KENNEDY HIGH the global school organized an educational trip to the Birla Planetarium for students of grade 3 to 5 on 3 January 2023, to take a closer look at the Solar system, and to show the students how the planetary world looks like.

Students visited the Science museum as well as the Dinosauriam that harbours the archaeological remains and collections from prehistoric times.

The show at the planetarium was spectacular. The students were excited to watch the planets. They could relate to the zodiac signs and how those look in the sky and where to look for Mars and other constellations. The ‘Mangalyaan’ (Journey to Mars) and the ‘Mars Rovers’ captured their attention the most. Their hearts filled with pride when they learnt that our country launched its satellite ‘Mangalyaan’ into the Mars orbit.

The students gained a lot of information on NASA's mission to explore the planet Mars. For instance, they were excited to know about Mars Rovers “Pathfinder, Opportunity and Curiosity” robots that were sent to the planet to study the Martian climate, physical features, etc. They also learnt that Mars might have had similar features to earth (like river valleys, craters, mountains etc.) They were fascinated to know that scientists are investigating if life ever existed on Mars and if so, what happened to the planet and possibilities of restoring it back to life.

The second attraction of the visit was the display of a large “Dinosaur” in the Dinosaurium.  This display was a myth buster for our students who assumed that Dinosaurs are fictional (seen in movies only) or once existed only in Africa.

The students also appreciated the artistic creativity of the excavated stone sculptures that came from their own regions. They realized that our country indeed has a truly rich culture and heritage.

 New vocabulary was introduced to them during the trip like ‘observatory, conservatory, archaeology, anthropology, meteorites, milky way, galaxy, space, and telescope’.

After an enlightening experience, the students and teachers had a sumptuous lunch and boarded the buses to return to school, with a happy heart and enriched minds.