A BRITISH Science Week astronomy evening at Canonbie primary school packed in everything from stargazing to drones and from bats to virtual reality.
The event, which attracted families from Canonbie, Langholm and Newcastleton, combined the week with the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the moon landings and the link with astronaut Neil Armstrong.
The school’s curriculum topics of space and light were the focus for the activities which included stargazing at Gilnockie Tower with Hayden Goodfellow, an astronomer at Kielder Observatory, and a look at the Neil Armstrong exhibition.
Howard Mattinson ran a drone workshop with a display of star photos, Donna Hislop ran craft sessions making constellation cookies, moon dough and space mobiles, and Wendy Patterson made a campfire.
Kevin Cumming and Carys Mainprize of Wild Eskdale and David Dodds, ecological consultant, took families on a bat walk with bat detectors by the river.
There was storytelling by Fiona Bryson and author Jessica Fox and a world of work workshop was run by Gemma Huntington and Langholm Academy pupils.
A STEM workshop using Kapla, run by Kathryn Butler, was very popular as was the rocket-building session with Jamie Robison and digital coding with Andrea Brockley.
A cacophony of sounds was heard coming from Sarah Berker’s music session which focused on the planets.
Dome
Sian Yeshe and Jason Railton, based in a dome on the playingfield, gave youngsters the chance to experience virtual reality using headsets.
Carol Wilson, headteacher, said: “It started with a walk with my dog and enjoying the natural beauty of our night sky here.
“I realised we should celebrate this to attract tourists and link this to teaching our curriculum topics, space and light.
“Combining this with British Science Week and family learning workshops to prepare for celebrating the anniversary of the moon landing was the perfect opportunity to host one larger, ambitious event, incorporating many elements of our school work to raise aspirations and attainment.”
More than 150 tickets were sold and the money raised will further support the development of the school’s D&G Makerspace for community use.
Fly me to the moon: Families enjoy an out-of-world experience from the ground
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