce the theme.Children will investigate the Sun, Moon and stars using the Stellarium night-sky simulator and observe changes between day and night. They will complete simple inquiry activities from the Sun and Shadows resource by exploring how shadows change during the day. Using the Mission to the Moon and Mars resources, children will design rockets, Moon homes and imaginary Martian creatures, discussing how their features help them survive. Creative activities will include constellation art, Moon painting and space-themed construction during Aistear. Literacy and numeracy will be integrated through space stories, counting planets, shape hunts and sequencing activities. The week will conclude with a “Space Explorer Showcase”, where children share their artwork, models and learning with another class or families.
Ooh I like the look of Mousetronaut to link in with the Rocket Mouse. I’ve never used the rocket mouse with infants before and I’m dying to have a go next year, they’ll love it!
Lesson for Infants: Exploring the Night Sky with Stellarium
Begin by reading Look Up! by Nathan Bryon. Discuss how Rocket loves looking at the stars and ask the children what they notice in the sky at night. Using Stellarium, project the night sky and help the children observe the Moon, bright stars and simple constellations. Encourage them to describe what they see using words such as bright, round, dark and sparkly. Explain that stars are very far away and that the Moon shines because it reflects the Sun’s light.
Compare the daytime and night-time sky by asking children to identify what changes. Invite the class to imagine they are astronauts looking up from Earth.
As a follow-up, children create a picture of the night sky showing the Moon and stars they observed. Finish with a class discussion about their observations.
This lesson could be done in tandem with the lots and lots of stars lesson from Module 3.
This sounds great, the children would have such fun moving from room to room in their spacecrafts. They love days out of the norm, a great idea.
Lesson: Designing a Martian Alien
Show the children pictures of amazing animals such as an octopus, chameleon, axolotl and anglerfish. Ask, “Do these look like aliens?” Explain that although they look unusual, they are real animals. Talk about how each one has special features that help it live in its habitat. This is called adaptation.Next, recall with the children previous learned facts about Mars. Mars is a cold, rocky planet with lots of dust. There is very little air and no lakes or rivers. Ask, “What kind of creature could live on Mars?”
Children draw their own Martian alien and give it features to help it survive, such as thick fur to keep warm, big feet for walking on rocks, or large eyes to see in dusty weather. Encourage each child to explain how one feature helps their alien live on Mars. Extend by making their own model of their creation.
I have done something very similar to this lesson with a 2nd class and after designing and making the Alien model we used it as a main character for a story. For infants this could be done orally whereby the children work with other children on their table to create a story using all their characters.
Science Lesson: Craters and the Moon (Junior Infants)
Engage: Dim the classroom lights and uncover a glowing “Moon Rock” (a torch hidden under a white cloth beside a large picture of the Moon). Tell the children that it has arrived from a space explorer who wants their help solving a mystery: “Why is the Moon covered in holes?” Invite them to closely observe the Moon picture and share what they notice.Investigate: Provide trays filled with flour topped with cocoa powder. Children gently drop different-sized stones or marbles into the trays to create craters. Encourage them to observe how the craters change when they use larger or smaller “space rocks.” Compare their crater patterns with photographs of the Moon.
Take the Next Step: Ask children why they think the Moon has so many craters while Earth has fewer visible ones. Encourage them to draw and label their own crater-filled Moon.
My class would love this, they love to create in junk art and rockets are always a hit! Links in well with 3D shapes and using STEM and the Arts.
Science Lesson: Floating and Sinking (Junior Infants)
Engage: Begin by revealing a small “mystery treasure chest” containing everyday objects (coin, feather, sponge, toy car, cork). Ask the children, “Which of these do you think will float or sink?” Encourage predictions and curiosity before showing a bowl of water.Investigate: In small groups, children test each object by placing it in the water. They observe what happens and sort the objects into “float” and “sink” groups. Prompt discussion with questions such as, “What do you notice?” and “Were any results surprising?”
Take the Next Step: Challenge children to find another classroom object they think will float or sink. They predict, test, and compare their findings with classmates, discussing similarities and differences.
Reflect: Gather together to share discoveries. Ask, “What did you learn today?”, “Did any object surprise you?” and “What would you like to investigate next?” Reinforce that scientists ask questions, make predictions, test ideas, and learn from their observations.