Primary School Archives - Discovery Diaries

Announcing the Deep Space Diary

To celebrate the launch of the Deep Space Diary, Curved House Kids and the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) are giving away 15,000 free books to UK schools.

Chapter Four: Writing Activities

All of the Mars Diary Chapter Four activities can be expanded into writing exercises, making them useful for cross-curricular learning.

Star Apprentice Luke: Making great strides

We chose Luke as August’s Star Apprentice after receiving a very heart-warming note from his mother, Laura, when she applied for Luke’s graduation.

An Astronaut Workout auf Deutsch!

You’ve tried the Astronaut Workout, but have you tried it in German?

Chapter Three: Writing Activities

All of the Chapter Three activities can be expanded into writing exercises, making them useful for cross-curricular learning.

Chapter Two: Writing Activities

All of the Mars Diary Chapter Two activities can be expanded into writing exercises, making them useful for cross-curricular learning.

Bringing STEAM to sick kids

How a 9-year-old’s love of science is brightening up hospital wards.

Chapter One: Writing Activities

All of the Mars Diary Chapter One activities can be expanded into writing exercises, making them useful for cross-curricular learning.

Keeping Kids Motivated

Keep your students motivated, whether they’re learning at home or in the classroom.

Using our Curriculum Guides

Every child in your class is unique, so we’ve prepared ideas for differentiation for each Discovery Diary activity.

Collect Your Mission Badges!

Mission Badges are great way to incentivise students as they complete different chapters in our programmes.

Mars’s thin atmosphere

Mars’s atmosphere is about 100 times thinner than our home planet’s. Find out one theory about why it’s so thin.

Run A Spaced-Themed Event: Astronaut Workout

The first activity in the Principia Space Diary is a 5-station Astronaut Workout.

Using Zap Codes to Strengthen Digital Literacy

What exactly is a Zap code and how do you use it?

Mars’s missing oceans

Why did Mars change from blue to red? This video by a National Geographic explorer explains what happened.

Developed by primary teacher Claire Loizos, these student reflection sheets encourage students to recap on what they have learnt during a whole chapter of one of our programmes or after a specific activity.

How Teacher Feedback Has Improved the Space Diary

Since launching the first edition of the Space Diary in 2015, we have received so many wonderful comments from teachers across the UK.

Teacher Feedback and Testimonials

The second edition of the Principia Space Diary is better than ever, thanks to the feedback and suggestions we have received from teachers over the course of the programme.

Become a Star Apprentice

Each month we’re looking to showcase some Star Apprentices and we want your students to help us find them!

Is Mars’s soil really red?

For World Soil Day we wanted to find out if the soil on Mars was really red and what makes it look that way.

Our Methodology: Create to Learn, Learn to Create

For those interested in pedagogical methodologies, here’s a whistlestop tour of ours.

Developing the Mars Diary

Just like a space mission needs many people with different skills to make it a success, the Mars Diary is a truly collaborative project involving authors, illustrators, designers, project coordinators, teaching experts and, of course, STEM experts.

The Principia Space Diary programme returns in 2017

Principia Space Diary is back, giving thousands of schoolchildren the chance to become space experts as they learn about British European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake’s historic space mission.

British Science Week 2018

To celebrate British Science Week 2018, we created a free Daily STEM Challenge for KS1/2 or equivalent!

The Space Diary is back!

Principia Space Diary is back, giving thousands of schoolchildren the chance to become space experts as they learn about British European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake’s historic space mission.

Meet our closest neighbour

Mars might be about 225 million kilometres away from Earth but it’s still our closest neighbouring planet.

Principia Schools Conference: Meeting Tim Peake

Imaging meeting Tim Peake! Students from Wellesley did just that at the Principia schools conference.

Meet the ORSAnauts

The Oxford Road Community School’s ORSAnauts watch the live stream of the Principia launch.

Space Apprentices Reach the Halfway Mark!

By the children of the Gardening Club at Hillmead Primary School, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts

Veg in Space! Learn about Space Gardening

Growing plants in space is an important area of research – especially as we need to explore how we might be able to grow food on planets such as Mars.

Calling Awesome Teachers: Be Part of a Unique Space Mission

We’re going into space! Well, sort of…