Year 3 have been learning about Mae C Jemison, a famous African American astronaut. She was the first black woman to go to space. To deepen their learning they visited the Planetarium to watch a 3D show called ‘Meet the Neighbours.’
As part of the visit, the children were able to explore the grounds and see the meridian line which represents the Prime Meridian of the world, Longitude Zero (0° 0′ 0″). Every place on the Earth is measured in terms of its angle east or west from this line. Since 1884, the Prime Meridian has served as the reference point for Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and this line runs across the courtyard of the Royal Observatory where the Planetarium is based.
During their visit to the Planetarium, they watched a 3D show called Meet the Neighbours which took them on an exhilarating journey through the Solar System. They were very keen to ask questions and find out more about the planets and learn how Mae C Jemison would have felt when she went into space!
After the show, the sun was shining so the children were luck enough to be able to have a picnic in the park before they started their journey back to school.
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This is what some of the year 3 children thought about the day:
Ayman: I thought my day was very good because in the Planetarium, it looked very realistic. It was 3 dimensional! I learnt that you can use the stars to find north so if you ever get lost, just look and the sky and you will be able to find your way!
Laila: I really liked seeing the stars. The show was very interesting. I learnt that the planets have moons. I think Mae C Jemison would have been amazed when she first went into space. She may have seen a Black Hole!
Matthias: I saw something amazing! I looked up into the sky and saw the planets and the Solar System. I saw stars, moons and asteroids. My favourite part was laying back and looking at the Solar System.
