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STEM Lesson: Dancing Raisins
Aim: To explore how gas can make objects move.
Materials: Clear glass, water, sparkling water, raisins.
Ask the children: What do you think will happen when we put raisins into sparkling water?
Fill the glass with sparkling water. Drop in a few raisins. Watch carefully as the raisins move up and down like they are dancing.
Talk about what happened. Tiny bubbles of gas stick to the raisins and lift them to the top. When the bubbles pop, the raisins sink again. This happens over and over.
Ask simple questions:
What did you see?
Did the raisins float or sink?
Why do you think they moved?
STEM Learning:Science: Gas bubbles can make objects float.
Technology: We use a clear glass to observe.
Engineering: Think of another object to test.
Maths: Count how many times a raisin reaches the top in one minute.I look forward to using these resources too, especially Stellarium. I think my class would love these resources
STEM Lesson: Animals in the Cold (Junior Infants)
Learning Goal: We will learn how some animals stay warm in cold places.
Show pictures of a polar bear, penguin, and seal. Ask: “What do you notice? Where do they live? How do they keep warm?”
Give each child a small ice cube wrapped in different materials (paper, foil, fabric, or bubble wrap). Ask them to guess which material will keep the ice cold for the longest time. Wait 5–10 minutes, then check the ice together.
Talk about how thick fur, feathers, and fat help animals stay warm, just like the materials helped the ice.
Children build a warm shelter for a toy penguin or polar bear using blocks, paper, or recycled materials. Test the shelters with a fan to make “cold wind.”
Finish by asking: “Which shelter worked best? Why?” Encourage children to draw their animal and say one way it stays warm.
Yes, Aliens Love Underpants is a great way to begin these lessons. I was trying to think of a good book to open my lesson and this is perfect. Thanks for sharing
Junior Infants Lesson (may take up to three lessons to complete): Aliens and Alien Worlds
The children willTalk about what an alien might look like.
Talk about what an alien landscape might look like
Create an alien landscape.
Compare the alien world to the environment around our school.
Use simple words to describe what they see.Introduction
Show the children a picture of space.Ask:
Have you ever seen a picture of an alien?
What do you think an alien looks like?
Where do aliens live?
Do you think their world looks like ours?
Tell the children:
“Today we are going to imagine an alien world. We will make our own alien and create a place where it lives.”Activity 1: Create an Alien
Ask the children to make their own alien.Encourage them to think about:
How many eyes does it have?
How many arms or legs?
What colour is it?
Does it have wings, horns, or antennas?
Is it friendly?
The children draw, colour, or use collage materials to create their alien.When finished, ask each child:
What is your alien’s name?
What does it like to do?
Where does it live?Activity 2: Create an Alien Landscape
Explain:
“Now we are going to make the place where our alien lives.”The children draw or paint an alien landscape.
Ideas:
Purple grass
Blue trees
Giant flowers
Two suns
Floating rocks
Colourful mountains
Strange rivers
Funny houses
Encourage lots of imagination.Activity 3: Compare with Our School
Look at the children’s pictures.Then talk about the school environment.
Ask:
What can we see outside our school?
Do we have trees?
Do we have grass?
Do we have flowers?
Do we have mountains?
Is our sky one colour?
Do we have two suns?
Draw a simple comparison together.Alien World
Our School
Purple grass
Green grass
Two suns
One sun
Blue trees
Green trees
Funny plants
Real flowers
Strange rocks
Paths and playground
Explain:
“Our school is a real place. The alien world is imaginary. Some things are the same and some things are different.”Extension Activity
Take the class outside for a short walk around the school.Ask:
What colours can you see?
What plants can you see?
Could an alien live here?
What would you change to make it look like an alien world?
The children can add one imaginary alien feature to a drawing of the school, such as rainbow trees, floating playground equipment, or glowing flowers.This is a lovely lesson. It is very hands on with using the torches. I’m sure the children will have lots of fun exploring different shaddows
Junior Infants Lesson: The Moon
Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson, the children will:Know that the Moon is in the sky.
Describe what the Moon looks like.
Share their own ideas about the Moon.Ask:
Have you seen the Moon?
When do we usually see it?
What shape is it today?Explain:
The Moon is a big round rock in space.
It does not make its own light. It shines because the Sun lights it up.
Discuss what the moon looks like?
Talk about the Moon using simple language.The Moon is grey and rocky.
It has lots of holes called craters.
Sometimes it looks round.
Sometimes it looks like a crescent or half-moon.
The Moon changes shape because we see different parts of it.
Show different pictures of the Moon’s shapes.The Man on the Moon
Explain:Long ago, people looked at the moon and thought they could see the shape of a face.
Some people called this “The Man on the Moon.”
It is not really a man.
The dark and light parts of the Moon make shapes that people imagine.
Ask:Can you see a face?
What else can you imagine when you look at the Moon?
Explain that everyone may see something different.What do you think you can see on the Moon?
Has anyone in your family told you a story about the Moon?Art Activity
The children create their own Moon picture.They can:
Colour a big Moon.
Add craters.
Draw what they imagine they can see on the Moon.
Share their picture with the class.Ask the children:
What colour is the Moon?
What are the holes on the Moon called?
Is the Man on the Moon real?Finish the lesson with questioning about what the children learned about the moon
This is a lovely lesson Sinead. I like the use of torches in the lesson. The children would love to do this.
Floating and Sinking (Junior Infants)
I would use an inquiry-based activity to help children learn about floating and sinking through play and exploration.
I would begin by showing the children different objects, such as a cork, spoon, leaf, toy car and stone.
I would ask simple questions like:What do you think will happen?
Will it float or sink?
Why do you think that?I would encourage every child to make a prediction before testing the objects.
The children would work in small groups and place each object into a tub of water.
I would give the children time to observe what happens and talk about their ideas with each other.
I would ask more questions during the activity, such as:What did you notice?
Were you surprised?
Can you find another object that might float?
I would encourage children to explain their thinking instead of just giving the correct answer.
I would support children who need extra help by asking simple questions and giving them time to think.
I would praise children’s curiosity, effort and teamwork throughout the activity.
Reflection
I think this activity would be fun and engaging for Junior Infants.
The children would learn by doing, rather than just listening.
They would develop important skills like predicting, observing, questioning and talking about their ideas.
The activity would help build confidence because every child can share their own thoughts.
Working in groups would help children learn to take turns and listen to others.
I would learn about the children’s understanding by listening to their ideas and questions.
Next time, I could extend the activity by asking the children to collect their own objects from the classroom to test or by creating a simple chart showing which objects floated and which objects sank.
Overall, I think inquiry-based learning is a great way to make science enjoyable, meaningful and suitable for young children.