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Air |
Stars, Sun, Moon, Planets |
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Make a sundial by drawing a circle on the ground with two footprints in the centre indicating the place where the child will stand to cast their shadow. On a sunny day one child stands in the footprints at each hour on the hour. The others mark on the circle where the shadow falls. Then the children will be able to use the sundial to tell the time. |
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Air |
Stars, Sun, Moon, Planets |
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Use a torch and orange (or ball/globe) to demonstrate how the tilting of the Earth on its axis creates different seasons. See how this explains why it is summer in the Northern hemisphere when it is winter in the Southern hemisphere. |
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Air |
Stars, Sun, Moon, Planets |
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Read a compass to find North, South, East and West |
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Air |
Stars, Sun, Moon, Planets |
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Take a map of a garden the children are observing and create an "overlay map" of the shadows at different times of day. Place a piece of tracing paper over the map and invite children draw the shadows that they observe on the paper. Repeat this at different times of day/year. |
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Air |
Stars, Sun, Moon, Planets |
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Know the difference between a star and a planet using the song and the ways planets affect us and plants |
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Air |
Stars, Sun, Moon, Planets |
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Learn about the moon cycles and the tradition of planting by the moon. Make a moon planting calendar. |
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Air |
Stars, Sun, Moon, Planets |
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Listen to mythological stories about the constellations and stars. |
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Air |
Stars, Sun, Moon, Planets |
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Visualise an imaginary journey into space - experiencing weightlessness and the silence of space, seeing the Earth and moon from outer space, and feeling the immensity of the universe. |
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Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
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Sing a song about soil textures (e.g. "There's three different types of mineral in soil"). |
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Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
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Do a soil jar test to find out what percentage is sand, silt and/or clay. Compare soil from different places. Compare with results from soil touch test. |
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Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
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Find out about acidity and alkalinity in soil, how it affects plants that grow there, and how plants affect the pH of the soil (e.g. conifers make it more acidic). |
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Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
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See, touch and smell different soils with different textures (can you work out what texture you have?): sand, silt, clay, and loam. |
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Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
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Dig a hole to see the different layers of soil, their colour and depth (topsoil, subsoil, bedrock). |
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Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
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Observe how different soils affect the plants which grow there - their health as well as the species composition. |
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Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
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Do a soil touch test i.e. rub soil between your fingers - does it have big grains like sand or minuscule grains like clay, or is it soapy like silt? Roll soil into a sausage, can it stay like that (indicating clay)? Try with different soils. |
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Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
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Test soil to find out if it's acidic or alkaline. Use a pH kit and/or do a home test e.g. add 2 spoonfuls of soil to a jar, add vinegar, does it react? If so you have alkaline soil. Add 2 spoonfuls of soil to another jar, add distilled water and baking soda - does it fizz? If so you have acidic soil. |
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Soil and stone |
Soil textures and soil tests |
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Compare the different properties of sand and clay (e.g. how much water and air it holds, what happens when you stand on it, which holds more nutrients etc.). |
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Buildings |
Shelter |
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Find out traditional ways peoples in different places showed gratitude for warmth and shelter; what kinds of blessings did they have? Create a blessing ceremony for a fairy home or a real home based on things that you learn about those traditions. |
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Buildings |
Shelter |
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Learn that people in different parts of the world design their homes and buildings to best suit the materials they have and their climate. |
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Buildings |
Shelter |
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Use ropes and strings to tie knots to build something (such as a shelter). |
