Telescope Guides

This resource, aimed at primary level, links to work on light and Earth and Space. Looking first at the principles behind how a telescope works, it provides activities in which children explore the nature of light, the role of concave and convex lenses in focussing light to form an image and on making a ‘Home TV’....

Card Games

This resource contains three ideas for card games involving Planets of the Solar System. It includes instructions for playing the games and the cards of the Planets with key facts about them. The games are Trump Card, Snap and Families. This activity has been provided by European Universe Awareness (EU-UNAWE).

Universe in a Box

Aimed at primary level, this book provides a comprehensive range of practical activities relating to Earth and Space, light and astronomy. ‘Hands on’ activities include: creating a lunar landscape, Moon storytelling, modelling a solar eclipse, building a sundial,...

Where Will Philae Land? Rosetta in Orbit

Following the successful rendezvous of the Rosetta spacecraft, with comet 67P, this Catalyst article explains how a smaller spacecraft will land on the surface of the comet. Philae is due to land on the comet on 12 November 2014, the first ever attempt to land an object on the surface of a comet.

The article...

Build the Station Simulation

With just a few materials, building a paper model of the International Space Station (ISS) can become a class project. This publication contains a brief overview of the ISS, its parts, the science that occurs on board, instructions, and extension fact sheets. Learn about the ISS, explore fun facts, simulate...

Earth and Space

This short film follows Brendan Owens, as he hosts a workshop at the Royal Observatory with a group of schoolchildren to teach them about Earth and Space. He puts right common misconceptions about the moon, and gives his top tips on teaching Earth and Space. Using his rotating model, he brings the orbit of the...

The Benefits of Bringing Space to the Classroom

Filmed at the ESERO-UK Secondary Conference, in 2014, this video shows teachers talking about the benefits of attending the conference, networking with other teachers and learning about the different contexts that can be used to teach STEM subjects. The video also features UK European Space Agency astronaut Tim...

Delivering Cutting Edge Science into the Classroom

Produced in 2015 and filmed at the ESERO-UK Secondary Conference, in 2014, this video shows teachers talking about the benefits of bringing in ideas from cutting edge research and technology into the classroom. They describe how information about current space research and missions can help their teaching. The...

Tim Peake: Becoming an Astronaut

Filmed at the ESERO-UK Secondary Conference, in 2014, this video features UK European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake talking about the importance of science skills to be able to work on the International Space Station (ISS). He talks about his route to becoming an astronaut and possible career routes into...

Our Solar System

This creative research project allows children working at primary level to discover our closest neighbours in space and develop their communication skills. Working in groups, children research the eight planets, comets and asteroids in our Solar System. They find out about moons and rings, which planets have them...