[Michelle Carr]

Hi Megan, I really like your idea. The balloon rocket is a fun way to get the children interested and it is nice that they can decorate their rockets too. It makes the activity both creative and exciting for them.

Thanks, Michelle.

 

[Michelle Carr]

Hi, I have created this resource with a senior infant class in mind.

We will begin by reading the book The Dinosaur That Pooped the Planet by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter. This is a funny and exciting story that children really enjoy, and it helps to introduce rockets and space in a playful way.

After reading, I will talk with the children about the rocket in the story. I will ask them to imagine what it might be like if they could go inside a rocket themselves. What would they see? What sounds would they hear? What might happen on their own space trip?

For the activity, each child will create their own simple story of a rocket adventure. They can draw three pictures to show what happens first, what happens next, and what happens at the end. This will help them share their ideas and practise telling a story, just like in the book.

Thanks Michelle.

[Michelle Carr]

Hi Grace, I really like your ideas about using Stellarium in the classroom. I like how it makes the day and night sky visual and interactive for young learners, and how you connect it with STEM and other subjects. Thanks, Michelle.

[Michelle Carr]

Hi, the activity that I’m going to use is about animals in the cold. I have created this activity with a senior infant class in mind. To start off, I am going to use a story as a stimulus to help children understand animals in the cold. The story I have chosen is The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins, which shows how emperor penguins survive in icy places and how the father penguin keeps the egg safe on his feet.

After the story, we will chat about what penguins need to stay warm and how we keep warm with coats, hats, and scarves.

Then we will play a movement game: waddling like penguins, flapping wings, and balancing a pretend egg on our feet just like in the story.

For the hands-on activity, we will use simple shapes to make penguins—big circles for bodies, small circles for heads, ovals for wings, and a triangle for the beak—glued together to form a penguin family with a paper egg at the parent’s feet. We will share our penguins and remember how animals stay safe in the cold.

Thanks, Michelle.

[Michelle Carr]

Hi Claire, I really like your idea about the planets because using a song makes it easy for the children to remember their names and creating aliens with playdough is a fun way for them to use their imagination.

 

Thanks,

Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi, the activity set I have chosen is Stars, with a senior infant class in mind. In my classroom I will use the picture book Bringing Down the Moon by Jonathan Emmett as the starting point. I will begin by showing the cover to the children and asking them what they see. I will ask them to guess what the story might be about before we read it together.

I will then read the story aloud. As I read, I will stop and ask simple questions such as “Why does the mole want the moon?” or “Do you think he can really catch it?” This will help the children to think about the story and share their ideas. After we finish, I will talk with the children about the night sky. We will think about what we can see when we look up, such as stars and the moon.

To end the activity, the children will make their own star pictures using dark paper and crayons. They will then show their work and say one wish they would make if they could catch a star.

Thanks,
Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi Niamh, I like your idea. Your activity is about using The Planet Song and The Planets activity with the children. I like how you use music and movement to help them remember the order of the planets. I also like the way you finish with a quiz because it makes the learning fun.

Thank you, Michelle.

[Michelle Carr]

Hi, with senior infants in mind, I envisage this session to take place over a couple of weeks. I want to help the children begin to understand that the world is round like a ball. To begin, I would use a simple story such as Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney. This book shows a child finding their place in the world step by step, starting with a room, then a house, then a street, and finally the Earth. I would read it slowly, showing the pictures, and ask the children what shape the Earth is in the story.

Next, I would bring out a globe so the children can hold it and see the land and sea. I would ask questions like can you find the blue parts or where do you think we live. Over the weeks, we could return to the story and the globe to build understanding and confidence.

Finally, I would let the children draw the Earth as a circle and colour it. This helps them remember that the Earth is round and links back to the story.

Thanks, Michelle.

[Michelle Carr]

Hi Damien, I like your activity because it is very fun and interactive. I also like how it encourages children to share their own ideas.

 

Thanks, Michelle

 

[Michelle Carr]

Hi, I have created this resource with senior infants in mind.

Reflection
One inquiry-based activity I would use with my senior infants is based on the book The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield. It is a story about a little boy who dreams of becoming an astronaut. I would read the book to the class and show the pictures. I would stop sometimes to talk about the stars, the moon and space. After reading, I would ask the children what they wonder about space. We would write their questions on our Space Wonder Wall. Some children might ask how hot the Sun is or what it would be like to float in space. We could look at pictures of the Sun, watch a short video and use balls to show how big the Sun is compared to Earth. This activity would help the children be curious, ask questions and learn more about space in a fun way.

Thanks, Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi, my name is Michelle. I will be teaching senior infants this year. This will be my second year teaching them. Did you know that a day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus?

Thanks,
Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi Rachel,

 

I really liked your idea of making actions with the children for Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. It sounds like a fun way to help the children remember the song. I also liked how you used Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night for art lessons. Looking at famous pictures like that can help children enjoy art and learn about the night sky.

 

Thanks, Michelle.

 

[Michelle Carr]

Hi, I am doing this with senior infants in mind, that I will be teaching in September. I would start this lesson with the book “Owl Moon” by Jane Yolen. It tells the story of a child and their parent going for a walk at night to look for an owl, and it has beautiful pictures of the night sky. We would read the story together and talk about what the sky looks like in the pictures – the stars, the moon, the darkness. Then I would show a photo of a real Dark Sky Place, where there are no bright lights at night. I would explain that these places help us see the stars more clearly. The children would work in small groups to design their own Dark Sky Place. They could draw it with crayons, thinking about what they would keep (trees, animals, stars) and what they would remove (streetlights, bright signs). To end the lesson, we would share our ideas and talk about how we could keep our skies dark. This lesson would take place over a number of weeks.

Thanks, Michelle.

[Michelle Carr]

Hi Rachel, I really like your idea because of the nature photo quiz. It’s such a fun way to get the children interested right from the start.

Thanks,
Michelle

[Michelle Carr]

Hi, I have created this resource with a Senior Infant class in mind, a class I will be teaching in September. I might start such a lesson by introducing the children to a picture book called The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield. We would look carefully at the pictures and talk about what animals might come out at night – like bats, owls, moths, or even foxes – and how they need the dark to find food and stay safe.

As our school is situated beside a local park, I might show a photograph of the park at night-time, first when the lights are on and then when the lights aren’t on. We would compare them, asking questions like “Which one would be better for an owl?” or “Where would a bat like to fly?” The children could then draw their own pictures of nighttime animals in light and dark places, and we could think together about what this means for our local area and what we might do to help.

Thanks,
Michelle

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