The ‘Little School of Astronomy for Children’ kicked off for the first time ever in three cities in Bosnia: Sarajevo, Tuzla and Mostar. This school, run by UNAWE Bosnia & Herzegovina, welcomed children three times a week in an improvised classroom at the Astronomical Society Orion. From March to May 2015, 43 children aged 5-11 with different backgrounds and ethnicities visited the classroom.
At the Little School, children were divided in groups of 10 and educated by 6 UNAWE trainers. The activities, mainly coming from Universe in a Box, started with the Moon as the first object that attracts attention to the night sky. This first class was a great success, as the children brought their own drawings and songs about the Moon when they came back for the next class. A 7-year-old boy, inspired by the first landing on the Moon, even made a skyrocket out of a plastic bottle and card paper! The educators grabbed this opportunity to raise environmental awareness about recycling and the ways we can use plastic materials in a creative way.
A magical moment appeared when the kids discovered the true shape of the Earth, thanks to Universe in a Box. Most of the children already knew that the Sun is our star and they have heard about Galileo through the Internet and from their parents. However, explaining how the planets rotate around the Sun was challenging to the teachers. But with dancing and swirling it became much clearer and more fun! Planets and asteroids were the kids’ favorites, and most of all the creation of our Solar System, which they discovered by playing a game. Through fairy tales and mythological stories, the children learned about the constellations. While telling the story about constellation Cygnus, one child yelled “black hole!”
“I think this shows that after seven classes, the children have learned a lot. They went back home and explored astronomical phenomena themselves. They really impressed us!” says Semina Merdic from UNAWE Bosnia. “Based on this experience, I would point out that the interactive and creative style of learning is a two way road, where children and educators are both teachers and learners.”
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