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Hi Niamh, this fun fact is popular on the forum and yet not so well known. It grabs people’s attention once they see it. Imagining how you’d protect yourself from raining diamonds offers the possibility for the kids to think about not only umbrellas, but houses and bikes and cars. In fact life would be very different if it rained super-hard diamonds on Earth!
Hi Louise, welcome to the forum. Your fun fact underscores that whenever we look up at sky we’re looking as things were some time ago, as you say. The farthest object we can see without a telescope is so far that it took light over 2 million years to reach us! That’s the Andromeda Galaxy, our nearest big galactic neighbour. It’s fun to imagine what the Earth was like 2 million years ago when that light set out on its journey.
Hi Dee, this is a lovely class. You can get some images of the Earth at night from https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Earth_from_Space_Night_lights.
The nighttime earth looks pretty, but really we’re seeing light pollution from space. You can ask you class if they think it’s easier to see stars from a well lit city or a rural location and link their thoughts to the view from space.
Hi Shauna, welcome to the friendly forum where prior knowledge of, or confidence in using space in the classroom is definitely not needed. So you’ve come to the right place! There’s a huge range of experiences already shared by other teachers that you’ll find really helpful. And some great fun space facts that spark ideas.
Hi Shauna, welcome to the friendly forum where prior knowledge of, or confidence in using space in the classroom is definitely not needed. So you’ve come to the right place! There’s a huge range of experiences already shared by other teachers that you’ll find really helpful. And some great fun space facts that spark ideas.
And maybe ask the kids how they think the aliens would engage with the polar bear and the penguins. They could think imaginatively about whether the aliens could cope as well as them in the cold. This might open a chat and exploration about how polar bears and penguins survive – and would the aliens?!
Hi Lauren, you’re absolutely on point when you mention that teachers and students get more out of a lesson when it’s inquiry-based. I particularly like your comment about “instead of giving them the answers ….”
Hi Emer, welcome and thanks for the fun fact which, as you’ll see if you look back on the forum, has implications for how we’d communicate on airless worlds like the Moon (or Mercury). I also like your lesson plan – it allows for discussion, exploration, creative stories or drawings, etc.
Welcome to the forum Clodagh. A great new fun space fact! So Mercury goes around the Sun faster than it spins on its axis. A year on Mercury is about 88 earth days, so very short compared to Earth’s 365 days. A day on Mercury is 176 days from sunrise to sunset to sunrise. How do the kids think this would affect the way they live? Could they stay awake or asleep for 176/2 = 88 days? If aliens live on Mercury would they sleep for 88 days at a time – are there any animals on Earth that sleep for 88 days or more? Lots of things to discuss!
Hi Elaine, welcome! Thanks for the fun fact. We have evolved to deal with gravity and when it’s gone our bodies change. Your example of getting taller is a great one. With the Moon being one sixth the gravity of earth, and Mars about half, you could ask the kids if they think aliens on Mars and the Moon (if they existed, and no evidence they do, at least not on these two planets) would be taller or shorter in general than people on Earth. What would happen to their spine of they came to Earth where the gravity is greater?
Hi Elaine, welcome! Thanks for the fun fact. We have evolved to deal with gravity and when it’s gone our bodies change. Your example of getting taller is a great one. With the Moon being one sixth the gravity of earth, and Mars about half, you could ask the kids if they think aliens on Mars and the Moon (if they existed, and no evidence they do, at least not on these two planets) would be taller or shorter in general than people on Earth. What would happen to their spine of they came to Earth where the gravity is greater?
Hi Elaine, welcome! Thanks for the fun fact. We have evolved to deal with gravity and when it’s gone our bodies change. Your example of getting taller is a great one. With the Moon being one sixth the gravity of earth, and Mars about half, you could ask the kids if they think aliens on Mars and the Moon (if they existed, and no evidence they do, at least not on these two planets) would be taller or shorter in general than people on Earth. What would happen to their spine of they came to Earth where the gravity is greater?
Hi Elaine, welcome! Thanks for the fun fact. We have evolved to deal with gravity and when it’s gone our bodies change. Your example of getting taller is a great one. With the Moon being one sixth the gravity of earth, and Mars about half, you could ask the kids if they think aliens on Mars and the Moon (if they existed, and no evidence they do, at least not on these two planets) would be taller or shorter in general than people on Earth. What would happen to their spine of they came to Earth where the gravity is greater?
Hi Elaine, welcome! Thanks for the fun fact. We have evolved to deal with gravity and when it’s gone our bodies change. Your example of getting taller is a great one. With the Moon being one sixth the gravity of earth, and Mars about half, you could ask the kids if they think aliens on Mars and the Moon (if they existed, and no evidence they do, at least not on these two planets) would be taller or shorter in general than people on Earth. What would happen to their spine of they came to Earth where the gravity is greater?
Hi Elaine, welcome! Thanks for the fun fact. We have evolved to deal with gravity and when it’s gone our bodies change. Your example of getting taller is a great one. With the Moon being one sixth the gravity of earth, and Mars about half, you could ask the kids if they think aliens on Mars and the Moon (if they existed, and no evidence they do, at least not on these two planets) would be taller or shorter in general than people on Earth. What would happen to their spine of they came to Earth where the gravity is greater?