Space explorers, planet protectors
Project Overview
During this project we will learn all about space and why Earth is the only planet known to contain life.
Exploring more about the solar system will allow The Bumblebees to gain an appreciation for the frailness of Earth. Knowing why our planet is extra special and how we can protect that uniqueness will encourage the next generation to keep the planet safe and healthy for us to live on.
Learning about space is fun!
It ignites a spark of interest in adventure. It's captivating to look beyond our own small, blue planet and learn about other planets to gain further appreciation of our natural resources. There are many opportunities within the areas of learning for a space theme, including, literacy, maths, communication and language, arts and expressive design and understanding of the world.
We will learn about the specific features of the planets, their order from the sun and what makes Earth the only planet in the universe known to possess life.
The project will conclude in the Save Our Futures event where The Bumblebees will showcase what they have learnt about space, and what they can do to to protect planet earth.
Project Goal
I can say why earth is special
Steps to Success
Step 1: I can talk about planets in the solar system
Step 2: I can make a solar system
Step 3: I can say why planet earth is the only planet with life
Step 4: I know what I can do to protect earth
Links to EYFS curriculum
Communication and Language
understand how to listen carefully and why listening is important
articulate ideas and thoughts in well formed sentences
learn new vocabulary,
use new vocabulary through the day,
ask questions and find out more and to check they understand what has been said to them,
learn songs,
engage in non fiction books,
listen to and talk about selected non fiction to develop a deep familiarity with new knowledge and vocabulary.
Personal, Social, Emotional Development
see themselves as a valuable individual,
build constructive and respectful relationships,
express their feelings and consider the feelings of others,
show resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge
Maths
count objects,
subitise,
link the number symbol with its cardinal number value,
compare numbers,
understand one more, one less,
comparing
Literacy
blend sounds into words,
spell words by identifying the sounds and then writing the sounds with letters, re-read what they have written to check that it makes sense
Understanding the World
draw information from a simple map,
recognise some environments that are different from the one in which they live
understand the effect of changing seasons on the natural world
Expressive Arts and Design
explore, use and refine a variety of artistic effects to express their ideas and feelings
return to and build on their previous learning, refining ideas and developing their ability to represent them
create collaboratively, sharing ideas, resources and skills
9th February 2024
The Bumblebees excitedly shared what they already know about space. We have learnt songs and used information books to find out more.
We used the information we learnt from songs and books to create our own class den solar system. We did this making paper mache balloon planets.
We made individual solar systems in our books using techniques such printing with marble paints and printing with balloons dipped in shaving foam which had been swirled with paints using small sticks.
1st March 2024
Constellations
We learnt that there are billions of stars in the milky way and that sometimes, when joined together the stars form pictures. We tried to recreate Orion the Hunter, The Little Dipper, Pegasus the Winged Horse and Draco the Dragon. You might like to go star gazing on a clear night and see if your child can find them?
Earth boxes
Thank you so much for the boxes and resources for earth boxes. We made a start this week. The Bumblebees are enjoying the ongoing nature of their creations. They are able to do as much or as little as they want in the afternoons. Some children are spending a lot of time getting creative with their representations of beautiful earth.
Wax resist painting
The Bumblebees looked at various photographs related to space, such as planets, stars, nebula, the milky way and space craft landing. The children were encouraged to talk in full sentences about the photographs and used them as inspiration to create their own pictures using the wax resist technique. Ask your child to describe in steps how they did it.
22nd March 2024
Earth mobiles
We read a book about the things we can do to care for planet earth. We painted earth, wrote down our promise to earth and hung decorative natural objects to create earth mobiles.
Can your child tell you what they will do to protect earth?
Earth Poems
The Bumblebees enjoy poems and making up funny rhymes. We particularly like poems by Michael Rosen. We wrote earth poems in our project books, we copied them on card and are decorating them for display. The poems begin earth is....
What came next?
The Royal Observatory
At the Royal Observatory we took a trip around the solar system with Ted to see if any of the planets would be nice to visit on a holiday. Ask your child to tell you what we found. We also trained as astronauts to visit the moon. Can your Bumblebee tell you what we packed to take with us?
Copy of IMG_8711 2.MOVThank you all so much for coming to Save Our Futures. It is so valuable for the children to talk you through their project in the school environment. The Bumblebees have truly loved being Space Explorers and Planet Protecters.