In the past month the children from School-age 1 were showing an interest in what recently happened in space. One day, the children started asking questions about the moon and the solar system. The educators were able to answer their questions and give them more information by using the iPad as a source for research. The children learned that the moon's surface is covered with craters, and that there is no gravity so everything floats. They also learned about the importance of NASA and why the astronauts want to travel to space. Our research also helped us learn about the meaning of some words such as comet, asteroids, and satellite.
To support the children's interests, we provided a creative activity: make a comet on a stick. A comet is a fiery snowball that travels in space that has dust and gas inside. The elusive little comets can be difficult to spot, so we thought 'Why not make our own to fly around the room'. To do so, the children used aluminum foil, popsicle sticks, metallic ribbon or tissue paper strips, and scissors. They rolled some foil into a ball and stuck it on top of the popsicle stick, then they cut strips of ribbon or tissue into lengths of approximately 15 cm, that were then attached to the foil ball.
While the children were working on their projects, they were excited to share their thoughts. Theo was excited to attach his fiery tail to the ball saying that it resembles flying fireworks; when he finished his work, he made a quick move with the comet that made a crinkling sound which made Theo smile. He also started to interact with other peers by presenting his comet to them. Meanwhile, Curtis wanted to create the biggest comet by rolling a large piece of foil around the popsicle stick because he wanted his comet to be super visible in the galaxy. Noah liked the sound of his comet's tail so kept moving it in circles, adding that his comet is the fastest in space. The group of children decided to try out their comets together by running and moving them in the air, pretending that they are in the galaxy and they are traveling to their own destinations.
This activity enhanced the children's creativity and imagination. They were able to incorporate their creations into extended peer interactions and were encouraged to have their conversations using the new space related vocabulary they'd learned. The children engaged in imaginative play by displaying their comets and making them fly around the classroom. But most of all, they got to connect their interests to something happening in the real world.
