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Outer Space and Astronauts Themes and Activities

Space Day was instituted in 1997 and is celebrated the first Friday of May. On July 20, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon. Either of these dates are good times to introduce preschoolers to Outer Space and Astronauts.

Space Music and Movement

Astronaut (Tune: "Where have you been Billy Boy?)
Tell me, where have you been, Astronaut, astronaut?
Tell me, where have you been In your rocket?
I have landed on the moon, And I may return there soon
With a space station That will help me dock it!
Tell me, what did you do, Astronaut, astronaut?
Tell me, what did you do In your rocket?
I took pictures of the stars
And the craters found on Mars,
And I brought home some moon rocks In my pocket!

Climb Aboard The Spaceship (Tune: Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Climb aboard the spaceship, We're going to the moon.
Hurry and get ready, We're going to blast off soon.
Put on your helmets And buckle up real tight.
Here comes the countdown, Let's count with all our might.
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1---BLAST OFF!!

NASA Training Obstacle Course
Set up an obstacle course, explaining that astronauts need to be very fit.

Meteor Catch
Wrap a styrofoam ball in aluminum foil. Attach crepe paper for tails. Toss back and forth.

Space Theme Arts and Crafts

Moon Craters
Cover bubble wrap with plaster of paris or paper mache'. Let dry and peel off. Then paint.

Telescope Craft
Have children decorate a paper roll . Have the child look through it and pretend they see various objects in space.

Paper Plate Planets
Cut paper plates into different sizes to represent each planet. Children create planets with crayons, markers, or paiint.

Paper Plate Planets
Have children use glow-in-the-dark paints, crayons or markers to create night scenes on dark black or blue construction paper.

Make Your Own Mood Sand
You will need:

Mix the sand and cornstarch together. Add water, and mix everything together with your hands. Work through until you no longer see the white cornstarch. Add toys or mold into shapes. Store in airtight container. You may have to add a couple teaspoons of water the next time you play with moon sand.

Space Theme Other Activities

"Moon Rock" Sorting
Get a collection of different rocks. Have children sort rocks by color, size, etc.

"Moon Rock" Counting
Get a collection of different rocks. Using a muffin tin, label the bottom of a each muffin section with a number. Have children count that many rocks and put into the numbered muffin tin section.

Planet Seriation
Using the paper plate planets, have children arrange planets in order from smallest to largest.

Make Astronaut Pudding
Make Astronaut Pudding by putting 1 tablespoon of chocolate (or any flavor) instant pudding in a ziploc bag. Add 1/4 cup of milk. Close the bag. Squish up the pudding mix. Poke a hole in the bag and suck it out. Eat just like the astronauts with no utensils!

More Outer Space Fun and Information