Our place in space: What's the moon got to do with life on Earth?

Free*

Available on Mondays and Thursdays.

This workshop can be complemented with a visit to our Planetarium.

Have a question about this workshop? Email learning@greatnorthmuseum.org.uk

*Make a donation to support the learning programme.

Just how does our place in space influence life on Earth? 

In this workshop, your pupils will investigate this by considering the important relationship between the Earth, Sun and moon.

Using a model, they'll learn how tides come about. Then, they'll learn what an intertidal habitat is, and how it changes everyday as the tides ebb and flow. Next, they'll get up close to museum objects collected from intertidal habitats, like a sea turtle shell, starfish, sea urchins and horseshoe crabs. Looking for their adaptations to this challenging habitat, they'll discuss how the moon influences life on Earth.

As part of your space topic, you may also wish to book a Planetarium show - click for full details of the shows available. Please note, planetarium visits incur a charge.

Elsewhere in the museum, you can use the workshop to make a link to the adaptations of different animals and plants in local and worldwide intertidal habitats. Take a look at our Natural Northumbria and Living Planet galleries to explore more.

Intended Learning Outcomes: 

• Explore how the Earth’s place in space influences life on Earth, and describe how the moon influences our tides.  
• Examine and describe specimens from intertidal habitats.