Description:
Having arrived on the island of Muck the previous day, Chris was able to spend the whole day with the six pupils of the island’s small primary school. Muck is a small island with a population of around 45, and one of what are know as the small isles – namely, Eigg, Muck, Rum and Canna. The ferry runs once a day, which means that school visits off the island are problematic, so it’s no surprise that islanders are very glad to see visiting scientists. The pupils ranged from P2 (age 6) to P5 (age 9), so it was relatively straightforward to involve them in all activities. The morning involved the Earth, Sun and Moon activity, followed by ‘Stars & Constellations’, where the children created their own planispheres.

After lunch at the only cafe/shop on the island, we looked at the Nature of Light, Gravity and Space Exploration before it was time for home. It was very rewarding to see that the children all kept up their enthusiasm for the whole day. After a little break, 8 members of the local community (20% of the island) came along to an evening of astronomy, where we looked at a few of the celestial objects that were visible around the time of year. After that, there was nothing more to do apart from exploring the island the following morning and waiting for the lunchtime ferry back to the mainland.