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Hi my name is Orla and I will be teaching Senior Infants in September. I had this class for junior infants so I am looking forward to teaching them again. My favourite Space fact is …There are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth. That’s at least a billion trillion!
This is how I have used an inquiry-based activity in my classroom. We have made Colourful Flowers to learn how water travels through plants. The children learn what happens to plants when they are given water. They are able to see processes like transpiration and cohesion as the water moves from the glasses up to the stem of the flowers and upwards towards the flowers. I introduce the topic with the children through picture books. Examples of these books are
1.Usborne book – How do flowers grow?
2.Step into Science – Plants by Peter Riley
I encourage the children to predict what will happen and in groups they record their findings through simple pictures to show the results of the experiment. You need 3 or 4 white flowers, food colouring in different colour, 4 glasses and water. I give a glass of water to each group. I pour food colouring into the glasses, so that each glass contains a different colour. We cut the flowers so they fit into the glasses. Then we gently place the flowers into the glasses. We then watch as the flowers begin to change colour! During this I ask the children to make predictions and also also many questions to encourage them to talk about what they are seeing and what they think is happening. The children then record what they have observed using simple pictures or sometimes I draw out flowers for them to colour in and show our results. I have also discussed how the children could make a multi-coloured flower. The children always enjoy this inquiry and they get very excited seeing the flowers change colour!
Using the idea of a Rocket in an infant classroom.
I would use the story book “Daddy on the moon” (my own four kids always loved this story !)as an introduction to our topic of Space / moon trip. Ask the children how they went to the moon in the story (Daddy on the moon) and also any other ideas of how they think we could travel to the moon. The children will then make their own Rocket ships. We would discuss how they might do this and what materials they would need. I would have previously asked the children to bring in plastic bottles etc I would also remind the children that they need to fly to the moon and also come back again! Explaining that what goes up must come down. Each child will be given the opportunity to design and decorate their own Rocket using the materials we had gathered. They would then attach string to the top of their bottle. Many questions would be asked to encourage the children to make predictions. Squeezing the bottle etc Then they would be encouraged to try it out for themselves in their own space around the classroom.
Weather and what to wear
I would start with the poem / rhyme “Whatever the weather”
After discussing the types of weather we have learnt and observed we would also recall the Seasons.
I would ask questions leading the children to discuss suitable clothes for each weather type. I would use a bag of clothes / umbrella / wellies etc and I would encourage the children to sort the clothes according to the weather they would wear them in. I would give the children blank washing lines on a sheet (4 of them and label them Summer, Spring etc) I would then get the children to record their findings and draw the suitable clothes for each season. I would also include the topic of the animals in the cold. i would give them opportunities to investigate how animals keep warm by carrying out a simple insulation experiment. They could make predictions, observe what happens and talk about their findings. the would use the materials provided.
My class last year loved bringing in their favourite teddy so I would encourage them to dress their teddy (using their own clothes) and to bring it in the school. They would then do “Show and tell” or the class could also guess what weather the other child’s bear is dressed for.
Another idea would be to give the children a blank outline of a person and ask them to draw in their clothes according to the weather or they could also use different materials to dress their person.
There are many ideas to consolidate their learning and make a super fortnight of activities. To support a STEM focused School Self-evaluation (SSE), I would reflect on how well the children engaged with the activities and collect evidence through observations, photos and samples of their work.
I would also share ideas with colleagues and continue using inquiry based STEM activities across the curriculum to help build children’s confidence, curiosity and problem solving skills.Class level: Senior Infants
Subjects : Literacy, STEM, Art, Drama
Literacy – using provided pictures ask the children to describe what they see. Encourage the children to talk abut how they think the aliens move.
Read the “Aliens wear underpants” Series
Drama / PE – Move like an alien / make up an alien dance
Meet an alien – give the children a picture of an alien and in pairs the other child would interview the alien
The children would be encouraged to ask the alien about their life(what they eat / what they do all day / how do they speak and communicate)
Art- The children can create an alien using paint / they could create aliens using clay
STEM – Create a spaceship or house for their alien using LEGO / Dulpo
they could focus on how it would move etc<p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>Aliens and Space</span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>Class level: Senior Infants </span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>Subjects: Literacy, STEM, Drama, Art</span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>Literacy</span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>Using provided pictures ask the children to describe what they see. Encourage the children to talk about how they think the aliens move.</span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>Read the “Aliens wear underpants” series</span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>Drama/Pe</span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>Move like an alien </span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>Make up an alien dance</span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>Meet an alien – give the children a picture of an alien and in pairs the other child would interview the alien</span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>The children would be encouraged to ask the alien about their life ( what they eat/ what they do all day/ how do they speak and communicate </span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>Art</span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>The children can create an alien using paint / they could create aliens using clay </span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>STEM</span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>Create a spaceship or house for their alien using Lego / duplo</span></p>
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>They could focus on how it would move etc</span></p>
I think this topic would be easily spread out over a two week block. I usually pick a theme and dip on and out of it over two / three weeks. I find it easier to cover all of the curriculum when I pick a topic and cover many subjects using it. The children love learning this way from my experience.The activities on the planets from this module gave me many practical ideas that I would like to use with primary school children. I particularly enjoyed how the activities encouraged children to explore the Solar System through hands-on learning, discussion and movement, playing games and making a complex topic much more accessible.
One activity I would like to use is the planets song. The family of the sun is a lovely approach and easy for the children to learn from it. I think this would be an excellent way to introduce the names and order of the planets in a fun and memorable way. The video is also child friendly and an engaging visual. From my teaching experience children love to sing and dance. Music is highly engaging and supports different learning styles. I would encourage the children to sing along while using actions or simple movements to represent each planet. This would help reinforce their understanding while keeping them actively involved in the lesson.To extend the learning, I would integrate art by asking the children to create their own planets using paint, collage or recycled materials. This would provide another opportunity for children to express their understanding in different ways while developing their creativity. I could also incorporate digital technology by allowing the children to explore interactive images or videos of the planets before completing their own work.
I found the ESERO planets activities to be engaging and I look forward to using the planet dance and spin a planet activities next year. They promote active learning and curiosity while supporting a range of learning needs through the use of music, movement, visual resources and hands-on experiences. I believe these activities would inspire my class to become interested in space and help them develop a strong foundation in scientific understanding.
I love this Oreo idea! I always use smarties for addition and I “sell” jellies when we are working on money. The children are always engaged when the chance of sweets is involved !
My class loved running a shop last year. I love your Space Travel Agent ! I’m going to try that with my girls. Thank you
Using the idea of a Rocket in an infant classroom.
I would use the story book “Daddy on the moon” (my own four kids always loved this story !)as an introduction to our topic of Space / moon trip. Ask the children how they went to the moon in the story (Daddy on the moon) and also any other ideas of how they think we could travel to the moon. The children will then make their own Rocket ships. We would discuss how they might do this and what materials they would need. I would have previously asked the children to bring in plastic bottles etc I would also remind the children that they need to fly to the moon and also come back again!explaining that what goes up must come down. Each child will be given the opportunity to design and decorate their own Rocket using the materials we had gathered. They would then attach string to the top of their bottle. Many questions would be asked to encourage the children to make predictions. Squeezing the bottle etc Then they would be encouraged to try it out for themselves in their own space around the classroom.
