Midhirst pupils explore the galaxy

Pupils at Midhirst school took a tour of the galaxy last Friday, arriving back in the playgound in time for morning tea.

Their guide for the tour, Gloria Witheford, had brought Starlab, best described as an inflatable igloo, to the school and it was well received by the young galactic tourists.

"Everything was cool to see and learn about." Seven-year-old Katie Brown says she was "amazed" to learn that stars are all different colours, "not just silver or white like they look to us".

Harrison Reed (5) had plans to go home and show his parents the night sky that evening. "Saturn is the only planet we can see from here at the moment so I am going to look for it when it is dark."

Gloria has worked in the field of astronomy education for over 25 years, the past 12 of which she has been bringing Starlab to schools and groups around the North Island. "It's great fun, I love introducing children to space, it's such an amazing topic to explore and learn about."

For many of the pupils to crawl through the tunnel to enter Starlab, a highlight was getting to hold a piece of a real meteorite. "It felt heavy," says Alyssa McNab, "but it was smooth, it came a long way through space".

Gloria says she talks to an average of 30,000 children every year, bringing her inflatable indoor planetarium to classrooms, and introducing youngsters to the magic and wonders of space.

Visit her website: www.starlab-astronomy.co.nz for more details.