Students from primary schools in Buffalo City (South Africa) and Leiden (The Netherlands) have joined forces to observe the Moon for a full month! EU-UNAWE organised this collective project, in which both schools focussed on the seasons and the lunar phases.
From 21 May till 21 June, the children from the separate continents observed the different phases of the Moon, and marked this on their self-made lunar calendar. Also, both classes performed several other exercises about the Moon. The students made flip books of the lunar phases, calculated how much they’d weigh on the Moon and crafted moon craters.
By comparing their observations, the children discovered some important differences between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. For example, they saw that the Moon appears 'upside down' to the other half of the world, and also learned that the seasons appeared at different times in different countries. While the Dutch kids experienced summer – with warm, long days, – their South African peers went through winter! By drawing shadows, the two classes found out that this seasonal change is caused by the height of the Sun in the sky.
To complement the drawings of the Moon and the shadows, the students in Leiden made their own short movie about the project. Afterwards, they sent their video to South Africa, to give the students there an inside scoop into their part of the world, with its different seasons, cultures and climates.
Below you can watch the movie made by the students in Leiden.
Leiden video: Leiden - Buffalo City school twinning from Universe Awareness on Vimeo.
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