Space For Kids:
Free Planets Printable, Games, Facts, Activities and Astronauts!
Space for kids picks out the best activities and ideas for all ages.
You'll find:
Space for kids has a free planet printable, lapbook ideas, model probe and solar system, the best websites, games and activities.
- how to make your own Space lapbook
- watch the NASA Mars Rover being built live
- follow Apollo 11 on the first landing on the Moon
- build a homeschool space probe
- free Space photos from Nasa
- build an astronomy cave
And see how amazing the Universe really is.
"This page was great for my daughters and I! It led me to tons of information and different guides that were perfect for us, so thank you!" ~ Stacy
Free Space Photos From NASA
NASA has made their complete collection of space photos, sounds and videos free for you to use in any way you like.
And the images are stunning!
Get your Planets printable here.
"My daughter Ava has been learning about astronomy in science class. She found your page and it's been so great for her I wanted to reach out and thank you.
I can't remember the last time I've seen her so excited about something - especially school-related." ~Linda
"So good thank you." ~ Kellie
Space Games For Kids
- NASA's Space Place have this free pdf of space activities with popular hands-on projects like making:
- star cookies
- a cloud mobile
- a CD Saturn
- a Moon habitat.
They also have interesting space video shorts about Jupiter's Moon Europa and What is a Dwarf Planet?
The NASA Space Place Facebook page is also a fabulous place to visit for all sorts of great space activities and ideas.
Best Space Websites For Kids
- Stellarium is a planetarium software that shows exactly what you see when you look up at the stars. It's free.
- Help science by looking for planets around other stars.
- Galaxy Zoo is similar to the above, where you can help astronomers explore the Universe
- Zooniverse links you into Solar storm watch, the Milky Way Project and many more.
- Astronomy Computer Games is a site recommended by Cynthia's son Trevor.
"It has a bunch of computer games all about astronomy. Trevor has played
a couple of them and is super into them from what I can see. I was
thinking maybe this was something other visitors to your site would like it as much as my son." ~ Cynthia
Virtual Space Exploration
How about staying home and exploring space vitually with these fabulous suggestions from Payton?
Payton has been working on a
'Space Science: Sun, Moon and Stars' project
for her Science class and she found these websites particularly fun. Check out her suggestions:
Zoom in and out and discover the Planets in the Solar System Explorer
Play this space game to discover the techniques scientists use to research exoplanets.
Click on the red PLAY button to explore the digital Universe with this mega popular video from the American Museum of Natural History.
Thanks Payton for suggesting these fabulous resources and I am so pleased you are enjoying science!
The Constellations
I've had a great suggestion for learning about the constellations from Stacy's daughters.
Watch out for the ads but this really is an excellent site.
"Being able to point out the constellations made the girls really interested, so we decided to see what we could learn together! My youngest, Tina found a great constellations guide. (N.B. Click on the links to the individual constallations lower down the page). The site:
- Lists all the major constellations
- Where they are located
- How they were named
- How to find them
It is packed with tons of information that I think would be able to help others trying to learn!"
~ Stacy
Space Activities For Kids
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- You can have fun turning straws into antennae to make you own homeschool Voyager kids model space probe.
- Make a model solar system complete with cotton wool Sun and modeling clay planets.
Here's my son William with his homeschool model of the Planets:
Space Lesson: Build An Astronomy Cave
Kay shared this wonderful space lesson in my Courageous Homeschooling Facebook support group.
It's a really simple and brilliant idea; so enticing Kay says she'd like to live inside it herself!
Instructions:
1. Tape a bunch of large boxes together.
2. Put a white table cloth inside them.
3. Stick a bunch of battery lights through the sides in the shape of constellations.
N.B. Kay says the pretty purple lights are Halloween battery operated ones (any will work ) from the dollar store.
4. Grab a duvet or a cushion and enter your constellation cave.
Space For Kids Lapbook
Bianka from my Courageous Homeschooling Facebook Group shared this wonderful space lapbook her son Christiaan made.
You can see how to make it and get free printables to go with space for kids activities on my page here.
Space Videos And Kids Activities
NASA Space Place has put together a collection of YouTube videos about space. You can see kid friendly videos about Mars, the Moon, the Earth and the Solar System as well as a range of videos on kids activities at home.
STEM Space Activities
The University of Central Florida has 5 STEM Space activities which look fun. You can try:
- Building a straw rocket from a template and testing how far it will fly.
- Making a space telescope from paper towel tubes, scissors, tape and two convex lenses. (Good for older children).
- Experience walking like an astronaut with bucket stilts made from a bucket and some rope.
Hubble Telescope
You can find out fascinating facts about the Hubble telescope including the latest news.
Watch The Moon Landing
Join the Apollo 11 mission at one minute to launch.
Watch film and audio footage form Mission Control, including all the space-to-ground audio.
What an amazing space resource for kids.
Space Studies
Jennifer has some fabulous suggestions for homeschool space studies:
- Sing planet songs - check out YouTube there are TONS!
- Watch Magic School Bus shows & read tons of books.
- Surf the NASA website like crazy.
- Play with magnifying glasses and focus heat on a chocolate bar vs one that is left alone in the sun to talk about light waves and focused/concentrated energy to discuss thermonuclear fusion & the sun.
- Play with prisms and
discuss how the atmosphere bends light waves.
- Do a solar eclipse activity with a globe, flashlight & styrofoam ball.
- Boil eggs to show the "crust, mantle, core"
concept of Earth's structure.
(Bonus they learn to boil eggs!).
- For Mars you can make a solar cooker, learn about alternative energy sources, biodomes, and alternative food growing concepts.
- Put flour in a baking pan & drop marbles to learn how the lack of atmosphere on Mercury relates to the formation of craters on planets.
- We are lucky to live near the Space Coast in Florida so we went to see launches in person ...
Good luck! Spaces Studies are always so much fun!!!
~ Jennifer, Courageous Homeschooling Facebook support group
Space Party Food
Brilliant ideas for space party snacks including rocket wraps and Earth cookies.
Best Way Of Keeping Up With Space News
Scott Manley is the go-to place to keep up with the latest happenings in space. (Suggested age: probably 12 years+).
Recommended by my homeschool son William along with over a million others, it's crammed with up-to-date videos and excellent info presented in a great way.
Hit Podcast 13 Minutes To The Moon
The popular podcast 13 Minutes To The Moon is back with the story of Apollo 13.
Jump on-board a doomed mission to the Moon. Gripping listening for all.
Astronaut Chris Hadfield
Space for kids really comes alive with Astronaut Chris Hadfield!
Our family went to see Chris speak about his time in space and he has become one of our heroes.
Here he is performing a simple science experiment designed by High School students on surface tension in space using a wet washcloth.
We really enjoy his book: An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth and You Are Here was one of my Birthday presents.
Both these are very inspiring books which help your kids see anything is possible - a great homeschool message which I am sure we would all love our kids to share.
Use A Remote Telescope
I've checked with the Astro-Physics Department of Liverpool University, and if you are a home educator in the UK you can use a remote telescope based in the Canaries to take your own images of the Planets, Moon, galaxies etc.
It's a fantastic resource called the Liverpool Telescope run by the schools observatory which William and I enjoy using. Put your own address and contact details and enter 'Other' where it says 'School Category.'
Perfect if you're planning a space for kids project.
Teaching Astronomy
You can get a free guide here for homeschoolers wanting to teach astronomy. It has tips, curriculum advice and activity ideas, and helps spark kids getting interested in astronomy.
Pictures Of Space
Looking at Space pictures is the way to really get kids amazed by the Universe. Here's a couple of great sites:
Phases Of The Moon
"We used glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint in addition to crayons to color the phases of the Moon.
We looked at the moon phases on the calendar and put them in the lamp."
~ Mi, Courageous Homeschooling Facebook group
Top Tip:
You can find out what phase the Moon is in where you live by checking out this Moon phase site.
SpaceX Mission To Mars
And if making a Space Probe has tempted you to visit Mars, check out all the amazing stuff on SpaceX.
It shows you all about the rocket they are making and their first mission to Mars in 2022 with fantastic photos and slideshows. Enjoy.
"I wanted to send you a quick thank you! I have a son who is really into astronomy and I just wanted you to know how helpful your page was to us! There was a ton of great info and activity ideas."
~ Cynthia
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