FOR AGES 18 MONTHS TO 18 YEARS
If your kids are missing their science classes from school and if you want a good way to make science more fun, then a great activity to do during lockdown is run some fun space activities. Space is fascinating and is a great way to get kids more into science. Lockdown is a perfect time to learn some fun science and to run some activities that involve the solar system, sun and planets. This article includes lots of ideas for space-related games, activities and recipes to give you lots of inspiration. Remember to take lots of photos so you can look back on these great activities in the future!
If you and your kids have ever built an indoor den before, you'll already know the excitement that the activity brings. You can blend this exciting activity with a space activity by pretending your den is your spaceship! You can make your den as big or as cosy as you like. Use cushions and sheets to build your awesome spaceship den. Watch this quick video on how to set up a simple den for your kids.
Once you've built your spaceship den, you are ready to go on lots of fantastic galaxy adventures. For example, if you have access to a garden, you could pretend it's the moon and go out to find weird space creatures and collect moon rocks. You can then go back to your rocket and visit other planets like Jupiter or Mars. Tell your friends about your spaceship so they can build one too and you can do space calls through Zoom or FaceTime to make the activity more social. You can also do lots of the following activities in this article from inside your new spaceship den!
There's no limit to the imagination when it comes to writing stories, especially about space. A great lockdown project is to write a story, and when space is the theme you can have so much fun writing stories. Your adventures could include going to other planets, or a new civilisation found at the centre of the Sun! If you'd like some storytelling ideas, check out this article on how to write a book, according to a children's author.
If you fancy getting a bit creative, you can get the paintbrushes, pens and pencils out to create a true masterpiece. This is a fun science-themed project where you get to see planets and the stars using your own artwork. You can search Google Images to find some fantastic space objects to draw and paint.
Bake these delicious planet cookies, using this fun recipe. Baking is a brilliant activity for both you and your kids and you can bake the whole solar system and sun using this recipe. What better way is there to find out some cool information about space, than to bake delicious cookies and eat them at the end of the day! You can play some cool space music using existing space-themed playlists on Spotify too.
The skies have never been clearer due to the pollution drop due to lockdown. It's a perfect time to head outside to the garden on a clear and warm night, put down some blankets and sleeping bags and gaze up into the stars. Stargazing is a wonderful experience and something that your kids will remember doing with you forever. A good tip is to make sure the moon is not too bright and remember that it'll take your eyes a while to adjust to the darkest to really appreciate the bright stars. Stargazing is also another perfect opportunity to discuss facts about the solar system, the Moon and planets. Try your best to leave your phones indoors to really immerse yourself in the experience and to let your eyes adjust to darkness properly.
NASA Kids' Club is an incredible website filled with brilliant space information and activities. You can see from their home page that it's a perfect website for any kids who love fun science and space. You could spend hours using just this website alone. The website is completely free and you'll find that its the perfect tool to make learning science fun.
Did you know NASA also have some virtual tours on their website? This is a perfect way to get your kids to explore NASA, including the Hubble Space Telescope mission operations centre.
If you're a science fan, then you might also like watching Sci-Fi films and science documentaries. Watching films are a great way to spend some of the lockdown and there are some incredibly fun science fiction films and science documentaries to watch. Star Wars, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and The Iron Giant are just some of the many iconic Sci-Fi films that would be great to watch during lockdown and perfect for kids that love space and science. Science should be fun, and science fiction films are a perfect way to introduce the exciting side of science. Watching a space documentary is also a fun science activity. Brian Cox's Wonders of the Universe and the Solar System are great documentaries to watch if you want to learn about space science and see visually stunning representations of space.
You don't need to be in the classroom to learn some interesting facts about space. These sort of activities are a fun and engaging way to learn and you're not restricted by the school learning criteria; your learning can go in any direction it wants! Use this time to teach your kids some interesting facts about space. It can be as simple as having some science facts ready. For example, if the Sun was the size of a tennis ball then the Earth would be the size of one grain of sand. These kind of facts are great as you can use a tennis ball as a prop to really visualise the size of the Sun compared to the Earth. Also, search for the first photograph taken in space and show your kids. Check out this Science Kids website for some incredible facts and content. There are also some really cool space videos such as the moon landing on this site, so it's a really great website to use for your space science activity.
These free Earth and Space resources are perfect for your kids to learn more about space science in a fun way. Your kids can spend hours completing these fun science activities and they provide lots of information about the Moon, Sun and planets.
Let your kids show off their super space knowledge by making them a space quiz. See if their friends are available to join in on Zoom or FaceTime so they can spend some time together. Socialising is important during lockdown and a quiz is a perfect way to get lots of people involved. You can also find some free space quizzes that are already made online. These can be used as a starting point for your own quiz, which can then be tailored to your own kids. You can make it as easy as you like depending on the age of you little ones.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising.
We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published.
Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.
We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
Was this article helpful?
Browse Category
We’ll send you tons of inspiration to help you find a hidden gem in your local area or plan a big day out.
Check your inbox for your latest news from us. You have subscribed to:
Remember that you can always manage your preferences or unsubscribe through the link at the foot of each newsletter.