From modelling Earth’s rotation to marvelling at meteorites, our Year 3 students have been on a cosmic adventure. They’ve been exploring the wonders of space as part of God’s awe-inspiring creation, where science and faith intertwine.
The Year 3 class has been learning about the wonder and majesty of Space, a part of God’s creation that truly inspires awe. our studies have focused on how the Earth’s rotation on its axis causes the regular, predictable changes of night and day. Students have been investigating patterns in the sky, carrying out simple experiments, and modelling Earth’s movement to deepen their understanding of God’s order and design. To build on this learning, we were blessed with the opportunity to visit the Perth Observatory. The day was filled with excitement, curiosity, and many moments of wonder as the students rotated through a variety of hands-on activities.
One favourite activity was “Sunshine and Rainbows,” where the children looked through prisms and special glasses to see how light reflects and bends into rainbows. Outside, the air quickly filled with joyful shouts of “Wow!” and “Look at this!” – a reminder that God’s creation is both beautiful and full of mystery. During the Sun, Earth, and Moon activity, the students compared their sizes, acted out their movements, and learned a fun mnemonic to remember the planets in order. The telescope tour was another highlight, as the children explored both old and modern telescopes in the open spaces of the Observatory grounds and discovered how they had been used for search over the years. Perhaps the most exciting moment came when students made paper helicopters after hearing about Mars exploration and the incredible technology used to study God’s universe beyond Earth.
At the final station the children were amazed to see a huge piece of meteorite up close. They also learned about moon phases and why we see them. Standing outdoors under the open sky made these lessons feel very real. The excursion was a wonderful way to bring our Earth and Space unit to life, and it reminded us of just how vast and amazing God’s creation is. We came back to school full of knowledge, thankful hearts, and a fresh sense of wonder at the world God has made.
