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Space Week Activity Ideas for ECEC, Kindergarten and OSHC Programs

Oct 3, 20235 min read

Introducing Stellar Journey: A Week-long Interstellar Adventure for Ages Birth to 8

World Space Week is upon us, taking place from the 4th to the 10th of October, and this year's theme is "Space and Entrepreneurship." We've designed a range of interactive and educational activities that span from birth to 8 years of age, each in line with frameworks like the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline (QKLG), My Time, Our Place (MTOP), and the National Quality Standards (NQS).

Why Celebrate World Space Week?

Space exploration is not just a subject for scientists and astronauts; it's a captivating topic that holds valuable learning opportunities for children. It nurtures imagination, feeds curiosity, and stimulates the analytical and reasoning skills that are fundamental for their future. It also fits perfectly within our educational frameworks:

EYLF Outcome 4.2: Children are naturally curious and are eager to learn about the universe and the planet they live on.
MTOP Outcome 4: Space-related activities encourage older children to explore, accept challenges, and to persist when first attempts fail.
QKLG: Learning about space helps children build a confident self-identity.
NQS: Quality Area 1 - Educational program and practice.

By focusing on "Space and Entrepreneurship," we also introduce the concepts of innovation, problem-solving, and creative thinking, skills that are transferable to almost every area of learning and development.

Birth-3 years (EYLF) Space-Themed Sound Bottles

Materials: Small plastic bottles, rice, beads, jingle bells, glitter, super glue.

Instructions: Fill small plastic bottles with various items like rice, beads, and jingle bells. Seal tightly with super glue and shake to explore sounds.

Learning Outcome: EYLF Outcome 4.1 – Children develop a growth mindset and learning dispositions such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination, and reflexivity.

Analysis: The Space-Themed Sound Bottles engage children’s auditory senses and stimulate curiosity. As children shake the bottles and hear the varying sounds, they are participating in a form of experimentation that fuels their innate curiosity.

Theorist: Maria Montessori – Montessori emphasized the importance of sensory-based learning in early childhood. Her theories support the idea that engaging multiple senses contributes to more effective learning and development.

Milky Way Milkshake

Ingredients: Vanilla ice cream, milk, a dash of cocoa powder

Instructions: Combine scoops of vanilla ice cream and milk in a blender. Blend until

smooth. Pour into cups and let children add a dash of cocoa powder, stirring it in to create their own ‘stardust’.

Learning Outcome: EYLF Outcome 4.2 – Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem-solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating.

Analysis: Provides sensory enjoyment and enhances understanding of combining different materials for a new outcome. The Man in the Moon (Tune: “The Wheels on the Bus”)

The man in the moon looks down at us,

Down at us, down at us.

The man in the moon looks down at us,

All through the night.

The stars in the sky twinkle bright and high,

Bright and high, bright and high.

The stars in the sky twinkle bright and high,

All through the night.

The rockets in space go zoom and race,

Zoom and race, zoom and race.

The rockets in space go zoom and race,

Far from our sight.

The planets spin around in a loop,

In a loop, in a loop.

The planets spin around in a loop,

All day and night.

The black hole sucks all things inside,

All things inside, all things inside.

The black hole sucks all things inside,

In eternal night.

Learning Outcome: EYLF Outcome 4.2 – Children develop a range of learning and thinking skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating.

Analysis: This song engages children in cognitive and imaginative processes. As they sing about different celestial objects and occurrences, they are introduced to early science concepts like gravity, astronomy, and physics. (More activities for Birth-3 years are included in our Exploring Space Pack see below)

3-5Years (QKLG)

Space Rocket Obstacle Course

Materials: Pool noodles, hula hoops, cones, toy rockets.

Instructions: Design an obstacle course that symbolises a rocket’s journey through space. Use cones for the path, hula hoops as ‘asteroid fields’, and pool noodles as ‘comet tails’. Guide the children through the course to navigate their ‘rocket’ through these cosmic obstacles

QKLG - Active Learning: Building positive dispositions towards learning

Analysis: This activity boosts gross motor skills and spatial awareness. It also encourages a positive disposition towards learning.

Theorist: Jean Piaget - Known for his cognitive development theory, Piaget highlighted the importance of physical activity for cognitive growth.

Alien Sensory Bag

Materials: Ziplock bags, hair gel (clear), googly eyes, coloured beads.

Instructions: Fill Ziplock bags with clear hair gel, add googly eyes and coloured beads to represent ‘aliens’ and ‘space rocks’. Seal and let children press and manipulate the bags.

QKLG Link: Communicating - Exploring literacy in personally meaningful ways

Analysis of Learning: This activity fosters fine motor skills and encourages imaginative play, as children can create stories about the aliens in the bag. Moon Sand

Materials:

→Wholemeal flour

→Vegetable oil

→Silver glitter.

Instructions:

Combine wholemeal flour and vegetable oil to create ‘moon sand’. Add silver glitter for a shimmering lunar landscape.

QKLG Link: Connectedness - Building positive relationships

Analysis of Learning: Playing with moon sand can be a collaborative activity, encouraging social skills and understanding as children share and build together. (More activities for Birth-3 years are included in our Exploring Space Pack see below)

5-8years (MTOP)

Alien Language Storytelling

Materials:

Index cards with alien symbols, a “translator” sheet, a story prompt

Instructions: Children use index cards with alien symbols and a translator sheet to create their own alien language stories.

MTOP Link: 5.1 Children and young people interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes

Analysis of Learning: Enhances literacy and imaginative play, promotes effective communication.

Theorist Link: Noam Chomsky - Theorizes the innate capability for language acquisition.

Galaxy Jar Chemistry

Materials: Glass jars, cooking oil, water, food colouring, alka seltzer

Instructions: Create a ‘galaxy in a jar’ by layering water, oil, and food colouring. Drop in an Alka Seltzer tablet and observe the chemical reactions.

MTOP Link: 4.2 Children and young people develop a range of learning and thinking skills such as experimentation

Analysis of Learning: Introduces basic chemical reactions and stimulates observational skills.

Theorist Link: Jean Piaget - Importance of hands-on experimentation in cognitive development

Astro Gardening

Materials: Plant seeds (choose from a variety like radishes, peas, or beans), mini pots, organic soil, growth diary, red or blue LED grow lights to simulate Martian sunlight.

Instructions: Pre-activity discussion: Discuss the conditions on Mars (e.g., low gravity, lack of natural light) and how that might affect plant growth.

-Children plant seeds in mini pots filled with organic soil.

-Place the pots under red or blue LED grow lights to simulate the Martian atmosphere and discuss how different light conditions might affect growth.

-Each day, children make observations and document them in their ‘Martian Growth Diaries,’ noting changes in height, leaf number, and any sprouting.

-Weekly, engage children in discussions about their observations, comparing them to what we know about plant growth on Earth.

MTOP Link:4.2 Children and young people develop a range of learning and thinking skills and processes such as problem-solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching, and investigating.

Analysis of Learning: The Astro Gardening: Life on Mars Edition activity delves into advanced topics like astrobiology and environmental science in an age-appropriate way. It encourages children to hypothesise and make educated guesses about how plants would grow in different planetary conditions, thereby strengthening their problem-solving and inquiry-based learning skills. (More activities for 5-8 years are included in our Exploring Space Pack see below)

Our EXPLORING SPACE pack has a collection of activities, for each of the age groups above plus a collection of learning story pages to document the learning. Have a quick look below and add this pack to assist you over Space Week...