Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I really enjoyed reading about this activity and it sounds like such a memorable learning experience for the children. I love that it was one of the highlights of your Space Week and that the children were still talking about it at the end of the year—that really shows the impact of hands-on, inquiry-based learning. The question prompts are a great way to spark curiosity, and I had to smile at the suggestion that rockets are powered by fairy dust! Those imaginative responses are often the best part of teaching young children. I also think it was lovely that a child made a connection to their parent being an engineer, making the learning feel personal and relevant. Giving the children the role of “Rocket Engineers” is a fantastic idea, encouraging ownership and excitement. Overall, this is a fun, engaging lesson that perfectly combines creativity, scientific thinking, and meaningful cross-curricular learning.
The Rocket Activity is one I would love to use with a junior primary class because it combines science, creativity, and plenty of excitement. I would begin by chatting with the children about rockets and asking questions such as, “Where do rockets go?” and “What do you think helps them blast off into space?” I always enjoy hearing the imaginative ideas children come up with, as their curiosity often leads to the best discussions. The children would then design and build their own paper rockets before launching them using straws. Before each launch, they would make predictions about which rocket might travel the furthest and explain their thinking. There would no doubt be lots of cheers, laughter, and excitement as everyone watched the rockets zoom across the classroom!
Afterwards, we would compare the results and talk about ow different rocket designs changed the distance travelled. This investigation naturally encourages children to observe, predict, test, and improve their ideas like real scientists. We could link the activity with Mathematics by measuring and comparing how far each rocket travelled, and with English by reading a space-themed story or creating our own rocket adventure. Best of all, the activity shows children that science is all about exploring, asking questions, and having fun while discovering something new together.
I really enjoyed reading about this lesson and I have to say, I share your love of Oliver Jeffers! Lost and Found is such a beautiful story and a perfect way to spark children’s curiosity about penguins and cold places. I love how you’ve combined storytelling, singing, and hands-on investigations to make the learning so engaging and meaningful. The wax crayon and water experiment is a brilliant visual way for children to discover how penguins stay dry, and I’m sure they would be fascinated by watching the water roll away. I also like how you’ve extended the learning into play with small world activities and sensory exploration, giving children lots of opportunities to revisit their ideas. It’s a lovely example of inquiry-based learning that encourages children to question, investigate, and share their thinking while having plenty of fun along the way.
Taking part in the ESERO Teaching Space in Junior Classes summer course has left me feeling inspired and excited to bring a little more wonder into my classroom. The course was full of fun, practical ideas that showed how science can come alive when children are given the chance to explore, ask questions, make predictions, and discover answers for themselves. I loved how every activity encouraged curiosity and reminded me that some of the best learning happens when children are busy investigating and sharing their ideas.
I’m looking forward to weaving these activities into our Science lessons and making links with subjects such as Mathematics, English, Geography, Visual Arts, and Digital Learning. Using Seesaw to capture photos, voice recordings, and children’s observations will allow us to celebrate their learning journeys and share their exciting discoveries with families.
I would also love to work alongside my colleagues to buil a bank of enjoyable STEM activities that can be used across the school. By sharing ideas and reflecting on what works well, we can continue to develop our STEM teaching while supporting our School Self-Evaluation goals.
Above all, this course reminded me that science doesn’t have tobe complicated to be meaningful. Sometimes all it takes is a simple question, a little imagination, and a willingness to explore. I can’t wait to see where our next classroom investigation takes us and to watch the children’s curiosity grow as they discover just how exciting science can be.
I really enjoyed reading this lesson and think it is a fantastic way to combine science with creativity. Beginning with unusual animals is a brilliant hook because it helps children realise that nature can be just as amazing as their imaginations. I especially like how you encourage children to think about adaptation before designing their own Martian alien. This helps them apply their knowledge in a meaningful and engaging way rather than simply creating a character. Asking children to explain how their alien’s features help it survive is an excellent opportunity to develop scientific language and reasoning skills. Extending the activity by making models adds another hands-on element that children will love. Overall, this is a highly engaging, child-centred lesson that promotes curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking.
The Space and Aliens activity is an exciting and imaginative way to introduce junior primary children to the topic of space. I would begin by reading a story about a friendly alien who has travelled to Earth for the very first time. After the story, I would encourage the children to imagine they were the alien and ask questions such as, “What would you notice first?” or “What would you think about people, animals, and our homes?” This would promote curiosity, discussion, and the development of oral language skills while allowing every child to share their own ideas.
The learning could be extended across several curriculum areas. In Visual Arts, the children could design and create their own colourful aliens using recycled materials, developing both creativity and environmental awareness. During role play, they could become astronauts, aliens, or space explorers, working together to solve problems and invent exciting space adventures. In English, the children could describe their alien using simple words and sentences or dictate a short story about their journey through space.
To capture the learning, photographs of the children’s artwork, role-play, and discussions could be used to create a digital slideshow or class book. Revisiting these photographs would encourage children to reflect on their learning, celebrate their creativity, and share their discoveries with their families. This playful, child-centred investigation nurtures imagination, communication, collaboration, and early scientific thinking while making space exploration meaningful, engaging, and enjoyable for every child.
I really enjoyed reading your idea and think it is a fantastic way to build on the children’s interest in the Moon. Starting with The Darkest Dark is a lovely choice, as it encourages children to dream big while making space feel exciting and relatable. I particularly like how you use a simple hands-on investigation with the torch and ball to help children discover for themselves that the Moon reflects the Sun’s light rather than making its own. The open-ended questions are excellent because they encourage children to think, predict, and explain their ideas instead of simply being given the answer. This inquiry-based approach will really support curiosity and scientific thinking. It also creates lots of opportunities for rich discussion and collaborative learning. Overall, this is a creative, engaging, and age-appropriate activity that I think junior children would thoroughly enjoy while developing a deeper understanding of how our Moon shines.
The Shadows activity would be a wonderful way for junior primary children to explore how the Sun affects the world around them. I would begin by inviting the children into the playground to discover their own shadows and chat about what they notice. They could jump, stretchand wiggle while watching their shadows copy their movements before making predictions about whether their shadows might change throughout the day. Together, we would trace each child’s shadow with chalk in the morning and return later to compare how the shadows ha moved, grown longer or shorter, and changed direction. This hands-on investigation encourages children to observe, question, predict, and discuss their discoveries like young scientists. The activity also links naturally with Mathematics as children compare long and short shadows, and with English as they draw pictures and share or write simple sentences about their findings. By taking photographs throughout the day, the children could create a digital slideshow to revisit their learning, celebrate their discoveries, and share their exciting investigation with their families.
Hi, my name is serena. i teach in kildare but originally from leitrim.
One of my favourite space facts is that every star we see in the night sky is actually a giant ball of glowing gas, just like our Sun, only much farther away. I love sharing this fact with children because it always sparks their curiosity and leads to wonderful conversations. They begin asking questions about the stars, the Moon, and whether there are other planets with people or animals living on them. Their imaginations really come alive. I enjoy seeing the excitement on their faces as they realise how big and amazing our universe is. It reminds me that children are natural scientists who love to wonder, explore, and ask questions. Even something as simple as looking up at the night sky can become a meaningful learning experience. I hope to continue encouraging this sense of curiosity, as it helps children develop confidence, creativity, observation skills, and a lifelong love of discovering new things.This inquiry-based investigation provides a fun and engaging introduction to stargazing for junior pupils. The lesson successfully encourages curiosity through stories, discussion, creative art, and hands-on exploration. The constellation activity develops fine motor skills while introducing the idea that people have used patterns in the stars to tell stories for generations. Makng and decorating telescopes adds excitement and encourages imaginative play, while the bedtime stargazing activity extends learning beyond the classroom by involving families. The reflective questions promote language development, creativity, and critical thinking as children share their ideas and experiences. verall, this investigation offers a meaningful balance of science, creativity, observation, and communication, helping children develop an early appreciation of the wonders of the night sky.
I really enjoyed reading your bridge-building activity and think it is an excellent example of authentic, inquiry-based STEM learning. Using the Grattan Aqueduct as a real-life context makes the engineering challenge both meaningful and engaging for pupils. I particularly like how the investigation begins with a simple demonstration that encourages children to predict, test and understand why arches provide strength. The collaborative design process, followed by testing and evaluating their bridges, develops problem-solving, creativity and resilience. This activity also provides excellent opportunities to integrate Science, Mathematics, History and Engineering while promoting teamwork and reflective learning.
I really enjoyed reading your post and think Ernest Walton is an excellent choice of scientist to introduce to primary pupils. His achievements show children that curiosity, determination and teamwork can lead to remarkable discoveries. I particularly like how you have linked his work to practical, hands-on investigations using magnets, forces and static electricity, making scientific concepts accessible and engaging. Encouraging pupils to make predictions, carry out fair tests and present their findings using digital tools reflects authentic scientific inquiry. This approach not only develops STEM skills but also inspires children to see themselves as young scientists capable of making exciting discoveries.
Our school is not far from Navan. This provides the ideal opportunity to discuss and study Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort. He was born in Navan, Co. Meath in 1774. He left school when he was only thirteen years old to start his life at sea. He eventually became a commander in the British Navy and is famous for inventing the Wind Force Scale.
Beaufort always kept a journal of short notes on the weather at sea. In 1805 he was asked to do a survey of the waters around an area of South America. It was during this voyage that he developed the first Wind Force Scale.
The Beaufort Wind Force Scale is a way to measure and describe the wind speed at sea. His scale had thirteen points e.g. calm = (0); storm = (13). In 1838 the British Navy made Beaufort’s Wind Force Scale the standard way to measure wind at sea.
His Wind Force Scale was altered when steam ships became more popular than sailing ships. However, when there are very severe weather conditions, the weathermen today still used the Beaufort Wind Force Scale to measure the wind.In 1829, Beaufort became the head of the Hydrographic Office of the British Admiralty and planned many voyages to charter, or map, areas all around the world. e.g. Robert Fitzroy and Charles Darwin on the ship Beagle.
Many places on the world’s oceans have been named after him e.g. Beaufort Sea (part of Arctic Oceans), Beaufort Island (Antarctic) and Beaufort Inlet ( North Atlantic Ocean ). He died in 1857.
The study of Francis Beaufort would lend itself to integration with Art – wind and blow painting, Science – Making our own weather vanes, Maths – measuring wind speed, English – Research project on Sir Francis Beaufort, History – studying people and places.We have many bridges close to our school due to our proximity to the train station and the canal. As they are a constant source of curiosity for the children they are a great starting point and great topic for differentiation and expansion of STEM ideas.
I love to anchor each lesson with a story. There are two wonderful picture books called ‘Rosie Revere Engineer’ and ‘Iggy Peck Architect’. These highlight the real life transferrable skills that the children are learning also. We could extend this and pose the question, ’How did the 3 Billy Goats get across the river?’
We can move on to building a bridge!
We can use toy animals and discuss the type of bridge we need.
We can discuss types of bridges, truss, suspension, wooden bridges and cement bridges ect.
The children should work together to do research on types of bridges before they start their building. Perhaps even lending itself to a research project during ipad time.
We will then discuss how we can make our own bridge which must be strong enough to carry the toy goats over.
There is ample opportunity for discussionabout constructing of these bridges. How much will we need /how many pillars do we need. Around what length/height /width etc.
Estimation and guessing will play a big role here as will be applying and problem solving.
Reasoning and explaining will be how they formulate their plan
Implementing and carrying out their plan will be the final result,They can then present their plan to the class.
I know already they will have so much fun!I really enjoyed reading about your whole-school biodiversity project and think focusing on birds is a wonderful idea. It provides children with meaningful opportunities to connect with nature throughout the year while developing a sense of responsibility for their local environment. I particularly like how you have integrated the project across so many curriculum areas, making learning both purposeful and engaging. The combination of outdoor observations, data collection, STEM activities and creative tasks ensures pupils develop a wide range of skills. This project is an excellent example of inquiry-based, cross-curricular learning that will have a lasting impact on children’s environmental awareness and appreciation of biodiversity.
