An academic from the 成人B站 has designed a brand-new resource pack for young stargazers in schools which has been released by the British Science Association.
‘Earth and Beyond’ was designed by Senior Lecturer in Secondary Education Science Janinne Delorenzo to help children aged 3-5 discover a love of science from a young age.
It’s already in use at Worcester school Tudor Grange Primary Academy, in Perdiswell and is being rolled out to schools across the country through the Ogden Trust, which works with its partner schools to support physics education in young people.
The pack includes eight activities which introduce children to the Earth and the Moon, and include tasks like spotting a location on Google Earth, identifying the differences between our planet and its moon and learning about the night sky.
It encourages children to think about more complicated questions like how to land on the Moon, or block out light, and what it’s like to be an astronaut.
While it’s designed to be used in a classroom, it can be downloaded as a fun activity pack for families.
Each activity takes between 45 and 60 minutes to complete, and when it’s finished teachers and parents can order a certificate and badges for their budding astronomers.
The pack was developed by the Ogden Trust in partnership with the British Science Association and is part of the CREST Awards resource, which provides simple and adaptable activities which are aligned to the national curriculum.
Janinne Delorenzo said: “My aim was to create something that everybody can use and that children will enjoy. I believe all children have the potential to become scientists, and for them to have a positive experience of it at a young age can really foster a love of the subject.”
She continued: “Each activity is based on a question, and then the child works practically to answer that question.”
Janinne said: “It’s making a difference in schools already, and there are parts which the children take home and the response from families was phenomenal; we were hearing of kids going stargazing with their grandparents and it was just fantastic to hear.”
Lynsey Drake is a mum from Worcester whose son has been working on the activity pack at school and at home.
She said: “I thought it was a fun and informative way for the kids to engage in science.”
She continued: “My son showed real enthusiasm, he said it was his favourite subject and he was eager to share his learning with us back at home.”
You can view the resource on the CREST Awards website by following this link: