Ever since the beginning of time humans have found themselves looking up to the sky above and wondering what was out there. As time passed and humans learned more about the heavens above, that curiosity hasn’t stopped. Many might argue that the curiosity of what lies in the vastness of space has only grown.
A Childlike Curiosity
The group of people that love space more than almost any other are young children. If you spend any time with a young person you will quickly get questions like:
How big are stars?
How far away is the moon?
Is space cold?
What are Saturn’s rings made of?
Children are so naturally curious and space holds so much of their attention. Below are some fun projects and activities that you can do to foster this curiosity.
Take a Trip to Space
While commercial travel to space isn’t available to regular people just yet it doesn’t mean you can’t take a trip to space. NASA or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration offers several virtual tours that are sure to capture the attention of those who want to know more about space, space shuttles, rockets or the space station. Their most popular are:
The International Space Station Tour
NASA Explorers: Training the astronauts
If you are lucky enough to have a VR (virtual reality) headset there are even experiences NASA have available that allow you to explore rockets and the International Space Station in immersive virtual reality.
Visit a Planetarium
For the visual learner nothing is better to learn about space and the galaxy we call home than a planetarium. Planetariums are often rounded theaters where images are projected on a darkened dome while the audience listens to an expert. Planetariums are great because they allow for an expert to explain about the heavens above in a way that people from children to grandparents can grasp. The projections on the dome allow for people to visualize astral bodies and phenomena that aren’t viewable by the naked eye.
Blast Off
For many the main draw to learning about space are astronauts and the space ships they travel in. One thing you can do for those who love rockets is to build one of your own. All you need are the following things:
An empty plastic bottle (a water or soda bottle is great)
Wooden dowels or pencils to make a base for your rocket
Baking soda
Vinegar
A cork for a stopper
All that needs to be done is to tape or glue the pencils to the top of the bottle to form stabilizing stilts. Fill the bottle with baking soda, por in your vinegar, cork the bottle and then watch your rocket blast off!
This project can be made more fun by adding on the following pieces to your rocket:
Decorations
Fins
Nose cones
Parachutes
Bringing the Learning Home
The above activities can help foster love for space in young ones but the real learning can happen at home. Kids like nothing more than getting hands on, getting to work with and learn from their family. There are several great solar system projects that parents and kids can do together to keep learning about our planet and our place in space.
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