ASTRONOMy in ACTION
For after-school groups.
This guide offers a series of simple, fun activities to explore astronomy with preschool and elementary-aged children. The activities are designed to be easy to run, requiring minimal materials and very little preparation.
Astronomy is a great starting point for sparking imagination, encouraging questions, and observing the world around us. We hope these activities will help children discover the wonder of the sky and the universe.
GET STARTED!
You can use this guide in whatever way works best for you. Choose a single activity to enhance a day, or combine several to create a full space-themed workshop. The activities can also be adapted based on the children’s ages, the time available, or the materials you have on hand.
The goal isn’t to do everything, but to inspire you. Take what works for your group, modify the activities as needed, and let the children’s curiosity guide the exploration.
You can download the full guide, the word search, and the glossary below. Further down, you’ll find each activity available as an individual download.
The Sky & Constellations
For thousands of years, people have looked up at the sky and imagined shapes in the stars. Constellations are stories drawn in the sky, varying across cultures and time periods. This section invites children to discover constellations and create their own.
activities
DESIGN A CONSTELLATION
Grades: Preschool — 2
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Individual or small groups
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Hands-on learning
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Activity sheets
MAKE YOUR OWN STAR-FINDER
Grades: Preschool — 2
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Individual or small groups
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Hands-on learning
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Activity sheets
MARSHMALLOW CONSTELLATIONS
Preschool — 2
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Individual or small groups
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Hands-on learning
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Activity sheets
Students imagine and draw their own constellation using a star map!
Students cut out and assemble their own planisphere so they can use it under the real night sky
Students build a three-dimensional model of the Cassiopeia constellation using spaghetti and mini marshmallows
THE EARTH-MOON-SUN SYSTEM
The Earth, the Moon, and the Sun form a dynamic system that influences our daily lives. The activities in this section help students better understand the movements and relationships between these three celestial objects.
activitIES
HEADS-UP!
Gredes: Preschool — 2
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Large group (or as a class)
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Hands-on learning
Students become familiar with our position on Earth and its gravity. They discover that people on the other side of the Earth are not upside down
FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON
Grades: 1 — 4
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Large group (or as a class)
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Hands-on learning
EARTH-MOON-SUN CRAFT
Grades: Preschool — 2
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Individual
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Hands-on learning
Students explore the relative sizes of the Earth and the Moon, as well as the distance between them, by creating a scale model. They also learn about the concept of distance in space and the limited resources of Earth
Students build a simple model of the Earth, Moon, and Sun that demonstrates the Moon’s motion around the Earth and the Earth’s motion around the Sun.
THE SOLAR SYSTEM
The Earth, the Moon, and the Sun form a dynamic system that influences our daily lives. The activities in this section help students better understand the movements and relationships between these three celestial objects.
activitIES
MEASURE THE SOLAR SYSTEM WITH TOILET PAPER
Grades: Grades 1 — 6
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Groups of up to 10
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Hands-on learning
WHAT SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECT AM I?
Grades: Grades 3 — 6
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Groups of 4–5
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Hands-on learning
MAKE PLANETS WITH MODELLING DOUGH
Grades: Grades 3 — 6
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Groups of 4–5
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Hands-on learning
RECALLING THE PLANETS
Grades: Grades 1 — 4
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Individual or small groups
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Hands-on learning
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Activity sheets
Students become familiar with the size of the solar system and the distances between the planets by using a roll of toilet paper as a measuring tool.
This game involves having students guess the solar system object they have been assigned. To do so, they must ask yes-or-no questions using the information chart.
Students explore the sizes of the planets by creating a scale model using modelling dough.
Students create a new mnemonic to remember the planets in order from the Sun. Each word starts with the first letter of a planet
extraterrestrial life
The Earth, the Moon and the Sun form a dynamic system that influences our daily lives. The activities in this section help students better understand the movements and relationships between these three celestial bodies.
activities
MOVING ON OTHER WORLDS
Grades: Preschool — 2
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Whole group (class)
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Hands-on learning
LANDING CONTEST
Grades: Grades 3 — 6
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Groups of 2–4
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Hands-on learning
MY VERY OWN ALIEN!
Grades: Grades 1–6
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Groups of 2–4
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Hands-on learning
Students move as if they are on different planets in the solar system, taking into account the gravitational pull on their surface.
Students must build a lander that will allow an egg to fall from a height of at least 2 m without breaking when it reaches the ground.
Students invent (through drawing or crafting) an alien and consider its characteristics based on the conditions of the planet where it lives.
DECODE THE ALIEN MESSAGE
Students decode a message using the same code scientists use to try to communicate with extraterrestrials.
Grades: Grades 1–4
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Individual or small groups
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Hands-on learning
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Activity sheets
SUPPORT
Should you run into any trouble, or need advice on any activity in particular, please feel free to reach out to our team and we'll get back to you with support as soon as we can!
This project was made in collaboration with the Fédération des astronomes amateurs du Québec and in collaboration with Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan in Montréal.
We'd also like to thank the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et des Exportations of Québec
for their financial support.