CAMBRIDGE -- More than 600 red, white and blue balloons, each carrying a student's message or prayer, were released by schoolchildren in tribute to the seven astronauts who perished last week aboard the space shuttle Challenger.

The balloon release yesterday in front of Tobin Elementary School culminated a week of discussions in Cambridge schools aimed at assisting children to cope with the January 28 tragedy, said Kate Conway, a teacher at Tobin.

Conway said that she and her colleagues conceived the idea so that young people could visually counteract the shuttle explosion that occurred in the sky before their eyes on national television.

"Through this gesture we believe that each child will reach a mental conclusion to this tragic event, place it in proper perspective and rest their minds to the present and the fact that life must continue and they must go on," she said.

Students' messages revealed a clear concern.

"Dear God, I hope you help the seven astronauts that blew up and their families," wrote Gabriel Larson, a fourth-grader. "Give them a good time in heaven."

Officials at the school said they have been deluged with questions about the explosion by schoolchildren having difficulty understanding the tragedy and the fate of the seven astronauts.