Moon Shelter – Investigating different shelters on Earth and in space

Brief description:

In this set of activities, pupils will analyse the importance of having shelter for protection on Earth and in space.

Pupils will compare the environmental conditions on Earth and on the Moon, and in a group they will imagine and build their own Moon shelter using materials comparable to the soil on the Moon, known as Moon analogues.

Subject: Science, Arts

Learning Objectives:

Recognise the importance of shelters in providing protection from the environment.

Relate environmental conditions with known shelters.

Understand that the atmosphere is important for life on Earth.

Recognise that the Earth and the Moon have very different environmental conditions.

Identify some necessary features of a shelter on the Moon.

Improve their creative thinking and ability to work in a group.

Age range:

8-12 years old

Time

Lesson: 90 minutes

Resource available in:

English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Polish, Spanish, Romanian and Estonian

Activity 1: Taking shelter

In this activity, pupils analyse their local environment and identify the weather events that they take shelter from in their daily lives. They will also identify the characteristics of different shelters and their positive and negative points. Pupils should record their answers in the worksheet or in their notebook.

Equipment

Student worksheet printed for each pupil.

Pen/pencil

Activity 2: World shelters

In this activity, pupils will investigate the different environments that exist on Earth. They will compare their local weather conditions to some of the most extreme that occur around the world. They will then explore the types of shelters that are used in these locations.

Equipment

Student worksheet printed for each pupil.

Pen/pencil

Activity 3: Could you live on the Moon?

After exploring different conditions on Earth in Activities 1 and 2, pupils will now investigate the different conditions that exist in space – focusing on the Moon.

Equipment

Pen / pencil

Student worksheet printed for each pupil

Activity 4: Making a home on the Moon

In this activity, pupils will apply the knowledge they have aquired in the previous activities to design and build their ideal Moon shelter.

Equipment

Student worksheet printed for each pupil.

Pen/pencil

Clay

Plastic

Polystyrene

Balloons

Did you know?

The environment on the Moon is very different from Earth. The Moon’s surface is very rocky, covered with very thin dark dust, similar to sand known as regolith.

Day and night are also very different on the Moon. One day on the Moon lasts almost the same as one month on Earth. This means that on the Moon it is daytime during 15 Earth days straight and then night-time for 15 Earth days straight.