Children are often fascinated by space long before the National Curriculum formally asks us to teach it.
They know about rockets. They recognise the Moon. They have questions about astronauts, planets and whether anything lives beyond Earth.
Yet in the primary science curriculum, Earth and Space does not appear as a statutory topic until Year 5. And that can feel like a missed opportunity.
There is, of course, some related science in KS1. In Year 1, children observe changes across the four seasons, describe the weather associated with the seasons and notice how day length varies.
The emphasis is very much on observing and describing, rather than explaining the astronomical reasons behind those changes.
Seasonal changes can be taught brilliantly. Children can collect weather data, make seasonal nature observations, compare photographs taken at different times of year and track changes in day length.
But it isn’t really space.
So, during World Space Week, here are a few ways we can bring more space into KS1 science without trying to teach the Year 5 curriculum three years early.
Start with what children can observe
There is plenty in the Year 1 seasonal changes topic that allows us to look upwards.
Children can notice that the days are shorter in winter and longer in summer. They might compare photographs of the playground taken at the same time of day during different seasons, keep a simple light-and-dark diary, or look at sunrise and sunset times with an adult.
A regular sky watch can work well too.
What is the sky like today? Is it cloudy, sunny or grey? Where is the Sun in the sky? How have the shadows changed?
It is also an opportunity to introduce an important bit of scientific safety: we never look directly at the Sun.
These are simple observations, but they begin to establish the idea that the sky changes and that those changes can be observed, recorded and compared.
They also provide plenty of opportunities for working scientifically through tally charts, pictograms, tables and simple comparisons.
Use space as a context for Animals including humans
You don’t have to teach the Solar System to talk about astronauts.
An astronaut provides a brilliant context for thinking about the human body.
For example:
Why do astronauts need to exercise?
Children can explore the familiar KS1 idea that humans need exercise to stay healthy and that exercise makes our muscles work.
The fact that astronauts also need to exercise immediately gives the science a different context.
You could look at photographs or video of astronauts exercising aboard the International Space Station and then ask children to think about their own bodies.
What happens to your breathing when you exercise? Which parts of your body are working? Why is exercise important?
Another useful question is:
What food would be useful on a space mission?
Now the discussion can move into healthy eating, sorting foods, and why humans need food and water.
The science learning is still firmly KS1.
Space simply provides the hook.
Turn materials investigations into space missions
Materials is another topic where a small change of context can make a familiar investigation feel completely different.
Instead of simply investigating different fabrics or sheets of material, try:
What would make a good parachute for a space capsule?
Children can compare materials and their properties, make simple parachutes and investigate which designs work best.
Or give them a teddy astronaut and ask:
What material would make a good spacesuit?
Depending on the age of the children, they might think about whether materials are:
- flexible
- strong
- waterproof
- transparent
- insulating
The important point is that the space story doesn’t replace the science question.
It gives children a reason for answering it.
Take habitats to the Moon
Living things and habitats gives us another opportunity.
Imagine that scientists want to build a base on the Moon.
Before thinking about what a Moon base needs, children can investigate a habitat they already know.
What do the plants and animals living there need? What does the habitat provide?
Then compare it with the Moon.
What is missing that humans would need to survive?
Or ask one of my favourite KS1 space questions:
Could a woodlouse live on the Moon?
It sounds slightly silly, but it prompts some excellent scientific thinking.
What does a woodlouse need?
Where do we normally find them?
What conditions are there in their habitat?
Would the Moon provide those things?
Suddenly, children are applying what they have learned about habitats rather than simply recalling a list of facts.
And don’t keep space inside the science lesson
Space also provides some lovely links across the KS1 curriculum.
You could:
- read stories set on the Moon
- find out about Neil Armstrong
- create space artwork
- look at images of rockets and spacecraft
- talk about what an astronaut’s day might be like
- use images from space as starting points for questions and discussion
None of this means turning Year 1 or Year 2 into a mini Year 5 Earth and Space unit.
We don’t need six-year-olds learning the relative sizes and movements of the Earth, Sun and Moon before they are ready for it.
Instead, we can use something they are already fascinated by as a context for the science they are supposed to be learning.
Exercise becomes astronaut training.
Healthy eating becomes planning food for a mission.
Materials become parachutes and spacesuits.
Habitats extend all the way to the Moon.
And seasonal observations encourage children to look carefully at the sky above them.
Space may not officially arrive until Year 5.
But there is no reason KS1 science can’t have a little more of it.
The post Teaching Space in KS1 Science: You Don’t Have To Wait Until Year 5 appeared first on Danny Nics Science Fix. Written by Danny Nicholson