It’s been a big year for the final frontier. Between the resurgence of Star Wars and the hype about water on Mars, space has rocketed into the spotlight—and our kids have taken notice.
However, space isn’t always the most accessible interest. To remedy this, we’ve put together a list of activities to entertain our future astronauts in an hands-on, educational way.
For Your Future Astronomers…
Photo by NASA.gov
Surfing the web certainly doesn’t have to be mindless! NASA has an interactive webpage that creates a perfect marriage of screen time and learning. Kids can virtually cruise around our solar system and click on individual planets to learn facts about their composition, distance from the sun and more. The site even has a catalog of fun games and science experiments for bigger kids to do in their spare time.
For Your Future Rocket Scientists…
Photo by Science-Sparks
Give your children a real-life launch experience by creating their very own bottle rocket! Bottle rockets are a great way for kids to learn about basic principles of physics such as force, velocity and pressure. What’s more, the building process ingrains vital mechanical engineering and problem-solving skills.
The only special equipment you’ll need is a basic air pump with a needle adaptor, which can be found at a local hardware store. Be sure to supervise the creative process and watch your child launch her spaceship to the stars (or to the top of the tree in the backyard, at least).
For Your Future Moon-Walkers…
Photo by the Imagination Tree
Your child can create an entire galaxy to hold in her hands with this simple Moon Sand recipe. With just a few kitchen staples, play sand and a healthy dose of glitter, your child’s own Moon Sand comes together to provide an easy sensory play opportunity. Kids can spend hours building designs from the sand and creating their own solar systems—right in the palm of their hands.
For Your Future Astronauts…
Sure, bottle rockets are great. But what about a kid-sized spaceship they can actually crawl into and use to cruise through the Milky Way? Enter our newest playhouse model: a rocket ship.
PopUp Play is releasing our newest playhouse model soon so that space-loving kids can defend the final frontier against alien invaders in their very own customized rocket ship.
Keep an eye out for an announcement from us when the rocket ship is officially available!