No matter where in the world they live, nothing captures a child’s curiosity quite like the night sky. From the twinkling stars they can see above them through to the endless possibilities of planets, learning about space is an exciting element of their education. So, how can educators maintain and further this enthusiasm when it comes to lessons about space?
Ignite their natural curiosity about the world we live in
Every child will eventually begin to ask themselves the bigger questions, such as “how did we all get here?”, “how are we able to survive on Earth?”, and “what exactly causes the stars to shine how they do?”
By turning these questions into interactive, insightful lessons where open conversation and questions are encouraged, you’ll be keeping the curiosity alive and strengthening your students’ STEM skill sets.
A great way to complement these types of lessons is to add videos and visual aids that help break down complex concepts and appeal to those who are visual learners. There is a wealth of information available online, with the likes of NASA (and, of course, Arduino!) offering their own educational resources, too.
Why is it important to learn about space?
Even before children start going to school, many of them are already curious and even obsessed with outer space. In fact, according to a survey among children aged eight to 12 years old, being an astronaut is among the top five dream careers. This career choice has been consistently among the top choices, long before the advent of social media and YouTube.
Kids are simply interested in learning about space mainly because it’s an exciting topic that sparks ideas of adventure and mystery. Learning about space at an early age will further encourage children to aspire for careers in science and technology, even if they’re ultimately not related to space exploration. Even if most of these children will not become astronauts, a significant number of them will strive to become scientists, engineers, and science educators.
Space exploration and the eventual colonization of other habitable planets and moons may be necessary for the long-term survival of humanity. If we are to avoid extinction, we need to eventually become an interstellar civilization. Future scientists, engineers, and inventors who will make this dream a reality are now among the children who are curious about space exploration.
Space lessons for kids
Space lessons for school children can vary in approach, depending on the age and grade level of children you’re teaching. With space topics, it’s important to integrate fun and creative activities with learning. For example, you can start with the solar system and divide your lessons based on the objects in the solar system, as with the following outline:
Our Solar System
- Age and Origin of the Solar System
- How Big Is the Solar System?
- Build a Solar System Model
- Myths vs. Realities: Solar System
The Planets
- Mercury
- Venus
- Earth
- Mars
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
Other Objects in the Solar System
- What are comets?
- What are asteroids and meteors?
- What is the Oort Cloud?
- Planetoids
For more advanced lessons, you can discuss galaxies, quasars, pulsars, magnestars, neutron stars, giant stars, dwarf stars, and blackholes. For every lesson, you may want to integrate group activities, such as creating a scale-down model of the solar system, to boost collaboration and communication skills, as well as subject matter knowledge.
Connecting space education to careers in the space industry
Many children may be convinced that the only possible career path for those interested in space sciences is to be an astronaut or control center operator. An important part of being an educator is to show them that this is not the case.
From championing women in space through to connecting children with other STEM careers, you’ll keep students motivated and interested when learning about space.
For example, you could explore how space learning could help students become glaciologists using satellite data to look at glaciers, how examining meteorites can tell us more about the history of the universe, how building robots is essential for space exploration, and how every space mission must have a “space lawyer” to deal with the legalities of launching and operating a satellite in space!
By giving students an insight into the broad spectrum of space-related careers, you’ll be giving them further inspiration and encouragement.
Our age of space-related exploration
While they are an integral part of history that shouldn’t be disregarded, there is no need to focus solely on the space race any longer. Space exploration is a hot topic, with everyone from experts through to entrepreneurs trying their hand at it. By taking time out of each lesson to look at the current landscape of space exploration, you’ll also be informing your students about current affairs, and allowing them to form their own opinions on certain topics.
This also establishes a strong connection between the classroom and real-world scenarios, which is better preparing students for scenarios in their careers. Just as the Apollo missions inspired an entire generation of engineers and scientists, the SpaceX and Mars missions can do the same with children today.
Get hands on with learning
In its very nature, learning about space can feel abstract. That’s why it's essential that you come up with creative ways for students to get involved in a hands-on way. By using something tangible like the Arduino Student Kit, your lesson could center around building a remote-controlled robot that can tackle the extreme terrain of another planet, or one that can measure and record temperatures in hostile environments.
There are also other affordable ways to get creative when learning about space, including designing launch missions, deciding what legalities need to be discussed when sending something or someone into space, and coming up with ways that space exploration can help tackle climate change.