Space Show Feb 2011

All pupils, from Reception to Year 6, watched the "Kids in Space" stage show in the Junior School on 14^th February. There were two shows; the first to KS1 and the second, with slightly more technical information, to KS2.  

The two presenters, Matt and his wife Jo Fox, gave the children an introduction to the changing face of space travel using models of the (1960's) Saturn 5 spaceship and the modern day space shuttles. They demonstrated the concept of orbiting a planet and described a vacuum. Through images projected onto their spaceship the children saw the Hubble Space Telescope and learnt about the uses of satellites (weather reporting, mobile phones etc.)
Matt (dressed as an astronaut) and Jo (the controller for the mission) got the children to "come on board" the spaceship as they blasted off in space. They visited each of the planets in turn starting with the one closest to the sun (Mercury!) and Matt described the characteristics in a humorous and memorable way. They were shown models (some tiny marbles, some huge inflatable balls) which helped the children to visual each planet's size in relation to the size of Earth.

The children should all now know why Mars is red, and what happened when their spaceship travelled through the asteroid belt. Through song, audience participation and lots of comedy the children learnt a huge amount whilst having fun. They all seemed to enjoy the performance enormously and the feedback from the teachers was also very positive.

This event was researched, organised and part-funded by the Sion Friends Association. It is an example of how the money raised through their hard work, at the Christmas and Summer Fairs, is used to provide extra events for the children.

KS1 Space Show Feb 2011