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Hi Juliette, thanks for sharing all these great ideas for Space week. I think the pupils would love learning all about space and there are so many great ideas in both the forum and this module. I love the idea you suggest of dropping different items into flour to create craters.
I would use the Rocket Mouse activity with my Senior Infant class as part of a Space theme. It is a fun and engaging way to introduce STEM through hands-on learning and investigation.
Engage:
To begin the lesson, I would read the story Aliens Love Underpants. The children always enjoy this story and it is a great way to introduce the topic of space. We would talk about rockets, astronauts and how rockets travel into space. I would encourage the children to share what they already know and what they would like to find out.Investigate:
The children would work in small groups to create and launch their Rocket Mouse. Before launching it, they would predict how far it might travel. After each launch, we would discuss what happened and encourage the children to think about why the mouse travelled the way it did. They could make small changes and test it again.Take the Next Step:
The children could measure how far the Rocket Mouse travelled using cubes or footsteps and compare their results. They could also draw or write about what they discovered.Reflection:
This activity encourages curiosity, teamwork and problem-solving. It gives children the opportunity to investigate, test their ideas and learn that making changes and trying again are an important part of STEM learning.Hi Michelle, this sounds like a lovely lesson and it seems that the children in the hospital are very lucky to have a teacher like you working with them. I think the children would love exploring the different materials and exploring which ones are warm and which ones are waterproof.
I would use these hands-on activities with my Senior Infant class as part of a STEM topic on homes and weather. The activities are fun, practical and encourage children to learn by exploring and asking questions.
I would start with Where Do You Live? (ESERO 5) by talking about different types of homes around the world and comparing them with our own homes. The children could build houses using blocks or recycled materials and discuss why homes are different in different places.
The Animals in the Cold (ESERO 7) activity would help children learn how animals stay warm. We could sort animals by habitat and test different materials to see which keeps a toy animal warm.
With What Clothes to Wear (ESERO 11), the children could look at the weather each day and choose the best clothes to wear. This links learning to their everyday lives.
The Hot and Cold (ESERO 12) activity would allow children to explore temperature through simple experiments.
These activities support a STEM-focused SSE by encouraging more hands-on learning, developing children’s thinking skills and helping them become curious, confident learners.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Hi julienne, I really like your ideas and think they would be right up infants street. They would love making spaceships and it would be great for their imagination!</p>
I would use the Activity Set: Stars with my Senior Infant class as it is a topic that naturally captures children’s interest and curiosity. It would fit well into our SESE lessons while also linking with art, oral language and play-based learning.
To introduce the topic, I would ask the children what they already know about stars and what they notice in the night sky. We could read a story about space and discuss why we only see stars at night. I would then use the Lots and Lots of Stars activity from ESERO, where the children can explore that there are many more stars in the sky than we can count. This would encourage observation, questioning and discussion. I really like this art activity and think the kids would love it too.
I also really like the Making the Plough activity from Science Foundation Ireland. The children could create the Plough constellation using either of the suggestions from the science foundation. I really like that there are two options, one more suitbable to younger pupils and one more suited to older classes.
This is a lovely lesson and one kids would certainly remember, it’s active and hands on and would definitely spark interest and curiosity, thanks for sharing a great idea!
I have chosen to use the Sun and Shadows activity with my Senior Infant class because it is practical and encourages children to learn through observation and discussion. Young children are naturally curious about the world around them, so I think this activity would capture their interest.
I would begin by showing pictures of the day and night sky and asking the children to describe what they notice. We would compare the two and discuss what we can see during the day and at night. I would encourage the children to use words such as bright, dark, light and cloudy. Afterwards, the children could create their own drawings or collages of the day and night sky.
To explore shadows, I would take the class outside on a sunny day. The children could look at their own shadows, compare their sizes and notice how they change when they move. We could trace each other’s shadows with chalk and return later in the day to see how they have changed. If the weather was cloudy, we would discuss why shadows are more difficult to see and reinforce that the Sun is still there behind the clouds.
I would also link this lesson with art by drawing sunny and cloudy scenes and with oral language by encouraging the children to describe their observations. I think this is an excellent inquiry-based activity because it encourages children to ask questions, make predictions and investigate for themselves while helping to correct common misconceptions about the Sun and shadows.
Hi Jill, I think this is a lovely lesson and infants would love it, anything with water is always a huge hit!
One inquiry-based activity I would use with my Senior Infants is a “What can we find in space?” investigation. I would begin by reading a simple picture book about space and asking the children what they already know and what they would like to find out. Together we would make a list of questions such as “Why does the moon change shape?”, “What are stars?” and “Can people live on other planets?”. This would encourage the children to think, ask questions and become curious about the topic.
The children would then explore different stations around the classroom. One station could have books and photographs of planets, another could include a sensory tray with moon sand and toy astronauts, while another could have simple construction materials where the children could design and build their own rockets. As they worked, I would encourage them to talk about their ideas, make predictions and explain their thinking.
I think this type of learning would really suit Senior Infants because they learn best through play and hands-on experiences. It also gives every child the opportunity to contribute, no matter what their ability level is. I like that inquiry-based learning allows children to take ownership of their learning rather than just listening to the teacher. I feel this activity would develop their language skills, teamwork, creativity and problem-solving while making learning about space exciting and memorable.
Hi I’m Yvonne, I teach Senior Infants, I’m hoping this course will give me lots of interesting space facts, as I dont know any yet!
I think collecting bottles for the rereturn scheme for a school project is a lovely idea and a simple way to gather a bit of money but also reinforcing sustainability.
Teaching in Birr, Co. Offaly, I can see many examples of sustainability in our local community. Birr Castle Demesne encourages people to appreciate nature, biodiversity and wildlife through its gardens and walking trails. There are also recycling facilities available locally, and many schools and community groups take part in clean-up days and tree planting projects. The Green Schools programme has also helped to increase awareness of reducing waste, saving energy and caring for the environment. Our school has also completed projects on biodiversity with Birr Tidy Towns.
In my classroom, I would use our local area as a starting point for learning about sustainability. I would bring the children on a nature walk around the school grounds or to Birr Castle Demesne to observe plants, insects and habitats. The children could also take part in recycling activities, grow vegetables or flowers in the school garden and carry out simple investigations on reducing waste and saving water.
I believe that using real examples from our own community helps children understand that sustainability is part of everyday life. It encourages them to take responsibility for the environment and shows them that even small actions can make a positive difference. By making learning practical and connected to their local area, pupils are more likely to develop lifelong habits that support a more sustainable future.<p style=”text-align: left;”>Hi Laura, I really like your idea of fabric and fibre healthy food plates activity. It would be a lovely way to explore healthy foods. I do think that some families might not eat much fish and people can have limited experience of eating fish other than some processed or battered fish, I know my own children are reluctant to be more adventurous when it comes to seafood!</p>