On Thursday 28th November Year 5 went on an out of this world trip to We the Curious to learn more about Space. Did you know that the pyramids of Giza are aligned in the same formation as Orion’s belt? Or that the ancient Egyptians used the pole star to ensure the pyramids’ corners faced north, south, east and west? It is also clear that the ancient Egyptians were very interested in astrology and the movement of the moon. Year 5 were fascinated to learn about what current thinking is regarding our solar system and beyond.

With an interactive workshop we recapped on how day, night and seasons occur before looking further into our solar system and the galaxies that we believe lie beyond. We looked at scaled versions of the different planets that orbit the sun and really understood how the ‘gas giants’ got their name. Humans have only visited the moon but lots of us are very excited by the prospect of visits to Mars and even space tourism in the future.

We loved exploring the exhibits and some of us were lucky enough to be selected to try out some prototypes of exhibits that will hopefully be coming to We the Curious very soon. Before leaving, there was just enough time for our own quick voyage into space with a visit to the 3D planetarium. Whizzing through the solar system, faster than the speed of light, we visited the rings of Saturn (believed to be made from moons that collided and now orbit the planet), a meteor shower and the auroras of Uranus which make the northern lights look tiny in comparison.

We loved our visit and we would love to go back again – there just wasn’t enough time to explore everything! Our understanding of space has really improved and perhaps in Year 5 there are astronauts of the future! Who knows?