In February, our Year 4 class had the incredible opportunity to visit EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) in Darmstadt, thanks to the generous support of one of our class parents who works there. It was a day filled with curiosity, excitement, and learning!
The first thing that amazed the children was the building itself. Shaped like a giant satellite, it instantly captured their imagination. As we stepped inside, the sense of awe only grew. The huge screens and control rooms made it feel like we were stepping into a real space station. The visit began with an engaging introduction to what EUMETSAT does—monitoring weather, climate, and the environment from space using satellites.
Our young scientists asked dozens of brilliant questions, from "How are satellites built?" to "How do they stay in space?" The EUMETSAT team was fantastic in explaining everything in a way the children could really connect with. They learned about the history of satellites, including when the first ones were launched, and discovered how satellite technology has transformed the way we understand weather, climate, and our planet. The children couldn’t believe that before satellites, weather forecasts were made using only ground observations and sea reports!
Back in the classroom, the learning didn’t stop. Inspired by what they had seen and heard, the children worked in teams to design and build their own model satellites. Using real examples like Rosetta, Gaia, and others as a starting point, they not only recreated satellites from the past and present, but also imagined the next generation of satellites—ones that could explore further, measure more precisely, and help protect our planet in the future. It was a brilliant blend of creativity, teamwork, and scientific thinking.
We are grateful to EUMETSAT for hosting us, and especially to the parent who made this visit possible. It was great way to extend learning beyond the classroom walls.
Text and picures: Zayed Wood. Class teacher Y4bWW