This is a hands-on activity to show that air takes up space even though you cannot see it.The goal is to understand that gas occupies space and relate it to real situations that prove it.
Play a question and answer card game on the solar system and learn about the properties of the Sun and its planets.
This is a hands-on activity to learn that energy can be transformed into various forms. Potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. Moreover, this kinetic energy can be used (if more than the relative binding energy) to break atoms, particles and molecules to see “inside” and to study their constituents.
In this activity, students familiarise themselves with the concept of a map by observing and describing maps, and drawing a map from an aerial photograph. They understand that any location on Earth is described by two numbers, latitude and longitude. The notion of scale and ratio is also explored.
The Levitating Astronaut activity uses the amazing power of magnets to help children learn about magnetism and gravity.
The video describes the life cycle of stars and how they change from one stage to the next.
During the activity, students build a model of the Milky Way and understand the objects contained in the Milky Way. They also get an idea about the distances between these objects.
Two children act as the Moon and the Earth. By holding hands and spinning around they mimic the tidal locking of the Moon. They note that the Moon always keeps the same face towards Earth.
Children create their own space helmets out of paper bags, put on special air packs, gloves, and boots, and then explore the lunar landscape.
During the activity, students build a star lantern, allowing them to learn that constellations were created by people and are composed of stars. Students learn how to recognise some constellations.
In this activity, students discuss the notion of time and how time can be measured. They learn that a long time ago, people used different tools to measure time. Students build and use a sundial and discover that a long time ago, it was much more difficult to accurately tell the time than it is today.
Converting a visual to a tactile experience, this activity lets visually impaired students learn about and explore some of the characteristics of our home planet, the Earth.
Converting a visual experience to a tactile one, this activity lets visually impaired students learn and explore our Moon and its characteristics.
Students will experimentally learn how meteoroids are formed. They will melt a comet, learning about its composition, and break apart asteroids. The students learn the differences between meteoroids, meteors and meteorites and how the impact of asteroids/meteoroids can affect life on Earth.
A high-resolution PDF that can be used to create a poster that illustrates the phases of the moon.
A set of cards with images of the moon to help children learn the names of the moon's different phases.
Children match pictures of the Moon on cards with matching pictures on a banner that shows the Moon phase cycle.
Through the NSF-funded My Sky Tonight program, we have created a set of research-based, science-rich astronomy activities that are engaging and developmentally appropriate for pre-K aged children, and trained hundreds of educators at museums, parks, and libraries across the U.S. on how to effectively engage their youngest visitors (ages 3 – 5) in astronomy.
This lesson unit provides an insight into the navigational methods of the Bronze Age Mediterranean peoples. The students explore the link between history and astronomical knowledge. Besides an overview of ancient seafaring in the Mediterranean, the students use activities to explore early navigational skills using the stars and constellations and their apparent nightly movement across the sky. In the course of the activities, they become familiar with the stellar constellations and how they are distributed across the northern and southern sky.
Students use a length of paper to understand the size of the solar system.