Space is full of unknowns and what-ifs. Talking about space with children sparks imagination and curiosity. Maybe your child can imagine themselves as an astronaut, or living on another planet! If your child could travel to space, what do they think they might see? If YOU could travel to space, what do you think you would see? As adults it can be fun to flex your own imagination when having conversations with your child!
If you are looking for more space-themed activities in your home, try building a rocket ship out of recycled cardboard boxes. Look up at the moon and try to make a cookie into the same shape! Just like space, the possibilities are endless!
Galaxy Slime
What you need:
“Stars” - Glue – Slime activator (Elmer’s Magical Liquid)
How to do it:
Before you begin, have a discussion with your child about what you are doing. Making slime is incredibly fun, but it is messy fun! It is important to set a few rules before you begin so you and your child both have an enjoyable time.
Ask them what they think their slime will feel like. Will it be hard or soft? Will it be warm or cold? Sticky or rough? Sensory experiences like slime have amazing benefits for your child’s self-awareness and mindfulness as they learn to play with a new medium.
Pour the glue into a bowl (if you have food colouring at home, you can add a bit to the glue). SLOWLY add half of the slime activator and mix with a popsicle stick. As you stir, the mixture will become cohesive. If the mixture is still sticky, continue to add more slime activator. Add the confetti to create your “GALAXY”!
When you look up at the night sky, you will see many stars and planets which are part of our solar system. Our solar system is a group of planets which orbit the sun. Our solar system is part of the Milky Way Galaxy which is made up of many solar systems!
REMEMBER! WASH YOUR HANDS WHEN YOU ARE DONE PLAYING WITH YOUR SLIME
NAME YOUR ROCKET
What you need:
- Construction paper – Scissors - Glue
How to do it:
Would you like to travel to space one day? How do you think you would get there? Maybe it will be different in the future, but these days astronauts take rockets to reach
space! Today’s rockets take approximately 8.5 minutes to leave Earth’s atmosphere, but MUCH longer to reach their destination!
Create your own rocket. Using the small square paper pieces included, try writing each letter of your name on one square. If your child doesn’t yet know how to write their name, have them write how they are able. Random scribbling is the first stage of writing skills!
Glue the pieces of the rocket ship onto your black paper. Have your child tell you a story about their creation.
Look at the moon!
What you need:
- Foil - pipe cleaner - Recycled cardboard from home - glue
How to do it:
The next time you are outside at night, look up at the moon. What do you notice? What shape is the moon? Did you know there are different names for each phase (or different shape) of the moon? When the moon looks like a complete circle, it is called a FULL MOON. When the moon looks like a smile in the sky, it is called a CRESCENT MOON.
To create your own moon, decide what shape or phase you would like it to be. Have an adult help cut your cardboard to the desired shape.
Next, use the pipe cleaners to create craters in your moon. Craters are places in the moon that have been hit by meteors. Then cover your moon with the foil. Smooth over the craters so they stand out. If you choose you can colour the craters with a marker to make them stand out.