On Wednesday 18th January 2017, Keighley Astronomical Society paid a return visit to Victoria Primary School, Keighley. The pupils of Mrs Tokarski class had a afternoon of Islamic Astronomy. The pupils were taken back to the golden age of the ‘House of wisdom’ and the works of Ibn al-Haytham. Through a series of work sheets; the making of a flip chart model of the phases of the Moon and a planisphere of the night sky, the students curiosity, imagination, and a sense of shared exploration and discovery was harnessed. The mapping of the night sky by Arabic scholars was brought to the classroom. The session ended with each student constructing an Astrolabe. An invention from the Islamic word that enabled navigation by the stars across the vast deserts and empty quarters of Asia and Africa.
We returned on the afternoon of 1st February with the ever popular a rocket building and launching session, were science and technology meet. Prizes were awarded to pupils with the best designed and constructed rockets after being tested in flight.
Students getting to grips with the size of Outer Space, with a scale model of the Earth and Moon system.
A model of an Islamic sundial made by the students with a worksheet on the phases of the Moon
Model Astrolabes, made by the students.
Rocket engineers in the making.
Rocket launching in the school playground.
The builders of the best designed rockets are awarded medals.
