Engineer’s week is on February 25th – March 1st 2013.
We are using Bringing dreams to life – Flights of Fancy as our theme and will learn about air and space engineering.
We are going to do a “One Book, One School” activity around the book called ‘The Loon on the Moon.’ This book is about an alien that collects children’s dreams and travels to different planets and uses the dreams to light up the moon. It ties in with the ‘Bringing Dreams to Life’ theme and with Book Week (March 4th – 8th).
Here are some activities we will be doing:
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The Loon on the Moon audio visual story (click here to view story on Youbtube)
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Discuss dreams and draw pictures of stories from dreams
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Balloon rocket – Look at how the air pushes the balloon along the string
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The Loomzoomer is powered on dream steam – look at how steam can make things move
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Invent an imaginary vehicle for travelling from planet to planet (playdough / construction / drawing)
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Author answers questions: http://www.
scottishbooktrust.com/ podcasts/video/the-loon-on- the-moon-questions-and- answers-scottish-childrens- book-award -
Nasa website – games, activities, build a rocket
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Virtual space tour online
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http://www.kidsastronomy.com/
http://inventors.about.com/
library/inventors/ blenginehistory.htm Games: http://www.nasa.gov/
audience/forkids/kidsclub/ flash/index.html Nasa activities: http://www.nasa.
gov/audience/forkids/home/ , http://www.nasa.index.html gov/offices/education/about/ index.html Google Earth – Explore space
Read about space shuttles
As a whole-school activity, the children will design a space/air travel machine, either as a drawing or as construction.
Science activities
Science activities will include workshops about aeroplanes, air currents, rockets, etc and get them to design aircrafts in construction.
We are also hoping to do Science Stations on Friday February 1st with parents and/oror with peer tutoring. Here are some activities we hope to do:
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Make Paper Aeroplanes
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Helicoptor activity
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Investigate gravity – how fast things fall
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Design a parachute
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Make a rocket launch
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Balloon rocket
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Design a kite
Here are some general engineering websites with ideas that you can explore at home.
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http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/
engineering.html -
http://www.instructables.com/
id/Project-Based-Engineering- for-Kids/ -
http://education.
nationalgeographic.com/ education/media/nasa-kids- intro-engineering/?ar_a=1 -
http://www.
engineeringinteract.org/ -
Activity ideas: http://teachers.
cmhouston.org/
Here is a really informative link from Sesame Street with James Marsden explaining engineering: http://www.sesamestreet.org/play#media/video_2b6637f4-c37a-443e-a235-8e80860d7fb0
Field Trip:
Junior and Senior Infant pupils will travel to Imaginosity to particpate in an engineering workshop on Wednesdat 27th of February.
Visitors to the School
If anyone knows a pilot / aeronautical engineer / someone who goes hang gliding that could talk to the children please contact us as soon as possible.
For more information fo to http://www.engineersweek.ie/
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