For Term 2 2019, Banksia Montessori’s theme will be ‘The Solar System’. At the age of five, children are fascinated and enthusiastic when learning about this subject. Buy a book for your child about space, the stars and the planets. Tell your child about our solar system ‘The Milky Way’, which consists of 8 planets and 1 dwarf planet, many moons and thousands of asteroids and comets. Get creative and make a mobile from card and string. Or simply draw a diagram on a large piece of paper. Explain to your child how the Sun is the centre of our system. It is more than a hundred times bigger than our planet, Earth, and how it provides light and heat. Explain how the powerful force of gravity is what keeps the planets orbiting around it.
At this age, your child may also show an interest in astronauts, space ships and rockets. Research with your child to find out how astronauts breathe in outer space, what and how they eat or why they strap themselves in before going to sleep. Create your own ‘rocket’ by inflating an oblong balloon and taping it to a stick. Keep the nozzle end pinched between your fingers and facing the floor. Release your grip and watch it propel itself toward the ceiling.