Due to a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011, the International Day of Human Space Flight has been recognized on April 12, the anniversary of the first human space flight by Soviet cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin. As mentioned in the resolution, this day is meant to celebrate "the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and people, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes." Despite all of that being a mouthful, there's no doubt that the exploration of space has been an important mission for many countries.
Today Kindergarten students enjoyed watching a couple of short videos concerning the first human in space and also the first person to walk on the moon. They worked on launching foam finger rockets, the kind that pull back with a long rubber band and release. We are going to do this activity at our upcoming "Moving Through the Months" Kindergarten Field Day when we recognize the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing on July 20, 1969. This activity takes practice, so today was the perfect day to work on it.
The class takes aim at a white parachute that served as our moon.
A high trajectory can help the rocket go further.
This student landed her rocket on the moon.
