Learn Together

Sensory activities are a great way to help children develop science and language skills as children make observations, test predictions and ask questions.

Materials

  • Paper plates
  • Scissors
  • Fresh or frozen fruit
  • Markers, crayons, colored pencils, or paint, paintbrush (optional)
  • Blanket, chairs (optional)
  • Cutting board and knife (optional)

Make Together

Astronauts need to exercise two and a half hours a day for six days a week to stay physically healthy in space. They use special equipment to run, bike and squat. You can do this at home. Together create an astronaut obstacle course!

  1. Set up small stations on the floor using paper plates.
  2. Cut paper plates into different sizes to represent the different planets.
  3. Color or paint the plates to represent the Sun and each planet: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
  4. On the other side of the plate write down a different exercise like run, jump, or squat. Add a number between five and ten and add a speed like, fast or slow.
  5. Place your sun in the center of your room and the planets in order from the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
  6. Now you can space jump from planet to planet and to the Sun! At each station complete the short exercise.
  7. This activity can be timed (do 10 seconds of running in place/10 jumping jacks/10 squats in 2 minutes), or there can be no time limit, or set number goals.
  8. You can start this obstacle course first by pretending that your bed or couch is a ship! Or put a blanket over 2 chairs to make a pretend spaceship.
  9. You can sing the following while on your mission:
    (Sung to the tune of ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’)
    Climb aboard the ship,
    We’re going to the moon.
    Hurry and get ready,
    We’re gonna blast off soon!
  10. Once the ship lands you can run your astronaut obstacle course!
  11. Healthy Astronaut Snack: In space you can lose body mass faster than when you’re on earth. Because of this, it is important for astronauts to eat healthy. Frozen and/or dehydrated fruit is one of the main sources of nutrition in space.
  12. Prepare frozen and/or dehydrated fruit for a healthy astronaut snack!
    • Pick your favorite fruit.
    • Slice them into thin, skinny pieces.
    • Place them in your oven on the lowest setting for 6 to 8 hours.
    • You can buy frozen fruit or freeze your favorite fruits yourself.