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I have also done ‘my home’ with the children in my class but I love your idea of using Lego to recreate their homes. They could even do this after looking at an arial image of their house on google maps.
I would introduce a seasonal clothing activity for Junior Infants as part of their hands- on classroom themed activities, children would identify the four seasons and match different items of clothing to the appropriate weather conditions. They can then discuss their choices and record daily weather on a class chart before deciding what clothing would match different weather conditions. We could also add in the ‘Investigating children’s coats’ investigation on the sfi.ie website. These activities would develop STEM skills through observation, classification, prediction, and simple data collection while helping children understand relationships between weather, seasons, and everyday life.
Using the “Where Do You Live?”<b> </b>classroom activity pack would provide an engaging introduction to STEM by connecting the children’s learning to real-life experiences. Children can explore different homes and habitats, compare where people and animals live, use maps to locate places, and discuss how climate influences different environments. This activity integrates science, geography, mathematics, and literacy.
As part of a STEM-focused School Self-Evaluation (SSE), I would encourage collaborative, inquiry-based learning and incorporate digital tools such as weather apps. Children can also design weather-appropriate outfits using art materials. Reflection on pupil engagement, assessment evidence, and cross-curricular learning would help evaluate the effectiveness of these activities and identify areas for future improvement
Hi Kate, I love your idea of using Twinkle Twinkle little star to engage the children. It is a song that they are comfortable and familiar with but they can start to explore it from a different angle.
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>Children will learn that space is made up of stars and planets, discover that some planets are far away from our Solar System (called exoplanets), and use their imagination to create a friendly alien.</p>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>Intro-</p>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>Show the children pictures of planets and stars and explain that we live on a planet called Earth. Earth is part of our Solar System. There are lots of other planets far away around different stars. These are called exoplanets. An exoplanet is simply a planet that is outside our own Solar System. They are so far away that we cannot visit them. Questions to ask to elicit meaningful conversation: Have you ever looked at the stars in the night sky? Did you know some stars have their own planets too? What do you think those faraway planets might be like? Do you think other beings could live there?</p>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>Activity-</p>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>Discuss stars, planets and exoplanets. Invite children to imagine a friendly alien that might live on a make-believe exoplanet. They can draw their alien and the planet where it lives, thinking about its colours, plants or weather. Children can show their aliens and planets to each other and describe what their alien of planet are like.</p>Hi Aideen, I love the idea of using play dough. This could be used not only for the moon but the earth and sun also.
Activity set- The sun and the shadows
Children will explore how the Sun creates shadows and observe that shadows change depending on where the light shines.
I will start by reading ‘The sun Thief’ by Alice Hemming to the class. Pausing during the story to discuss the missing Sun and ask questions such as: What happens when the Sun disappears? Have you ever noticed your own shadow? When do we see shadows?
I will then pull down the blinds in the classroom and use a torch to shine on a toy or object. Allow children to observe the shadow and move the object closer to and farther from the light. I will ask questions like: What happened to the shadow? Why did the shadow get bigger or smaller? What happens when the light moves?
The children will then experiment in small groups with different objects and torches.
Afterwards we will discuss what the children have noticed. I will ask the following questions to steer the discussion in the right direction: What made the shadow appear? Did every object make a shadow? How did the shadow change?
I will explain that shadows are made when an object blocks light from the Sun or another light source.Hi Eleanor, I think your ideas are great and really age appropriate for junior infants. I like your idea of starting with a story. I find stories great for drawing the children in and engaging their interest from the get go.
Hi My name is Kathryn, my favourite space fact is that on certain planets it rains diamonds. I teach Junior Infants so I would also teach a floating and sinking experiment.
Children can explore which objects float and sink by making predictions, testing objects in water, and discussing their findings.
Materials needed:
Container of water
Objects to test
Float/Sink sorting chart (possible cut and stick activity)Intro-
Show the children the objects and ask them to predict whether each one will float or sink. Record predictions on the class chart. Ask inquiry question (Why do some objects float while some sink?)Investigation-
Children take turns choosing an object, predicting the outcome, placing it in the water, and observing what happens. Sort each object into the Float or Sink group. Encourage the use of words such as float, sink, predict, and observe.Discussion-
Discuss results:
Which objects floated?
Which objects sank?
Were your predictions correct?
Did anything surprise you?
Explain that an object’s weight does not always determine whether it floats or sinks.