Space Study for Kids

Space Study for Kids

Unit based studies are an excellent way to engage children and teach to their interests. After watching the space shuttle launch this summer, my kids had so many questions about outer space, planets, stars, and space travel. As a homeschool teacher, this got me excited and the beginnings of a space study for kids began. Creating authentic and meaningful experiences was my focus for our first study of the year in addition to promoting fine motor skills and critical thinking skills.

Setting the Stage for our Space Study

Before beginning the study, we requested TONS of books from our local library. In addition, our family subscribes to EPIC which is an amazing resource for both fiction and non-fiction books for children. To begin our space study, we created a list of questions. This helps to keep our instruction focused though, we have been known to get off topic a bit and embrace teachable moments. Each morning we we start with a book. This book was directly tied to an activity which we have lovingly named, “Exploration.”

Exploration can incorporate a variety of skills and topics. During this time, kids can expect to do reading, writing, science, math, social studies, and art. This is our FAVORITE part of our school day and an excellent time to sneak in some learning!! As a home educator, it is my job to set up these activities or provocations for my children and hopefully spark JOY and CURIOSITY.

Below you will find some of our exploration time activities! I’m so excited to share these with you!

Constellation Activity

Given push pins, black construction paper, and examples, the kids poked holes into the paper to create constellations. They had so much fun! Towards the end, they started being making words and letters without any prompting! This was a great way to practice fine motor skills AND literacy skills!

Galaxy Loose Parts Tray

Space Unit Planet Marble Painting

With a circle pan, marbles, and some metallic paint, we created our own planets!

Space Study 3 Part Cards

These cards were used throughout our unit. Many of our key vocabulary words were presented and the kids had to match them up. It was neat to see even my youngest (2 years old) try to match the pictures.

Earth Cookies

We learned that the Earth is covered in water and has land. After that, we created these delicious Earth cookies!

Moon Phases

After reading about the phases of the moon, we used mini Oreos, to create the moon phases!

Solar System Cotton Ball Painting

Using cotton balls, clothespins, metallic paint, and a sentence strip, we sequenced the planets. This one was lots of fun and lead to great conversation!

Salt Tray Tracing

Using some salt that was tinted gray (moon dust), we used our finger to trace letters, numbers, and sight words into the salt. Sensory activities always are a favorite in our home!

Marshmallow Constellations

The kids were given marshmallows and toothpicks and asked to create constellations. It was really neat to see them creating letters and numbers with their materials! It is funny though, the marshmallows disappeared!!

Rocket Craft

Given a model and some colored shapes, we created a rocket ship using this product! They turned out great!

This space unit was a great way to start our homeschool journey! I hope we can inspire others to learn though play and exploration!!

Thanks for reading!!

Stephanie