Duration: 20 minutes
SPIRIT Skills:
- Problem-solving
- Creativity
- Critical thinking
- Resilience
- Flexibility
- Curiosity, openness and sense of wonder
Brief Description:
At the end they make in sand with falling objects
lunar landscapes with different crater sizes.
Final task: Create a lunar landscape with 4 craters
- 1 large/long and deep crater
- 1 small/short and shallow crater
- 1 large (long) and deep crater
- 1 large (long) and shallow crater
Take a photo in black and white:
- once with the stones next to the craters
- once without the stones.
Afterwards, students explain how they formed this landscape.
They must use the scientific vocabulary they have learned.
How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills
Cause-and-effect-based critical thinking: The children draw on the “experiences” they gained in previous experiments. They no longer make random attempts but instead deliberately and consciously select the appropriate rock (weight, size) for a given crater because they understand the relationship: a heavier or larger rock leaves a different mark than a lighter one.
Problem-Solving and Design: The task is to accurately create a predefined “map of the Moon,” which requires serious visual and creative design. The children must first imagine (visualize) the finished image, then put their plan into practice step by step. This helps them solve tasks while keeping the goal in mind, which is the foundation of problem-solving.
Creativity: Although the task is specific (they must create four specific types of craters), children must be creative in how they arrange them across the sandy “landscape” and how they shape the surface so that it truly resembles a lunar environment. In addition, they must take creative photos that—since they are black-and-white—can be compared to actual lunar photos. This creates a strong connection between the task, reality, and “theory.”
Resilience and Flexibility: This phase puts their perseverance to the greatest test. If a crater isn’t as deep or wide as planned, they don’t give up but adjust their strategy (for example, by choosing a different rock or smoothing out the sand again). They learn that a “mistake” isn’t a failure but a natural opportunity to improve the experiment, which increases their flexibility. In this way, children become open to experimentation and flexible adjustments.
Through the experience of curiosity and wonder, and through photography: Taking photographs is a magical part of the process that fosters a sense of wonder. When the children take the photos—especially the “with rock” and “without rock” versions—their own little sandbox suddenly transforms, through the camera’s viewfinder, into a realistic, distant lunar landscape. This shift in perspective—seeing their own work through the “eyes of an astronaut”—deepens their enthusiasm for science and fills them with pride.
What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?
Children learn problem-solving thinking about gravity when they drop different types of stones (large/small, heavy/light) into a sandpit to create a lunar landscape. Through experimentation, they discover how the stones create craters and what role gravity plays in this, how deep they sink, and what effects the weight and height of the drop have. You can see problem-solving thinking in:
- Trying out different stones and heights to see what effect this has on the sand
- Comparing results (‘Which stone makes the biggest crater?’)
- Adjusting their approach if something doesn’t work (‘Maybe I should hold the stone higher’)
- Looking for solutions when a crater does not turn out well (‘Can I press the sand differently?’)
- Their behaviour shows curiosity, experimentation, comparison and improvement. Their results show different types of craters and a lunar landscape that shows they have thought about cause and effect.
Academic/Curriculum Objective connection
- The application of gravity and its force on the impact when objects fall
- Creating an image (2D or 3D) by deliberately placing objects in space.
- Students learn the basic principles of doing scientific research: careful observation and fair comparison.
In the translation it must be adapted! They are the national curriculum!
Materials and tools needed for implementation
Sandbox, stones, measuring tools, windscreen wiper, tablets, and/or cameras ((tripods).
Preparation notes
Visual aids: Supporting the planning phase is crucial for 6-year-old students. Create a simple illustrated chart (showing the 4 types of craters) that the children can see while they work. This will help students visualize the future landscape and consciously plan the sizes of the craters.
Science Vocabulary: An integral part of the activity is developing and using “scientific” vocabulary in their reports. Create flashcards with the words they’ve learned (e.g., crater, impact, depth, weight) to make it easier for them to use these terms in their reports.
Technology: Set up and test the tablet or camera in advance. Show the students how to take photos of the sand from above. Define fixed photography positions (tripod or a fixed camera position above the sandbox) so that the “with rock” and “without rock” photos can be clearly compared and evaluated.
Guided Questions
Since the task is complex (planning, execution, documentation, presentation) for 6-year-olds, the main point of our guidance in this case is not to provide the solution, but to offer direction that encourages them to discover things on their own.
Planning phase: These questions help children visualize and stick to their plan.
- Which stone on your tray looks the heaviest? What kind of mark do you think it will leave in the sand?”
- Take a look at your plan! Where do you want to make the deepest crater, and which stone will you try to use for it?
- Before you let go of the stone, think about it: how should you hold your hand so that your experiment is just as precise as when you practiced?
Challenges of execution phase (when they get stuck or the “crater” doesn’t work out). These questions support the resilience and flexibility when things don’t work out as planned.
- This crater turned out shallower than we’d hoped. What do you think would happen if you used a different stone?
- I know this turned out a little differently than you planned. Why do you think it took this shape?
- Look at your two attempts! What’s the difference between them? What might be causing this difference?” (Here, we draw attention to the cause-and-effect relationship.)
- How could you fix this crater so it looks more like your plan?
Reflection and Wonder: These questions foster curiosity and a sense of pride.
If an astronaut looked at your landscape, what would they think? Do you think they’d believe this is a real lunar landscape?”
Look at the photo! Which crater turned out best, and why is that one in particular?”
Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)
- Before you started creating the moon landscape, did you think about which crater you could make with which stone? Tell us how did you choose the stones for your design! Why did you think that you’d be able to make a ‘big and deep’ or a ‘small and shallow’ crater with that particular stone?
- We know that on the Moon, things don’t always work as planned the first time. Was there a crater in your creation that didn’t turn out exactly as you’d planned? What did you do in that case: how did you adjust your approach or the stones to ensure you were still satisfied with the result?
- We know that on the Moon, things don’t always work as planned the first time. Was there a crater in your creation that didn’t turn out exactly as you’d planned? What did you do in that case: how did you adjust your approach or the stones to ensure you were still satisfied with the result?
Tip for teachers: If the children get stuck while answering, don’t give them the answer—instead, ask them a follow-up question: “Do you remember when we said the heavy rock made a loud thud? Do you think that helped make the crater deeper?” This way, you can guide them toward articulating cause-and-effect relationships.
Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges
- Planning phase: It can be difficult for 6-year-olds to pay attention to 4 different types of craters at once. Use a simpler layout or fewer requested craters. Provide a pre-drawn plan or a photo to help them with their planning. For children who are more experienced with planning, give them a planning sheet (an A4 sheet) with four squares on it. The children can first sketch where they will place the large/deep or small/shallow craters.
- The difficulty of designing the craters: The “large but shallow” crater is a challenging task (it requires a light stone, but one that’s large in size). If you see them getting stuck, show them an example: “Let’s try using a stone with a large surface area but that’s light!
- Check before taking photos: Taking photos is an exciting activity for children. That’s why they often want to take a photo of their work quickly, before it’s completely finished or before they’ve checked whether it matches the plan. Introduce a “Scientific Control” before taking photos. The children should compare the craters in the sand to their design sheets. Ask: “Is this crater deep enough compared to the design?” This step develops critical thinking and precision.
- The “failure-tolerant” retry: If a crater doesn’t turn out right (e.g., it’s not deep enough), a 6-year-old can easily get discouraged. Don’t let them give up. Teach them the concept of “scientific correction”: “Okay, this one didn’t turn out deep enough, but what can we do? Which rock should we try again with, just on this small section?” This helps develop resilience and flexibility.
- The “failure-tolerant” retry: If a crater doesn’t turn out right (e.g., it’s not deep enough), a 6-year-old can easily get discouraged. Don’t let them give up. Teach them the concept of “scientific correction”: “Okay, this one didn’t turn out deep enough, but what can we do? Which rock should we try again with, just on this small section?” This helps develop resilience and flexibility.
- Using “Scientific Vocabulary”: Six-year-olds don’t yet use scientific terms confidently. Create flashcards. These can help them when they present their lunar landscape, so they can use the new terms more confidently when describing cause-and-effect relationships.