Showing 6 year olds the universe

[jnb]

Most of the presentations I do are for older kids (10 years plus). I've got a couple of presentations to do for 6 year olds soon so what would people suggest showing them. There's nothing specific about space on the KS1 curriculum so I have no real constraints but can just go for the awe and wonder aspect.

[Uplooker]

Hi jnb,

Personally, when I have done a presenation to Cubs I have use this:- http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/AtHomeAstronomy/activity_10.html

Kids enjoyed it and it was interactive. Please note you will need 25 meters mi to accommodate the bog roll

[MarkVIIIMarc]

I have a 5 year old and he enjoys taking peeks at whatever I find.  In the early summer he wanted me to wake him up when Saturn was high and above the trees.  He came out, took a quick peek and was ready for bed again.  I made him count moons just to keep him looking longer and give him more of a memory of it.

He also got a great kick out of watching the ISS go by one early evening.

SO,

Don't underestimate them but keep things moving quick and make it interactive.  Ask them questions about whatever and make them tell you what they see. 

How long do you have?

I'd say a real hands on mock up on the planets and sun would be great.  Show them how the planets orbit.  Then show them exciting pictures of different objects in the Universe from Galaxies to the ISS to black holes to the Orion nebula.  Some will be familiar, some may have never been exposed to much of it before.

Neat opportunity, enjoy it.

[ollypenrice]

Whenever I see 'Key Stage One' or any other of these Macdonald's packaged meals for kids my blood boils. Forget all that mental junk food invented by politicians for their own ends.

Young kids, unlike us, have flexible minds. Give them general relativity and the expansion of the universe while they can still accept it. They can understand it and they can accept it far better than we can.

Olly

[Putaendo Patrick]

Perhaps an activity with really basic sundials? Helps reinforce the idea of rotation and it's relation to time.

Also a "homework assignment" to watch the Moon (when possible) for a whole cycle and record or sketch what they see. You can print out blanks from the Internet, for example: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/calendar/moon/

[ronin]

I go with Olly:

General Relativity, Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Expansion of the Universe.

Nuclear forces so how stars collapses from Stars to White Dwarf to Neutron Star to Black Hole.

They will love it. Oh and be prepared for questions.

[Uranium235]

I found this quite useful for giving my little boy a virtual tour of the solar system:

http://www.solarsystemscope.com/

 

[MoonNut]

Thanks for sharing that link MS!

I am going to my daughters school on Thursday to do an astronomy presentation and this is perfect.

I will fire up my Laptop and display this through HDMI on the classroom projector.

[MoonNut]

Year 5 btw

 

[Peco4321]

52 minutes ago, MoonNut said:

Year 5 btw

 

I just did 2 x 1 hour talks to my sons class, 9 yr olds last week. Went really well. Started with setting the theme of how big it all is, far away etc. Took my 150p in as a prop and briefly talked about telescopes then put them in 3 teams named after made up spaceships for a race across the universe. Each step past the planets I explained how long it would take travelling at the speed of ISS. By the time we were leaving the solar system they were 28 years old. 

Had loads of pictures and a break out session putting the planets in order and scale using peppercorn tomatoes blueberry football grapefruit orange and apple. Great fun. 

Check out this thread for some great advise;

 

 

[Pippy]

The children will always love anything like this you show/learn them !

And I'm also with Olly, don't restrict their input.

It's not the children who can't take in anything and everything knowledgable/useful you may have to pass on too them, it's the adults around them where the problem often lies.

[Pippy]

The bit that bothers me with teaching/lecturing is wondering if what we pass on, becomes some kind of barrier/restriction as to there imagination limits as they age - assuming (rightly or wrongly) ones imagination being the basis of all our current tech/science.

Don't forget, children are literally like that brand new sponge you can buy in your local shop(s), just waiting for absolutely anything and everything that can be lapped up.