This term Reception enjoyed an Astronomy Workshop at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, hosted by female astronomers from the Royal Observatory. The day began well with a walk through a sunny Greenwich Park to the iconic landmark (with biscuits on the way!) and got even better with the first workshop, ‘Where Am I?’, which introduced the girls to the Earth’s position in the solar system and the unique features of the other planets. They discovered that you could celebrate four birthdays a year on Mercury and watched beautiful nebulae projected across the ceiling. 

Their next stop was Astronaut Training in Mission Control, where they blasted off to the Moon to examine impressions of real lunar craters, dig for “moon rocks,” and experience the recreated smell of moon dust based on Buzz Aldrin’s spacesuit. Opinions varied, but most agreed it smelt like fires or old teabags. At the end of the mission, they crashed landed back to earth with the help of a parachute – just like real astronauts.   

It was a fantastic day out, filled with excitement and wonder. Everyone came away with a favourite moment, and there’s no doubt the experience will be talked about for weeks to come. 

Written by Mrs Brown, Reception teacher