Year 5s Step into the Solar System
This week, our Year 5 students travelled millions of kilometres through space, without ever leaving the College grounds.
The Perth Observatory visited Santa Maria for a hands-on incursion that transformed classroom learning into a full-scale cosmic experience. Fittingly, the visit coincided with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, giving our students the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women in STEM, including Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg.
A Walk Among the Planets
As part of the Cosmic Mission: Exploring the Solar System session, students created a scaled planet walk across the College. Seeing the vast distances laid out before them helped bring perspective to just how expansive our solar system truly is.
Alice (5.2) shared, “It helped me understand how far away the planets are from each other and if it is closer to the Sun, the planet is hotter.”
Along the way, students discovered fascinating facts about each planet, learnt a new mnemonic to remember their order and tested their knowledge in an interactive quiz.
Most importantly, the experience brought the concept of the “Goldilocks planet” to life. Students could clearly see why Earth’s position, not too close and not too far from the Sun, makes life possible.
Investigating Our Closest Star
During the Solar Detectives session, students turned their attention to our closest star. Using an Observatory telescope fitted with a specialised solar filter, they safely observed the Sun in remarkable detail.
Olivia (5.4) explained, “The Sun has sunspots and they are very hot. They looked like orangey black dots that were on the Sun when we were looking through the telescope and on the iPad.”
Emmy (5.3) was fascinated to learn, “Solar flares can get so big that it can affect satellites, which you use to communicate with others and sunspots are bald spots on the Sun.”
Students also explored how auroras form and how solar activity can impact life on Earth, linking their observations to real-world scientific phenomena.
Cate (5.5) reflected, “I enjoyed looking at the Sun spotters because we could see sunspots on the Sun’s image without it hurting our eyes. By using the measuring roller and images of the planets and Sun, we could see that the rocky planets were closer together and the gassy planets were further apart.”
Learning That Builds Confidence
The incursion aligned directly with the Earth and Space Sciences unit currently being studied in class, strengthening students’ understanding before they move into new learning about Earth’s rotation and revolution.
Class 5.4 teacher Rebecca Smith shared, “Experiences like this help the girls connect what they’ve learnt in class to real-world science. It builds their confidence and deepens their curiosity before we begin exploring new concepts.”
Throughout the day, students asked thoughtful questions, analysed what they observed and eagerly connected new information to existing knowledge.
When learning is interactive and guided by experts, it does more than reinforce content, it sparks curiosity. Experiences like this encourage our students to see themselves not just as learners of science, but as future contributors to it.
We look forward to seeing where their curiosity takes them next.
- Earth and Space Sciences, Featured, Hands-on Learning, Perth Observatory visit, Primary Science Education, Santa Maria College, Solar System Incursion, Women in STEM, Year 5 STEM Learning
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
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