Mars Science Laboratory aka Curiosity Launches on November 25th 2011
October 5th 2011 St Peters Boys National School Walkinstown Dublin 12
Clare Mercier from the Schools Completion Programme invited me to do two workshops at St Peters for World Space Week. As usual I was warmly welcomed at this school which is close to where I grew up as a child. I set up my gear in the community room and soon 41 boys from fifth and sixth classes trundled into the room and took up what seemed like every single space available.
They listened carefully to all my tales of Moons far and near, they commented freely and enjoyed the images. At one point the sun shone a beam through a slit in the blinds and took Titan down to a ghostly glow on the screen. A cheer went up when the dark clouds of Earth closed down the light and Io then on screen was revelled in its structured wonder.
Moon drawing ensued on tables, chairs and benches. Calls for Our Moon, Enceladus, Titan and Europa were interspaced with calls for white pastels and longer views.
Ever helpful boys cleaned up and also helped me to get my gear upstairs for the next workshop.
Third and forth classes came together for Rapid Rockets Wicked Robots, an interactive white board was available and very welcome. This workshop is about the history of space exploration via drawing, from Sputnik to Mars Science Laboratory also including the recent JUNO and GRAIL space explorers. Some boys took pride in knowing the names of a least two of the Apollo 11 astronauts, and all got very busy producing their choices of rockets or robots on paper.
JUNO was popular, as was the privately built Virgin Galactic Spaceship 2. I had included the Lunar Electric Rover even though it’s not a robot or a rocket. This moon truck has such a sense of adventure look to it and I was pleased that two boys did drawings of it. There were far to many drawings created to take photo's of them all , a selection are in the slideshow below.
All the Deadly Moons produced and all the Rockets and Robots produced are now on exhibition in the school hall. Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork, the National Coordinator for World Space Week will honour St Peters with a participation certificate for their efforts.
Clare Mercier from the Schools Completion Programme invited me to do two workshops at St Peters for World Space Week. As usual I was warmly welcomed at this school which is close to where I grew up as a child. I set up my gear in the community room and soon 41 boys from fifth and sixth classes trundled into the room and took up what seemed like every single space available.
They listened carefully to all my tales of Moons far and near, they commented freely and enjoyed the images. At one point the sun shone a beam through a slit in the blinds and took Titan down to a ghostly glow on the screen. A cheer went up when the dark clouds of Earth closed down the light and Io then on screen was revelled in its structured wonder.
Moon drawing ensued on tables, chairs and benches. Calls for Our Moon, Enceladus, Titan and Europa were interspaced with calls for white pastels and longer views.
Ever helpful boys cleaned up and also helped me to get my gear upstairs for the next workshop.
Third and forth classes came together for Rapid Rockets Wicked Robots, an interactive white board was available and very welcome. This workshop is about the history of space exploration via drawing, from Sputnik to Mars Science Laboratory also including the recent JUNO and GRAIL space explorers. Some boys took pride in knowing the names of a least two of the Apollo 11 astronauts, and all got very busy producing their choices of rockets or robots on paper.
JUNO was popular, as was the privately built Virgin Galactic Spaceship 2. I had included the Lunar Electric Rover even though it’s not a robot or a rocket. This moon truck has such a sense of adventure look to it and I was pleased that two boys did drawings of it. There were far to many drawings created to take photo's of them all , a selection are in the slideshow below.
All the Deadly Moons produced and all the Rockets and Robots produced are now on exhibition in the school hall. Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork, the National Coordinator for World Space Week will honour St Peters with a participation certificate for their efforts.
Jane Houston Jones - This month it's more about Moons. Not only our Moon,
but you can also see Jupiter's four moons.
but you can also see Jupiter's four moons.
