After reading an excerpt about Venus in a book titled
Solar System by Gregory Vogt, Kindergartners discussed Venus' attributes- namely its white clouds, volcanoes, and poisonous gases. Information about the need to use radio waves from a space craft to find out about Venus sparked an impromptu trip to
U of M's "Wave Field." I explained that Maya Lin (the same woman that designed the Vietnam Wall in Washington D.C.) designed the "field" in honor of a downed airplane pilot and was created to resemble sound waves and even ocean waves. The Kindergartners had a blast running, rolling, tumbling, and conquering the masterfully crafted mounds of soil, seed, and simulated surf.
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| A sample of an actual moon rock! |
We also took a "stealth quiet" peek inside the engineering building and found a sample of an actual moon rock, Apollo Space Mission memorabilia including golf balls, and aircraft engines.
As an added treat, Kai's Mom brought in a beautiful photograph of Kai's Great-Great Uncle, Scott Carpenter, surrounded by the shuttle and attendees and adorned in his space suit. He was actually the astronaut aboard the United States Aurora Space Shuttle!!! The children were excited to know about Mr. Carpenter and had lots of questions about his adventure in space! Kai beamed with pride at having such an outstanding relative!
Finally, we just had to to simulate some of Venus' volcano eruptions on the playground using vinegar, baking soda, red watercolor paint, and dish soap! We then attempted a second eruption to see if our volcano was dormant or extinct!
Space Month ended with a trip to the Natural History Museum. We enjoyed a very informative, age-appropriate Planetarium show of the Solar System that included a star search, planet identification, and a view of Earth from Venus! Matt, our very knowledgeable docent assisted us in locating the Archer, the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), and Cassiopeia. The constellation Cassiopeia was also discussed by Madame in our Latin class. We ended our morning with a brief museum browse of space artifacts (including freeze dried foods); a stroll through rocks and minerals, Michigan's indigenous animals, and the dinosaur section. We returned to school to implement some of our acquired knowledge and made our own constellations with tin foil, push pins, and a light source! Our new theme month "The Future" will allow us to continue space exploration and other related topics! 
