Sidewalk chalk solar system, sparkly constellation sensory bags, erupting moon rocks, moon waffles, and more! (This post contains affiliate links.)
Okay, so, S P A C E has never been a favorite of mine. I always make fun of my husband for being a Star Wars fanatic, and couldn’t have cared less about the wonders of the universe. I’m dealing with plenty right here on Earth! But this theme turned out to be fun and educational for me, too, and (the best part) it was easy to find lots to do for the kids. From star-gazing to art making, from learning about the solar system to making use of several cool activity-based birthday presents that tied into our unit nicely, I think this week was success. An easy way to apply ideas from this blog is to use my #1 resource in teaching – Pinterest! Follow my Space Theme Page for tons of learning and playing activities.
Let’s get started with some discussion questions to discover what your kids are most interested in learning more about, and use them to guide your teaching and Pinterest-ing:
- What are the names of all of the planets in our solar system? What are some dwarf planets?
- What are the differences between stars and planets, and what are their life cycles?
- Define terms such as black hole, galaxy, milky way, eclipse, meteor, etc.
- How do rocket (space) ships work?
- What do Astronauts and NASA engineers do? How do they impact our understanding of the universe?
R E A D I N G
My son had identified “how the Earth was made,” which evolved into “planets,” which evolved into “space” as a learning theme early in the spring. As I planned for the summer, I learned about the solar eclipse on August 21 (our wedding anniversary!), 2017, and a corresponding event at the local library, so I planned the timing of the theme accordingly. Granted, everyone else in town was checking out books on space at the same time, so I’ve added a few in addition to the books we actually ended up with. As always, you may have space books at home, too. I’ve recently learned that incorporating fiction is really helpful for engaging the kids (we had a Ninja Turtle space odyssey and a Star Wars story or two), although kids non-fiction is still my favorite for this purpose.
- Stars and Planets Smithsonian Handbook by Ridpath: We ended up with a similar version, and it provided all kinds of terminology and context for various space terms.
- Meteor Showers by J. A. Kelley: In this series, you have everything you need from a book on each planet in the solar system to books on key terms like Galaxies (which we also scored from the library), Stars and Black Holes.
- Really, Really Big Questions About Space and Time by Mark Brake: “Does the universe have a shape? What makes sunshine? Do stars explode? How do you build a time machine? Do aliens look like me? When it comes to the big questions about astrophysics, kids go right for the interesting stuff. Professor Mark Brake makes great use of this as he serves up a heaping helping of kid-friendly space science.”
- Hello World! Solar System board book by Jill McDonald: “Every young child loves to look up at the moon in the night sky. Now here’s a board book that can teach toddlers all about the sun, moon, stars, and planets—with colors, shapes, sizes, and super-simple facts.”
- There’s No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Tish Rabe: “Au revoir, Pluto! In this newly revised, bestselling backlist title, beginning readers and budding astronomers are launched on a wild trip to visit the now eight planets in our solar system (per the International Astronomical Union’s 2006 decision to downgrade Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet), along with the Cat in the Hat, Thing One, Thing Two, Dick, and Sally. It’s a reading adventure that’s out of this world!”
M E D I A
Using a variety of media is a really powerful way to engage kids in their learning, especially as more and more venues for educational media are created. I try and make sure there is a balance from all of the categories, but I admit, sometimes I pop my older one in front of the TV so I can get something done while the little one sleeps. I feel better about myself if the programming is educational, or, better yet, ties in with the theme.
- Space Racers on PBS turned out to be fun and educational, offering context for tons of space vocabulary like asteroid, galaxy, eclipse, and lots more. Disney Junior’s Miles from Tomorrowland offers similar opportunities.
- Smash Boom Best! Listen to debaters battle each other on this heated and hilarious podcast. For Space week, check out Moon vs. Sun and Venus vs. Jupiter.
- National Geographic Kids Passport to Space website: “Get ready for liftoff! Journey beyond Earth with out-of-this world facts, photos, videos, and games about all things space.” Enough said! A great way for kids to safely explore the internet for it’s educational purpose.
A R T
We had a lot going on this week and didn’t have a ton of time to get crafty, but here are some awesome Pinterest-found art projects that tie in with space.
- Sidewalk Chalk Solar System: Art & science integration at it’s finest! We already had the sidewalk chalk, so we got to work in the front driveway on a sunny day. I drew the circles to represent the planets’ orbits around the sun and Ronan colored each planet, named them, and spelled them out on the concrete. I then asked him to walk around the solar system and recite the planets in order.
- These Constellation Sensory Bags on the Playground Parkbench blog are so fun for the kids to make, and are super cheap, too. We used Ziplock brand, quart-sized bags so each kid could make their own, and I found clear hair gel and star-shaped confetti at the dollar store. Let the littles pour materials of their choice into their own bags, mix with gel, and wah-lah! Hours of fun.
- Homemade Telescope: All you need is an empty toilet paper roll, some paint, and star stickers, and you’re good to go. The activity corresponds with learning about stars, and then allows for children to view them using their artsy telescopes.
- We did find a great use for another birthday gift – our Discovery Kids Art Projector – which allowed for the kids to draw “planet art” on transparency-paper-like material and then project it onto the walls and ceiling of a dark room. Just like being in outer space!
- Solar System Free Draw: Use the books you collected from the library on space and planets, view and discuss the photographs, and invite your child(ren) to draw and color their own solar system on paper. Make the paper black and give them metallic markers for an out-of-this-world effect. Check out the results of these art projects and more on the DIY Creative Home Education Instagram page.
S E N S O R Y + M O V E M E N T + S T E M (science. technology. engineering. math.)
Space, clearly, is all about science! You could do space-themed STEM projects for months if you wanted to. Here are some of our favorites from the week.
- Lego Sundial: This is a great website, and another one that uses thematic education. You can find tons of space-themed activities on this page alone. For the sundial, scroll down a ways and you’ll see an example. She also includes a link to info about creating a human sundial with your kids.
- Erupting Moon Rocks: For this, you’ll need to whip up a batch of moon dough (baking soda, water, glitter, food coloring), but it’s otherwise pretty simple and SUPER cool. Using the traditional vinegar-volcano recipe, this project really allows for kids to experience hands-on as well as visual learning.
- Moon sand sensory play…aka Kinetic Sand from Amazon: My boys had received this awesome educational gift from an auntie for their birthday (both May babies, different ages) and it totally came in handy during space week. It’s light, fluffy, moldable, and reusable. It’s a bit pricey, but you can use it again and again.
- Space Yoga: This simple activity was one of my biggest take-aways from the week. We used vocabulary we’d learned and applied example poses from the website, and then Ronan created a few of his own! We practiced in the grass in the back yard, and it was a great calming activity that allowed him to harness his energy in a focused way. He even asked later in the week, “Can we do my space yoga again?!”
C O O K I N G
I had a bit of fun making surprise space-themed snacks for my kids this week. They were easy, too!
- Fruit Rocket Ship Kabobs: A fun and health snack. Have the kids help put it together on a kabob stick or even toothpick for some hands-on creativity.
- Eat the Moon Space Snack: We kicked off the week with Eggo Waffles inspired by this recipe, and a few days later we added the Rocket Kabobs, blasting toward them. The waffles were a great way to introduce “craters” and use Cheerios and bananas as visuals.
- Tot School Space Snacks: Scan this whole page for cool ideas, but as you scroll to the bottom, stop to check out the star cereal snack mix and edible constellations (marshmallows and pretzel sticks). We didn’t try these but I wish we would have!
F I E L D T R I P S
This week was scheduled around a local event at the library, which corresponded with the upcoming solar eclipse on August 21, 2017 (it also happened to be our 7 year wedding anniversary!). The event was pretty cool, offered lots of resources including books and solar system posters. There were long lines to view the sun through three different types of telescopes, and a gentlemen was passing out “solar eclipse glasses” to mobs of anxious people. I think the boys’ favorite part was getting their “moon bead bracelets” in a dark room, where they were white, and then watching them turn to bright colors when they were exposed the sun!
We also had a trip planned up north to visit my grandparents and aunts, and normally the countryside would have excellent star watching, but we happened to have smog coming in from some fires in British Columbia. Any other time, this would be a great built-in opportunity for star-gazing in our very own backyard.
Another idea is the Museum of Flight in South Seattle, where there is an entire room filled with spacecraft, and various exhibits like the early 2017 Apollo Exhibit.
I’d love to hear your ideas for field trips in your area related to space and learning about the solar system! I’ll throw in one more “virtual field trip,” the NASA Space Place, where kids can explore Earth and space from their computers! This website alone could get you through an entire week of space learning. Have fun!
