Ustadha Hina shares a detailed summary of the exciting exploration journey which Children's House undertook this past term.
Thematic learning stands as a cornerstone of our Language Arts curriculum in the Children’s House. As we regularly explore new topics in our classroom, it sparks curiosity and leads to a higher level of engagement and motivation in our students learning. While selecting and planning for the theme, we are mindful of the unique interests and capabilities of each child.
In our recent thematic adventures, we explored the topic of Outer Space — a topic which is always popular with young children, and we were sure that it will captivate the imagination of our little students. As we planned for the theme, activities were designed to be engaging as well as integrative. We tried to link the thematic exploration to our various subjects including Maths, Science and Culture, Creative Arts, Sacred Sciences and Practical Life, offering a holistic approach to learning. Additionally, we refreshed our reading corner with a range of space-themed books to further immerse our students in the topic.
We began our space exploration journey by learning about the Story of the Creation. The story starts with nothing else but ALLAH alone, the supreme creator, who has the ability to create everything from nothing. As it is the power of Allah subhanahu wa’taala, when He wishes for something to happen, He simply says, “Kun!” Fayakun...and it happens! (Be and it is). We learnt that by just saying the words, Allah created the beautiful universe, full of galaxies, the planets, the sun, moon and stars all moving in harmony, all glorifying and praising him.
Our thematic journey
In the first week, while exploring the vast universe and the endless galaxies, the children enjoyed watching educational videos, reading through books discovering amazing facts like; What does the galaxy look like in outer space? How many stars are there in space? How big is a billion? We found out that if there are approximately 300 billion stars in a galaxy and around 200 billion galaxies in space, we know are talking about very BIIG numbers!!
Later on in our thematic journey, we studied the wonders of the Solar System. We learnt that the Sun is a star which is the closest to our Earth. Children enjoyed singing and performing the Solar System song together and learnt lots of amazing facts about all the different planets. Using our own DIY Geography Solar System presentation, the children practiced the order in which the planets orbit the Sun.
Lastly, our focus was on Space travel, Rockets and Astronauts. Watching another interesting video, children were fascinated to discover the power of gravity and how astronauts travel to, live and move about in space. Through our history presentation on Famous People, we learnt about the astronaut Neil Armstrong and his famous and historic moon landing.
Integrated learning
In our Arts and Craft lessons, we used our newfound understandings to form our own tangible creations, such as sparkling spiral-shaped and spray paint galaxy arts, solar system mobiles and our own astronaut pictures. The children designed and created their own unique rockets using the art of junk-modelling. These creations not only serve as a beautiful display for our classroom but also a visual reminder, etching the concept of space, galaxies and planets into the minds of our young learners in sha Allah in a memorable way.
With children of mixed ages, we adapted the activities to suit their individual levels of development. For instance, our Nursery children delighted in making solar system hats while the older ones worked on the solar system mobiles.
In Mathematics, we provided tailored worksheets, with some children focusing on counting and number formation while others practiced space-themed number bonds. In Language Arts, children expanded their vocabulary by practicing the Space Word Mat. Those children who were working on their writing skills were challenged using space-themed creative writing activities such as the Picture Tray.
The children practiced a range of Practical life skills during a baking session where they made space-themed biscuits. With the guidance of teachers, children measured ingredients, knead the dough to make batter, and carefully shaped their cookies into celestial shapes. They learnt the value of teamwork and important life skills such as following recipes, measuring quantities, as well as practicing patience.
Out of this World School trip!
As a grand finale to their cosmic journey, we embarked on a school trip to the Lookout Discovery Centre that included a StarLab planetarium workshop. With excitement buzzing through them, the Children’s House entered the planetarium. As they explored the wonders of the night sky learning all about planets, stars and constellations projected onto the dome above them, it enhanced their understanding about Space even further.
In conclusion, we had a great time exploring the Space theme just as much as the children. We hope that this new learning experience has sparked their creativity and curiosity, and it will help them to appreciate the mysteries of the cosmos and expand their horizons to infinity and beyond!