Tuesday 18th March sees the culmination of three months of work by over 320 in Fife on the ‘What’s out there? Explore our amazing universe’ project.
Around 320 P6/7 children from 10 schools will join Dundee Science Centre at the University of St Andrews to celebrate their learning in the ‘What’s out there? Explore our amazing universe!’ science and literacy project.
This Dundee Science Centre and Fife Cultural Trust project, delivered in collaboration with the University of St Andrews, has been running since January 2014. The initiative has included professional learning for teachers and visits to Dundee Science Centre for children, where they have had the opportunity to discover the wonders of our solar system and beyond, and enjoy some hands-on exploration of how we use invisible light to understand what’s out there.
Children have been working on the project within and outwith school, using Dundee Science Centre’s ‘Travellers on Spaceship Earth’ loan box resources to create their own myths around star constellations and hunt for exoplanets – planets beyond our solar system. Each child received a copy of one of the series of science adventures, written by Stephen and Lucy Hawking. Children have been designing and launching rockets, writing letters to Stephen Hawking, contacting the International Space Station, learning to code in binary and lots more. Each teacher received a copy of ‘Why we are Not Alone: Why We Have Already Found Extraterrestrial Life’ by local astronomer and author, David Darling, who is joining the celebration to share his own journey and adventures in science and writing with the youngsters.
The children will share their work with each other, as well as David Darling, Louise Smith, CEO of Dundee Science Centre, and University of St Andrews student ambassadors. The children’s work is also on display for the public at Dundee Science Centre on Sunday 16th March as part of the Fife Science Festival Family Fun Day. You can see more on the progress of the project, and children’s work including videos and pictures, by following us on Twitter @DundeeSciLearn.
We are delighted to have been running this project, working in partnership with Fife Cultural Trust, and with the help of the University of St Andrews. By the feedback from children and teachers in participating schools, this has had a positive impact in the classroom, and on learning. Children, teachers and families have embraced the project, and the opportunities it offers, taking it in many diverse directions, led by the creativity and interests of the children. We are really excited about sharing the children’s learning with the public at Dundee Science Centre, and having the opportunity to celebrate their learning with them.
