Step 1: Oxygen

Ask the children to stand up and explain that we’re doing a quick activity. Ask them to stand feet apart, take a deep breath in and hold for a few seconds. Ask them to exhale slowly. Repeat step 2 or 3 times while explaining they are breathing in oxygen through their nose and exhaling carbon dioxide.

This step aims to teach the kids that oxygen is in the air they breathe and is required for their bodies and muscles to “work”. The air containing the oxygen is inhaled through their nose, travels into their lungs, is used in their body and is then exhaled as carbon dioxide.

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Step 2: Gravity

• Ask the children how they feel?

• Are they feeling cold, warm or tired?

• Ask them to move around by walking around the classroom for at least 30 seconds.

• Ask how they feel again?

Next get the kids to walk as if they are on the moon! Encourage them to take big slow steps if they are struggling. Ask how they feel walking on the moon?

The aim of this step is to encourage the kids to begin differentiating between the earth and the moon. Both this step and the following step aim to teach about the difference in gravity on the earth and the moon.

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Step 3: Gravity

While the kids are standing still, ask why they are walking differently? Explain that gravity is the invisible force that pulls us all back to the ground. Get the children to jump and after explaining all about gravity, ask they why they are falling back to the ground. Explain that there is less gravity on the moon than there is on earth so if you jumped really high, it would take much more energy and time to go up and down.

It is important at this stage that the children grasp the concept of gravity. You can explain in more detail that gravity gives weight to physical objects and everyone would be much lighter on the moon, than on the earth.

 

Step 4: Breathing and oxygen

Begin “walking on the moon” again and ask are they missing anything important or does something seem wrong? Move towards the concept that they cannot breathe on the moon without oxygen as there is no oxygen in the “air” on the moon. Ask how do astronauts breathe on the moon or in space? Get the children to mimic stepping into a space suit and putting on a space helmet, to help them breathe. Continue “walking on the moon” holding their helmets.

This step aims to show how there is no source of oxygen on the moon. While we don’t need help breathing on earth, we do need help on the moon i.e. oxygen tanks. If needed explain that air is different to gravity. Air surrounds us and contains the oxygen we need for our bodies to “work”, while gravity is the force that holds (or glues us) to the earth’s surface.

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Step 5: Fun activity / aliens.

Does anybody think anyone or anything lives on the moon?! If someone says aliens, explain that we do not know if there are aliens, but if there were how do they think they would move? Have everyone walk like an alien and switch to having everyone walk on earth.

Divide the class into 3 groups and have 1st group walk like aliens, the 2nd group walk like they are on earth and the 3rd group walk like they are astronauts on the moon. Change the groups around to keep interest.

This step aims to continue to develop the concepts which the children have learned through drama and fun activities.

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Step 6: Calm down

Have the children slowly breathe in and out on the spot for 30 seconds to encourage quiet.