Astronomy Science Scouts Space Science Unit
- paperandpines
- Aug 10
- 4 min read
Space is one of my favorite science topics to cover with my own kids. It inspires curiosity with its vast unknown, giving us endless questions to think about together. But for younger learners who struggle with the abstract, space concepts can be hard to grasp.
The point of Science Scouts is to make different science concepts tangible. For our astronomy unit, my goal was to find hands-on ways to explore key space elements like the Moon, the Sun, planets, and constellations. Here are the 8 space science activities I put together for Astronomy Science Scouts. Check out the bundle if you’d like more information about each individual activity, and don’t forget to download the free Astronomy badge to celebrate completing the space unit!
Space Science Activities
Modeling Moon Phases
Not only is this one hands-on; it’s a perfect excuse for a sweet treat during science lessons! All you need is some chocolate and cream sandwich cookies. Guide the kids through modeling each moon phase using the cookies, then enjoy a snack! Oreos work great for this and are easy to find, but there are also many natural and gluten-free versions available at most grocery stores.
Moon Tracker
After you’ve finished teaching the moon phases, have the kids keep track of the changes they observe over the course of a month. If you’re doing this activity at home, I’ve found it easiest to keep the moon tracking sheet attached to the fridge during the observation period so we don’t forget, then we glue the tracker into our Science Scouts journal once we’ve tracked the moon phases for a whole month.
Solar System Model
No space science unit is complete without modeling the solar system! But the point of Science Scouts is to keep things simple, with activities that kids can generally complete within an hour. I’d love to have my kids do a detailed solar system model one day with clay and paints and wires, but for this unit, we opted for a paper version. We displayed an image of each planet and briefly discussed each one’s properties while the kids colored their planet cut-outs, then we arranged them on black poster board or large construction paper.
It was a quick, easy way to introduce the planets in our solar system, and my kids loved hanging these on their bedroom wall with some glow-in-the-dark stars!
Make a Sundial
This one was so interesting for the kids! It gave us a chance to reinforce that the Sun stays in one place while the Earth rotates, making it appear like the Sun is moving across the sky. We discussed how before clocks were invented, humans used the Sun’s position to tell time using tools like a sundial.
After following the instructions to make their sundials, the kids set them outside to “tell time.” We checked on it a few times throughout the morning, and each time, our sundials matched up almost exactly with the real time!
Meteorites and Craters
This one can get messy, so I recommend doing it outside if you can! We start by discussing the difference between meteoroids, meteorites, and meteors. Then we create a model surface by putting a thick layer of flour in a bowl, topped with a thin dusting of cocoa powder. We drop different-sized balls into the bowl to represent the meteorites hitting the surface, and we observe the craters they leave behind.
Tip: I didn’t want to waste all of the flour and cocoa powder, so I thoroughly washed the plastic balls before we dropped them into the mixture. Afterwards, we used it to make some cookies!
Galaxy in a Jar
This was one of the kids’ favorites! They get to make their own model galaxy by selecting paint colors and glitter. Using little bits of water and cotton balls to layer the paint, they can create beautiful swirls of color and glitter that represent the gas, dust, and stars that make up galaxies. If you can get your hands on some glow-in-the-dark paint, that kicks this activity up a notch!
Constellation Projectors
Bring the night sky inside with this activity! Simply print out the constellation templates here, and use a tack to poke holes through a cupcake wrapper. Attach to the end of a flashlight with a rubber band, and you have your constellation projector!
Comet on a Stick
It’s like a magic wand, but better. Using aluminum foil, a stick, and some ribbon, kids can make their own comets to “fly” around the room! It’s more than just a pretty toy, however. Kids learn about each part of the comet while they assemble their model, with the different colors representing a different part of a comet – the coma, the gas tail, and the dust tail.
Don’t Forget the Badge!
If your kids complete each space science activity, don’t forget to print out the Astronomy badge! (Free download here!) Kids can color and glue these onto their Science Scouts notebook, or if you want to take it up a notch, you can order an iron-on decal to attach to a sash or a vest. If you’d like to do something like this, email me at amelia@paperandpines.com and I’ll send you a color jpg version of the patch to upload to an online retailer that makes iron-ons! I used StickerYou for ours, and the quality was great!