Space Workshop

A workshop on astronomy and science was organized for the students of Grade 4 as a part of the ongoing unit, How the world works, on Thursday, 14^th February, 2013. The theme for the workshop was “Ways and means of space exploration”. Anju Khanna, regional manager, Neetin Gusain, client relationship manager, Pooja Kumar, assistant scientific officer and Sakshi, the educator from a company ,“Space” based in New Delhi lead the workshop.

Pooja led the Pathwayzians on their journey to explore the frontiers of space further. The session started off with an interesting quiz based on the  prerequisites to be an astronaut. Students then undertook a lung capacity test to test their endurance to breathe in the thin air that exists in space. This was followed by a low gravity balancing act wherein they skillfully balanced balls in the spoon. Chosen few were given a chance to show their dancing skills in vacuum and viola; the best ones were given an opportunity to be an astronaut. The students dwelled on the nitty gritties of the space suit and the difficulties faced by the astronauts in space. Shreyans and Aryaman from our Grade were the two lucky ones to become astronauts by wearing the astronaut's suit and Aryaman finally won prizes for winning the competition.

Students displayed their ingenuity by building rockets individually assembling the components given. The mechanism used to propel a rocket into space was explained. They experienced the launching of a rocket into space in a virtual simulated environment and the ones whose rockets travelled the maximum distance were rewarded. The enthusiasm and excitement was palpable in the air. After a refreshing lunch break students used another technology to propel the rockets through the air, the pop method.

Later on they watched a video on ‘International Space Station’ where a live recording of the actual station and the cosmonauts was shown. They were briefed about the lives of cosmonauts in space.

Overall students learnt about how the astronauts are trained, rockets launched and further exploration conducted to understand the mysteries of space.

Amid the chaos and din of the day, the students had an enriching and enlightening learning experience. They took space mementos home to continue with their journey of exploration further.