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We did our first Space week in school this year and It was a great success. However we moved it later on in the school year due to its proximity to maths week. Here is how I would organise a week of work to mark Space Week in the classroom.
Monday -Introduce space using a picture book and a whole class discussion. Create a space interest table with toy rockets, tin foil planets, books, and astronaut photographs. Children draw what they think space looks like.Tuesday- Learn about the Sun, Moon, and stars. Sort pictures into day and night groups, and do the experiment about daylight/nightime using a torch and a globe.Wednesay- learn about astronauts and space travel. Watch a short clip on the moon landing, do a countdown to integrate with maths, and complete an astronaut obstacle course involving crawling, balancing, jumping, and slow-motion walking.
Thursday- Explore the planets through sensory and art activities. Compare planet sizes, create playdough planets, and build rockets from blocks or recycled materials. Children design their own alien.
Friday- Review our weeks works. Finish with a nice art activity like 2d shape aliens or rockets. Conclude the week with a story on Space.The timing of it would work so well with the Halloween hype starting around then too. It would integrate very well given the time of year.
To start the lesson I would give the children a bag containing a winter coat, T-shirt, hat, scarf, gloves and shorts- various clothing related to Summer and Winter. I would let them feel and name each item. Elicit from the children through questioning: “Which clothes keep us warm?” and “What might we wear on a hot day?” Explain that we will investigate which materials are best for hot and cold weather.
I would then divide the children into groups and provide different clothing materials, such as wool, cotton, fleece and waterproof fabric. Elicit the words thick, thin, soft and rough through questioning. The next thing I would do with careful supervision is have bottles containing some warm water and cold water. We would wrap the bottles in the various materials and discuss which materials worked to keep the bottle warm. As a nice final activity we would practice motor skill by cutting out pictures of various items of clothing and gluing them in the right section- winter vs summer clothes.I would arrange the children in a circle time approach and show them a picture of space. Ask, “What might we see in space?” Introduce the Sun, Moon, stars, planets, astronauts, and aliens. Explain that the class will become explorers. We would Practise a countdown from ten before blasting off.
We would then read a colourful space story with aliens. After We would move to three activity stations. At the first station, children make aliens using playdough, googly eyes, and various materials. At the next station, they build rockets from blocks or recycled boxes. At the third, they sort foil meteorites (tinfoil) by size and count them. I would ask the children to describe their aliens, rockets, and imagined planets. There would also be a movement activity where children walk slowly like astronauts, jump over craters, and freeze when a meteor passes. To finish off the lesson We would Return to the circle and children could share their creations and one new fact they have learned about space/aliens Finish a countdown back to earth and sing the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.Completely agree you could do this over a couple of weeks as there is alot of content but children would love it.
I would choose the Sun and the Shadows from the above list.
First of all, I Would ask the children about what they know about the sun and their shadow. We could go outside and look for shadows. Children could trace another childs’ shadow as a warm up activity. We would move around the yard and notice how shadows change in size and shape. We would predict why this happens. Back inside, we would take a closer look at shadows by using a torch and toys to show what happens when you block out light. The children would work in groups using torches and various objects and move closer and further away to see how the shadow changes. As a fun conclusion to the lesson we would play a game of Shadow detectives. There would be different pictures of objects and and their shadows and the children would form a matching pair.Agree completely the children I had this year were moon obsessed so it is such a fantastic topic to be able to teach.
My favourite space fact is that a day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus.
I think a playful, hands on approach when teaching space to infants would encourage curiosity and engagement. I would begin by using a story book about space maybe “Back to Earth with a bump” to stimulate interest in the topic.
I have used the very simple but effective torch and globe experiment with previous Infant classes to teach about the difference between night and day. I ask the children do they have any relatives in other countries like Australia and talk about the time difference. Using a torch to represent the sun and a globe to represent the Earth I would rotate the globe to show that the side facing the sun is daylight and the other side is nighttime. The children really enjoy this experiment and I give them opportunities to use the torch and the globe. It is a great way to help children understand an abstract topic.Hi, I’m Rachael and teaching in Senior Infants in September. Space is such a fascinating topic and I cannot wait to futher expand my knowledge of how best to teach it.
Carrie I think that’s a great idea about putting emphasis on reducing packaging and plastic in lunches. I think by getting the children involved it gives them autonomy and responsibility and is also a fantastic way to keep sustainability an active topic in the classroom.
Reflecting on sustainability has encouraged me to think about how even young children can develop habits that help care for the environment. In a Senior Infants classroom, sustainability should be introduced through simple, practical activities that children can relate to in their everyday lives. By focusing on small actions, children begin to understand that everyone has a role to play in protecting our planet.
In my classroom, I would encourage children to reduce waste by using both sides of paper for art activities, recycling materials correctly and reusing everyday items in our Aistear and construction areas. We could collect cardboard boxes, bottle tops and containers for creative play instead of throwing them away. Children could also take responsibility for turning off lights, closing doors to keep the classroom warm and reminding one another to save water by turning off taps properly after washing their hands.
To promote sustainability further, we could plant flowers, herbs or vegetables in the school garden or in small pots, helping children understand how plants grow and why they are important for wildlife. Nature walks around the school grounds would encourage children to observe insects, birds and plants while learning how to respect their local environment. We could also organise a classroom litter pick and discuss why it is important to keep our school and community clean.
Healthy and sustainable food choices can also be introduced by encouraging waste-free lunches, reusable water bottles and lunchboxes, and discussing foods that are produced locally, including Irish fruit, vegetables and seafood. Linking these ideas to the Food Pyramid helps children understand that looking after ourselves and looking after the environment often go hand in hand.
Overall, I think this module has highlighted that sustainability can become part of everyday classroom life rather than being taught as a standalone topic. small actions can make a positive difference.Jessica I’m also an infant teacher. I really like the concept of using the food pyramid with the infants . I think it would be nice to play a food sorting game with toy foods, laminated food pictures or empty food packaging. The children could sort the foods into the Food Pyramid groups: fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, dairy, protein foods (including fish), and foods high in fat, sugar and salt. This is active learning and rich in discussion and oral language.
Learning about the nutritional benefits of seafood has helped me appreciate how important it is to introduce healthy eating habits from an early age. Seafood is an excellent source of protein, vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids, which support children’s brain development, healthy growth and overall wellbeing. As a teacher of Senior Infants, I believe this knowledge can be shared with young children in a fun, practical and age-appropriate way.
In my classroom, I would introduce the topic through the theme of “Healthy Foods from the Sea.” We could begin by discussing different types of seafood that children may already know, such as salmon, cod, prawns and mussels. Using stories, songs and picture books, the children could learn where seafood comes from and why it is good for our bodies. We could sort foods into healthy and everyday food groups, create colourful paper plate healthy meals and talk about how eating a variety of foods helps us grow strong and stay healthy.
To make the learning more interactive, I would include hands-on activities such as matching seafood to the animals they come from, exploring shells and sea creatures in the play area, and creating simple art projects based on marine life. Children could also taste different seafood products, where appropriate and with parental permission, encouraging them to try new foods and discuss their likes and dislikes.
This topic also provides valuable opportunities for integration across the Primary Curriculum. In Science, children can explore living things and marine habitats. In Geography, they can learn that Ireland is surrounded by the sea and that many coastal communities rely on fishing and aquaculture. In SPHE, discussions can focus on making healthy food choices and caring for our bodies. Literacy and oral language can be developed through stories, vocabulary games and class discussions about healthy eating.
I agree Cathy regarding the clean up activity. I’m teaching senior infants and I think this would be a great way to engage them and capture their interest. There’s also so much scope for integration with an activity like this as well as active learning and hands on approach. This is something I will definitely do with my class in September to build momentum for further lessons.
