Space in VR
Every child in the class becomes an astronaut.
- Key stages
- KS1 - KS2
- Session length
- 45 - 60 minutes
- Group size
- One class at a time
- Formats
- Up to 6 sessions a day
About this workshop
Imagine every child in your class becoming an astronaut, exploring the depths of space through virtual reality. Our Space in VR workshop offers a journey where the entire class simultaneously pilots research vessels around planets and moons, delving deep into the wonders of the solar system.
Using a fully networked class set of headsets and our own software, the facilitator leads an immersive experience that enhances learning and boosts fact retention. Because every headset is on the same network, the class explores together and the facilitator can point out what they want pupils to notice.
Perfect for British Science Week, World Space Week, or any point in the year when your school wants to go further into the solar system than a textbook allows.
How the session runs
What happens in the 45 minutes
- 01
Mercury
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest planet in the Solar System. It is covered in craters and has extreme temperatures, with very hot days and freezing nights. A year on Mercury lasts just 88 Earth days.
- 02
Venus
Venus is the hottest planet in the Solar System because its thick atmosphere traps heat. It spins in the opposite direction to Earth and has no moons. Venus is similar in size to Earth and has thousands of volcanoes.
- 03
Mars
Mars is known as the Red Planet because iron in its rocks and soil gives it a reddish colour. It is less than half the size of Earth and has two moons, Phobos and Deimos. Mars is home to Olympus Mons, one of the largest volcanoes in the Solar System.
- 04
Jupiter
Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System and is a gas giant. It has a huge storm called the Great Red Spot and four large moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Io is highly volcanic, while Europa is believed to have an ocean beneath its icy surface.
- 05
Saturn
Saturn is a gas giant famous for its spectacular rings, which are made mainly of ice, rock and dust. It has many moons, including Enceladus, which has an ocean beneath its icy surface. Saturn's rings are extremely wide but surprisingly thin.
- 06
The Solar System
The Solar System contains eight planets that orbit the Sun, which is a star. Earth rotates once every approximately 24 hours and takes about one year to orbit the Sun. Gravity keeps planets and moons in their orbits, and the Solar System also contains dwarf planets, asteroids and comets.
- 07
Museum
The session closes in the museum, where pupils consolidate what they have learned and explore more about space and the planets.
What pupils will learn
The science they take away
Every session is built backwards from the curriculum objectives your teachers are already working to.
- 01The order, relative size and scale of the planets in our solar system
- 02Why Earth sits where it does and what makes it habitable
- 03How the Moon orbits Earth while Earth orbits the Sun
- 04What causes day, night and the seasons
- 05How moons differ from planets, with examples they have just flown past
- 06The vocabulary of space science, used in context rather than copied from a board
Curriculum links
What this covers in the National Curriculum
Science - Earth and space
- Understand that the Earth is one of eight planets in our Solar System and that the planets orbit the Sun.
- Understand that the Sun is a star and is at the centre of our Solar System.
- Understand that the Earth rotates on its axis and orbits the Sun, creating day, night and a year.
- Recognise that the Moon orbits the Earth.
- Identify the eight planets in our Solar System and understand their order from the Sun.
- Understand that planets vary greatly in size, temperature, atmosphere and surface conditions.
- Identify key characteristics of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
- Understand that gravity is a force that affects planets, moons and other objects in space.
- Recognise that Mercury is the smallest planet and the closest planet to the Sun.
- Understand that Venus is the hottest planet and has a thick atmosphere that traps heat.
- Recognise Mars as the Red Planet and identify some of its key features, including its moons and Olympus Mons.
- Understand that Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System and identify its Great Red Spot and Galilean moons.
- Recognise Saturn because of its prominent rings and understand that they are made primarily of ice and dust.
- Understand that some moons may contain oceans beneath their icy surfaces.
- Recognise that space is a vacuum and that sound cannot travel through it because there is no air.
- Understand that humans have travelled to the Moon and that spacecraft have explored other planets.
- Use information from the virtual expedition to investigate and compare planets and moons.
- Develop scientific questioning, observation and recall skills by predicting answers before viewing each film and reviewing them afterwards.
Key vocabulary
The words pupils will use
These are the scientific terms our facilitator uses during the session, so you can introduce them beforehand or pick them up again in follow-up lessons.
- Space
- Solar System
- Sun
- star
- planet
- orbit
- rotation
- axis
- gravity
- atmosphere
- oxygen
- vacuum
- astronaut
- spacesuit
- Moon
- satellite
- Mercury
- crater
- Venus
- volcano
- greenhouse effect
- Mars
- Red Planet
- Phobos
- Deimos
- Olympus Mons
- Jupiter
- gas giant
- Great Red Spot
- Io
- Europa
- Ganymede
- Callisto
- Saturn
- rings
- ice
- dust
- Enceladus
- dwarf planet
- Ceres
- Pluto
- Haumea
- Makemake
- Eris
- Copernicus
- heliocentric
In your school
Pupils do not learn the order of the planets. They fly past them.
Logistics
What we bring, what you need
We bring
- A fully networked class set of VR headsets
- Our own space content, written for the primary curriculum
- A DBS-checked facilitator to lead every session
- Cleaning and hygiene kit used between every class
- All cabling, charging and a spare headset
You provide
- A school hall or a large, clear indoor space
- A parking space close by so equipment can be unloaded
- A member of school staff present in each session
- A timetable of class rotations agreed in advance
Questions schools ask
Before you book
- Is VR safe for primary-aged children?
- Yes. Sessions are short, pupils stay seated, and headsets are cleaned between classes. Any child who would rather not wear one takes part on the big screen instead.
- How many children can take part in a day?
- Typically six sessions of one class each, which covers a one-form-entry school in a single day.
- Do we need internet access?
- No. The headsets run on our own network, so nothing depends on your school wifi.
- What if a child feels unwell in the headset?
- Sessions are kept short for exactly this reason. Pupils can lift the headset at any time and our facilitator watches the group throughout.
