KS2 Astronaut Training Camp

(All images courtesy of Nasa.gov)


Wow!  We have grown and the club is considered filled with 9 to insure we can complete the projects scheduled for the next 3 terms.

This coming week we have completed our country assignments and journals are started.  Each astronaut has chosen a country to represent and is working on learning the language.

Currently our project has representatives for the following countries:

Italy

Canada

Japan

Russia

United Kingdom

United States

Brazil

Finland

Germany

Poland

We have included all the countries we currently are working with in our Comenius Project (Finland, Germany and Poland).

Our current term is busy so I will post the outline and work to update as we finalize any events.

Remember, wear your PE kits to TRAIN and bring your journal!

Term 2

• Week 1 (5/11):  Review languages and flags.  Complete country/astronaut links.
• Week 2 (12/11):  Training.  Sign the International Space Station charter. Fitness without gravity.  Research mission project and select.  HW:  Patch design. Training. Pending:  approval for remote tracking station visit.
  
• Week 3 (19/11):  Training.  Continue: Module research and selection.  Begin module design in teams.  Presentation of Astronaut Countries and patch selection at 4.00pm (Families invited...remember to bring a dish from your country to share).
• Week 4 (26/11):  We need walkie talkies on this DAY! (Wear your astronaut kit from this day on.)  Thanksgiving Day in America!  Training and team building projects (Working together at a distance). 
• Week 5:   Training.  Continue Module Design.
• Week 6: Satellite Communication.  How do we talk to things in space?
  
• Week 7: No meeting.  School is OUT for Christmas!  Enjoy.
  

Websites:

 Nasa International Space Station Page  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Comenius   http://www.britishcouncil.org/comenius

European Space Agency    http://www.esa.int/esaCP/index.html

"* The 18 ESA Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

Canada, Hungary, Poland and Romania participate in some ESA projects under cooperation agreements." As of 5/11/09 (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Education/SEMT6BOFGLE_0.html)

Year 3/4 is in a STATE! Changing States that is. Monday 28.9.09

Solid to Liquid to Gas...Changing States

Volcano pic by catbutler

Year 3/4 is  studying solids and liquids.  It's probably natural that we add in a little gas...nothing too smelly of course.  Below reminds us a little of our day, experiments and where to find the websites we explored in class and have listed for homework.  Enjoy!

Today in class we looked at magma and lava and considered how, when cooled, the quickly flowing liquid returns to becoming a hard, unbend-able rock! We then switched over to the cool antarctic and could almost feel our own body slowly stiffen from cold as we viewed the coldest and driest region on Earth.  All materials on Earth can exist in either a liquid or solid state depending on their 'melting points'. 

Magma rock will melt at 1500° C

Water will melt at a much cooler 1°C

We then experimented with how solids of different sizes would 'flow' through our fingers - viscosity.  I hope you share with your families what you have learned.  Here's a question to ask them.. Cars need a liquid of a certain viscosity. What is it?

*****Homework*****

For homework, visit the BBC KS2 Bitesize Solids and Liquids website, try out the "Try This" Melting and Freezing Points and then have a go at the quiz.  Bring in a copy of your quiz effort to share!  If you can't get on the web at home, let me know at school.

 

BBC KS2 Solids and Liquids Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/materials/solids_liquids/play.shtml

The BBC quiz: http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/schools/ks2bitesize/science/quizengine?quiz=solidsandliquids&templateStyle=science

and check out the Celts in the Iron Ages: http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/activities/torc.shtml
  

For a more in depth look into the Changing states, explore these sites:

What is a solid, liquid and gas? Chem4Kids can clear it up!

 The States of Water

Volcanoes from The National Geographic
The Antarctic found on the NG environment page.
Prehistoric Iron Smelting
King Midas Activity
How solids travel at different speeds through different liquids- viscosity

Monday 5.10.09 Year 1's Talk Like A Pirate DAY. Assembly is This Friday the 2nd! Ahoy me hearties!

This Friday, the 2nd of October is our Noah's Ark Assembly!  We hope you come and join us!  We have been working hard to learn our lines and our songs.

Great fun at Lego Pirate Website

Yr 1 Pirate Grub Tasting Day - this coming Monday the 5th of October ***Please Bring a Pirate Fruit.**** 
Shiver me timbers! September 19th was International Talk Like a Pirate Day.  However, seeing that I gave copies of the Lego Pirate Dictionary to all the other KS1 Buccaneers (teachers)...which they copied and sent home with their deckhands/pupils and I FORGOT... we will be celebrating it this Monday the 5th of October.  We will also have our Pirate Grub Tasting that day.

We are in deep in pirate territory.  Capt. Crook has the Jolly Roger hoisted high as we have been drawing and painting  pirate ships, creating our own pirate portraits and giving ourselves pirate NAMES!  Have you met our Pink Pirate, Pretty Pirate, Pirate Red Spots and Captains Black, Brown and  Blue Beard? Arr...they are fearsome pirates who have their own cutlasses!

Pirate Grub Tasting Day - this Monday the 5th of October ***Please Bring Food****
Since we have been reading about pirates that lived long ago and sailed from all over the world.  I will update our log and send home information on Monday on the areas we have been studying. It would be great if you could bring in food to sample from the pirate area of your choice!  We have been reading stories about Pirate Grace O'Malley from Ireland, The Captain's Good from Scandinavia, Robin Hood and the Pirates from England and more.  Our pirates have comes from these countries as well as Germany, Japan, Scotland and Morocco.  So if you can find a fruit that pirates may of eaten in one of these countries, please bring them in on Monday.


Check out our WEBSITE topic (see the right side) to find websites found to talk and play like a pirate!

All right me matey, don't be a landlubber.  Weigh anchor and enjoy the bright sunshine of our weekend.


See you all Monday!


Fair winds,
Capt. Crook &
Capt. Pineapple ARRRRR!

Websites for clubs and classes

Click on Links to go to web page

Year 1 

Pirates
    Lego Pirate Page with Pirate Language Dictionary. 
    Nick Jr Backyardigans and their Pirate GAME!
    International Talk Like a Pirate Day UK

KS2 Astonaut Training Camp

 Nasa International Space Station Page  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Comenius   http://www.britishcouncil.org/comenius

European Space Agency    http://www.esa.int/esaCP/index.html

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KS2 Astronaut Training Camp

Welcome Astronauts and Families to our weekly training camp.  There is so much we are going to explore in such a short time.  Before we go too far, let me share a little about how our club started...

Years ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I used to work in Satellite Operations.  I worked with teams of people and we supported launches of programs like GPS (yes, like the ones in your car!) and other programs.  Rockets took the satellites into space and we helped put them in orbit around our Earth so they could do the work they were built for.  One time, just one time, we supported a satellite that was launched from the space shuttle!  I was so excited to meet the astronauts that would end up flying in space.  Years later, my family moved to Florida and I worked with some of the Overnight and Camp programs at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Working there I had a chance to see the International Space Station being built, meet and talk with more astronauts, watch the launch of satellites and the shuttle first hand and learn more about the space programs and how they help our current and future lives.

I look forward to sharing my experiences and hopefully encouraging you on a path of curiousity about our solar system and beyond!

It's all quite amazing really and so much fun to explore. So let's get started.

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Here is a look at our proposed agenda:

Week 1:  The International Space Station, country selection and training.

         Experiment 1:  Living in space

Week 2:  Developing our country presentations, exploring the modules and training.

          Experiment 2: Eating in Space

Week 3:  Developing our ISS charter and team selection. International food fair.

          Experiment 3: Building a perfect space craft. (It's 'egg'cellent...hopefully).

          Families invited.

Week 4: Choosing modules and patch designs.  Training.

          Experiment:  NASA Simulators

Week 5:  Training and Module planning.

          Experiment 6:  Eating astronaut food.  Do you have what it takes?!

Half Term
To Infinity and BEYOND!!!

Coming soon:  Building a module, what do satellite's do, blind communication and more, orbit around and up and down...and more!

KS1 Wacky Science Agenda and Resources

 Thank you for joining us in KS1 Wacky Science Club!

Proposed Schedule of Wacky Events and the Resources we'll need

Week 1: Volcanoes
Week 2:  Volcanoes
    ***Bring in a larger than you, white button down shirt to create a science lab coat!
Week 3:  Crystals
Week 4:  Waves and Water
      *** We need for each scientist:  1  plastic empty bottle with a lid (soda pop container), duct tape, metallic ribbon/streams in multi-colours, and sequins.  If you have more than one, please share in case some one else does not.

Week 5:  Mixtures and Solutions Party
      ***  Ribena, see through drinking cups (plastic).
Term Break

Other ideas are:  Creating and testing boats, hair flair, starry skies, dizzy forces, bath a'bomb'inations and more!