Space and Universe

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

Space Concepts:

up, down; in, out; under, over; beside, behind, in front of; high, low; small, large; wide, narrow; etc.

Weather on earth:

seasons, clouds, shadows, rain, snow, hail, sleet, thunder and lightning, etc.

The Solar System:

earth, sun, moon, day and night, stars in the sky, planets etc.

Rockets:

fuel, dials, radios, astronauts, space suits, flaoting in space, experiments, etc.

SETTING THE MOOD

Books:

stories of seasons, daytime and night-time, stories on shadows, clouds, imaginary space travel, picture books of the moon and it's craters, books about astronauts and rocketships, etc.

Displays:

set-up a representation of the planets going around the sun

• three-diamentional (using hanging balls to represent the various planets and the sun) or
• two-diamentionally (using black construction paper for the background and cutting out the various planets from coloured paper and glueing them on).,

displays of various seasons,

displays of miniture rocket ships and space stations,

get children to help you build a life-sized robot from shoe boxes and other boxes covered in tin-foil.

Have a globe for children to visualize the earth.

Posters:

space pictures, planets, the moon and various star formations (ie. the big dipper, orion's belt, etc.)

Rocket ships and Space Stations

Pictures depicting the seasons and earth from space (weather maps, satellite pictures)

Videos/ Speakers:

Talk to Weather persons, Air Traffic Controlers, Armed Forces Personnel, Astronauts, Astronomers, Physicists, Rocket Hobbiests.

Visit as a group: planetariums, observatories, someone with a telescope, areospace museums, a weather office or an airport.

See films on space, astronauts, planets stars, etc.