To start off our fantastic new topic about space, Year 5 took a science-filled trip to the incredible Winchester Science Centre. Walking into the Cente, all were filled with awe and excitement and were told that our first stop would be the incredible planetarium. We took out seats, leant back and looked up. Our space guide took us on a magical tour of our solar system where we compared and contrasted different planets, learnt about our moon and the sad fate of the downgraded dwarf planet Pluto. All the children really showed off their knowledge and their enquiry skills, answering increasingly complicated questions about space.
After our tour of space, we headed down to the the centre’s newest exhibition Explore:Space. This exhibit taught us about how to survive in space, the power of black holes and the power needed to get a rocket into space. A guide from the centre set us different tasks and challenges to complete in each of the zones including whether we could leave him a message on a heat sensitive camera! We also got to explore all of the hands-on exhibits that the centre had to offer. These ranged from trying out wheelchair basketball to walking through a colon and learning about digestion and the power of different foods!
After a very busy morning, we were treated to a workshop where we learnt about the Webb telescope and how and why it can look so far into space. Learning about the light spectrum, we noticed that different colours in light move at different speeds; the different colours build up into white light. We looked more closely at the Webb telescope and investigated how scientists and engineers could keep it safe from the sun’s powerful rays and radiation. We also took a closer look at how signals reach the telescope by copying its movement with lasers in obsticle courses.
All of the children came home buzzing with new facts, learning and questions! Year 5 really showed off their enquiry skills and have brought this back into the classroom with them. Thank you also to all of the parent helpers on the trip for your time and support.
