Students from El Bosque participated in the workshop “Let’s Draw the Moon!”

The activity was held at the President Salvador Allende Gossens School and brought together 40 third grade students who, through art and science, learned about the Earth's natural satellite.

As part of its mission to bring astronomy closer to the community, the scientific outreach program of the Center for Astrophysics and Related Technologies (CATA) held the workshop “Let’s draw the Moon!” at the President Salvador Allende Gossens School, located in the district of El Bosque.

The day was carried out with the participation of 40 third grade students, who, through drawings and playful dynamics, explored different characteristics of the Moon, such as its phases, its surface and its importance for life on Earth.

The workshop was guided by José Utreras, CATA’s Outreach Content Coordinator and Doctor in Astronomy, who shared his knowledge in a close and entertaining way to awaken the scientific curiosity of the youngest students.

“The experience with the students was very good. They really liked being able to draw the Moon and recognize it in their own work. What most caught my attention was the number of questions they asked; they were very curious and eager to understand. As CATA it is important to bring astronomy closer to schools because that is where those first questions can arise, the ones that are born when the topics are still surprising. Dissemination in these spaces opens the door for science to become something of its own”, said the astronomer.

In addition, during the development of the activity, the team had the support of the CATA monitor, Valentina Garrido, which allowed direct interaction with each student and a personalized accompaniment in their artistic creations. The teacher Yannie García from the Presidente Salvador Allende Gossens School, referred to the intervention carried out by our Center and the importance of bringing outreach to educational establishments.

“Institutions like CATA generate the value of science from childhood with different experiences, with experts in the field, allowing the experiential as a close action with knowledge in a playful, didactic and entertaining way. In addition, it awakens in the students a sense of projection and professional interest. It was a good and pertinent activity,” said the school teacher.

This workshop is part of CATA’s outreach actions that seek to strengthen the link between science and citizenship, in order to bring the knowledge of the universe closer to schools and schoolchildren, generating interest in this field.