Space activities

Hi Lindy,

Just last week my group of toddlers have been learning about space. Here are some ideas we have used:

- Making collage rockets out of paper plates
- Using foam balls for planets
- Big cardboard boxes for dramatic play (making a huge rocket)
- Sensory experience: Moon Sand (4 cups of sand, 2 cups of corn-flour, 1 cup of water)
- Taking photos of the sky during day and night and compare them.
- Playdough: Add space figurines (we have little mini astronauts, rockets that the children use with playdough)
- Space Felt Stories
- A variety of picture books with moon, stars, planets , etc.
- Group Discussions about Space and Space stories at group time.

Visuals work really well with my little ones, so they enjoy looking at posters and books on their current interest.

L.A

Hi there Lindy

Just to add some more ideas to LA's:

- for a bulletin board/display idea - I copy an astronaut colouring in for kids to decorate (blank out face), take a photo of child's face, glue this on and then stick a clear lid (the dome shape ones) over their face as their space helmet. They look awesome. The cup lids are the ones that go on crushers from KFC or donut ball cups from Donut shops etc. I asked at my local donut shop & was given about 100 of them.

Also, we add glitter and small star sprinkles to the playdough to make it space playdough.

We use aquarium rocks (re-name them moon rocks) as a sensory experience & add space figurines etc.

Push pin stars - copy star shape on black card. Kids use pins to poke hols around outline. They do this lying down on their tummy on a mat or carpet. It is a really good core control activity. They can glitter the star or whatever and when you stick them up on a window the light shines in through the holes they poked around edge.

For cooking we make moon pizzas - which is effectively a 1/2 english muffin pizza type thing with toppings, but the holes in the english muffin we call craters!!

I play a game with my kids for maths (I am part of a school) and when they roll a certain number on the dice, they glue on a part of a rocket ship collage. Once they have rolled all six numbers their rocket is finished.

I am lucky enough to have a rocket ship tent/playhouse thingy that is great for dramatic play. I add goggles (for space glasses) and disposable paint overalls for astronaut suits.

The kids have made constellation pictures - just using stick on stars and joining the stars with chalk on dark card. They look good and the kids use their imagination when telling you what their constellation is a picture of.

They love to hear facts about space too so I read some info books to them.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Cheers

CAthie

Build a "water rocket", which is a rocket powered by water. If you do an Internet search you will find a site "water-rockets" that tells you how to do it.