Science activity
Space Explorers Mission
Blast off into space! Learn about the sun, moon, and stars. Create a model solar system and pretend to be astronauts.
Materials and setup
- different-sized balls
- flashlight
- paper
- markers
- globe or ball
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Blast off into space! Learn about the sun, moon, and stars. Create a model solar system and pretend to be astronauts.
Steps
- Look at pictures of the sun, moon, and stars. The sun gives us light and warmth.
- Go outside at night (or early morning) and look at the moon. What shape is it?
- Learn the planets in order using a song or rhyme.
- Make a simple solar system: draw a big yellow sun, then place paper circles for planets in order.
- Pretend to be an astronaut: put on a 'helmet' (bowl on your head) and walk in slow-motion like you're on the moon.
- Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.
Learning objectives
- Identify the sun, moon, and stars in the sky
- Name the planets in order from the sun
- Understand that Earth is a planet orbiting the sun
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Explore our solar system: compare planet sizes, model day and night, and learn about the phases of the moon.
Steps
- Create a scale model: use a basketball for the sun and different-sized balls/fruits for planets.
- Model day and night: shine a flashlight (sun) on a globe or ball (Earth). Spin it slowly. When your country faces the light, it's day!
- Track the moon for a week: draw its shape each night. It changes from new moon to full moon and back.
- Learn 3 facts about each inner planet (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars).
- Create a 'Passport to the Planets' booklet with a page for each planet you've learned about.
- Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.
Learning objectives
- Compare relative sizes of planets in our solar system
- Model and explain the cause of day and night
- Observe and record moon phases over time
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Study the solar system in depth: planet characteristics, gravity differences, the role of the sun, and Earth's place in the universe.
Steps
- Research each planet: create a data card for each with size, distance from sun, atmosphere, temperature, and unique features.
- Calculate your weight on different planets using gravity ratios (Moon: weight x 0.17, Jupiter: weight x 2.53).
- Model the seasons: tilt a ball 23 degrees and orbit it around a lamp. Seasons happen because Earth is tilted, so one side of Earth leans toward the Sun for part of the year (that side's summer) and leans away the other part (that side's winter). Earth's distance from the Sun barely changes as it orbits — it is the TILT that makes seasons, NOT being closer to or farther from the Sun.
- Study the sun: what is it made of? How big is it? Why is it important for life on Earth?
- Create a scale model of distances: if the sun is at the front door, where would each planet be?
- Write a 'travel brochure' for a planet, highlighting its unique features and warning about dangers.
- In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.
Learning objectives
- Compare planets using data: size, temperature, atmosphere, gravity
- Model and explain Earth's seasons using tilt and orbit
- Understand the sun's role in sustaining life on Earth
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Investigate advanced astronomy: stellar life cycles, galaxies, space exploration technology, and the search for habitable exoplanets.
Steps
- Study the life cycle of a star: nebula, main sequence, red giant, supernova/white dwarf. Create an illustrated timeline.
- Research our galaxy, the Milky Way: its shape, size, our sun's location, and the nearest stars. Create a model.
- Compare historical and modern space missions: Apollo, Space Shuttle, ISS, Mars rovers. What technologies made each possible?
- Investigate the habitable zone (Goldilocks zone): what conditions must a planet have for liquid water? Research 3 exoplanets that might be habitable.
- Calculate light-year distances: if light travels at 186,000 miles per second, how far does it travel in a year?
- Design a mission to Mars: plan your spacecraft, supplies for 7 months of travel, and what you'd study on Mars.
- In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.
Learning objectives
- Describe the life cycle of stars at different masses
- Analyze space exploration technology across eras
- Evaluate planetary habitability using scientific criteria
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
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