Hands-On Activities

Activities reinforce and add depth to topics covered in my books and magazine articles. But you can just do them because they are FUN! (See SF Writing Exercise for a writing activity.)

Space Activities

• Animated Moon Map
• Earth-Moon Distance Model
• Make an Edible Moon Rock
• Make a Space Drink
• Build a Robotic Hand
• AlkaSeltzer Lunar Rocket
• Egg-citing Impacts
• Gravity Detector
• Scale Models of the Planets
• Solar System Live Game
• Big Dipper Up Close
• Local Group of Galaxies Model

Animated Moon Map

Where is the Ocean of Storms? How big is the crater Tycho? Fly over features, learn lunar geography, and test your knowledge with puzzles. Find the oldest crater in the Solar System on the Far Side map!

Check out the amazing ANIMATED MOON MAP!

Earth Moon Distance Model

Make a model of the Earth/Moon system. HOME ON THE MOON contains an activity Scaling the Moon that shows you how. Using Adobe Acrobat Reader (free via www.adobe.com), you can print out Earth/Moon images to cut out and glue on your scale model. If Earth is 8 inches, then the Moon is 2 inches; if Earth is 4 inches, then the Moon is 1 inch in diameter.

Make an Edible Moon Rock

Home on the Moon includes an edible model of a lunar breccia, a type of rock that includes bits of basalt and anorthosite melted and combined with regolith (crushed rocks, represented by rice cereal in the recipe).

Photo of Real Moon Rocks to compare with your creation. From L to R, basalt (dark because of iron and magnesium, is represented in the recipe by chocolate), breccia, anorthosite (light-colored aluminum and silicon represented by marshmallows in the recipe), and another breccia. The first breccia is dark and the second is light. Which one most resembles your "rock" when sliced open?/p>

Space Drink Activity

How is a space drink different from an Earth drink? The water is carried to space separately from the drink mix. Why? It takes less energy to carry a packet of drink mix than a jug of lemonade whether you are hiking to a picnic or blasting into space. On Earth, we can add the water via a fountain at the picnic site, and in space, the water is provided as a byproduct of the Space Shuttle's electrical power system.

This drink is appropriate for all ages and can double as the refreshment for children's snack time, a star party, or as part of an outdoor fair or picnic. Party organizers can set up a 3-table assembly line, or prepare bags ahead of time and start with step 5 of the Directions.

Note: classes can make a space lunch to go with their drinks using the "Prepare A Space Meal" activity in Space Station Science.

Space Drink Supplies/Assembly Line

Supplies for Space Drink for 150 people, assuming assembly line with 10 people standing at each table (5 on a side) at one time and preparing snack-sized drink:

First Table:

1) Two boxes of Gladlock Zipper sandwich bags, 6 5/8 x 5 7/8, 100 to a box; 2) Ten Marker pens (that can write on plastic bags); and 3) Ten rulers.

Second Table:

1) Ten Tablespoons, and 2) Seven cans of drink mix that make 8 quarts (each can has about 48 TBSP, so can make 24 drinks).

Third Table:

1) 150 bendable plastic straws; 2) Seven gallons of water in easy pour containers or several water fountains; and 3) Large trash can for waste.

Space Drink Directions

1. Take one reclosable plastic sandwich bag (Gladlock Zipper, 6 5/8 x 5 7/8, 100 to a box).
2. Mark a horizontal line up from the bottom of the bag to show how much water to add. For full-sized drink (which will use 1 1/3 cups water), mark the line 2 1/2 " from the bottom. For snack-sized drink (which will use 2/3 cups water), mark the line 1 3/4" from the bottom. Lay new bags on top of already-marked bags to avoid having to measure each time.
3. Measure powdered drink mix (Tang!) into bag. For full-sized drink, use 1/4 cup mix. For snack-sized drink, use 2 TBSP mix. Note: drink mix cans that make 8 quarts have enough mix for 12 full-size or 24 half-size drinks.
4. Add one bendable plastic straw to bag.

   Drink photo 1

   Step 5 should be done over a sink, outside, or in a non-carpeted area!

5. Using a water jug, faucet, or fountain, add water up to the line on the bag.
6. Seal the bag (with the straw inside).
7. Knead the bag until the drink mix is completely dissolved.

   Drink photo 2

8. Pop open one corner, slip the straw out, and drink!
9. Reseal the bag when finished and refill or dispose of properly.

Robotic Hand Activity

How do you pick things up in space? You let a robot do it! This activity is to make a robotic hand that uses the same principle as the ones on the space shuttle and space station. If there is only time for one activity, this one is recommended because it gives the students something to take home, can be done all indoors, and leaves no mess to clean up. Directions are in Space Station Science. A paper lunch bag works well to hold supplies. Distribute supplies prior to the start of the activity, either in bags or via an assembly line of 5 stations. Activity requires 20-30 minutes. Author requires a microphone to avoid having to shout directions to "uncontrolled" robots.

1. One toilet paper tube/student. (Author can supply these for Houston-area workshops.)
2. One cardboard cereal box with the front and back cut in half lengthwise provides enough cardboard for 4 students. Pieces should be no wider than 4" and about 9" long to fit around the outside of the toilet paper tube with a finger-width gap between them.

   Photo showing size of outer tube

   Note: if the cardboard is not cut ahead of time, it adds a significant amount of time to the activity, and scissors must be supplied.

3. Need 3 thin (size 10) rubber bands (about 2" in diameter)/ student. Fat ones will not work! Rubber bands must be cut. (Do ahead of time or provide scissors.)
4. Marker pen (optional) helps in placing the rubber bands on the tubes, and allows students to decorate their "hands."
5. A roll of scotch tape/2 students. Book directions call for using a stapler to make the outer cylinder and to attach the rubber bands. Staples make the hand stronger, but are not necessary. For workshops, especially with younger children, use tape instead of staples.

   Photo of robotic hand with toy

AlkaSeltzser Lunar Rocket

This activity involves shooting off rockets that can sometimes reach the ceiling in a classroom. Therefore, it is recommended that the rockets be built in the class and taken outside or to a gym for launching. Author requires a microphone to maintain "mission control."

1. Each student will need one Fuji film canister (the kind with lids that fit inside the canister) - Kodak canisters will not work! Most film processing stores will provide these for free. Author can provide canisters in the Houston area.
2. Each student requires one seltzer tablet cut in half.
3. Each student needs a plastic spoon and a source of water.
4. Author will provide a master of the rocket for hosts to copy on heavy colored paper and cut-out for each student. This must be done ahead of time or it takes an additional 15 minutes.
5. Each student should have their own roll of tape.

   It takes about 30 minutes to assemble the rocket probe and launch it (one half tablet/launch). The water and seltzer leave a gooey mess on the floor, so paper towels are needed for clean-up if done indoors. This activity is for 4th grade and up, though can be done with younger students if parent volunteers are provided.

   Rocket probe

Egg-citing Impacts

How does speed change the force of an impact? Find out for yourself! The directions for this activity are in Space Station Science.

Each student will need 1) a raw egg in a plastic cup, 2) a meter stick or tape measure, 3) a nickel, and 4) a pencil. The cups are best placed on the floor, so this is best done in an uncarpeted room. The activity takes 10-15 minutes, and is for grades 3-8.

Gravity Detector

How do oil and water behave differently in freefall versus in a gravity field? This experiment will show you!

To save time, it is best to have students grouped at tables of 3-5 with 1) one bottle of cooking oil, 2) a teaspoon, 3) and a squeeze bottle of food coloring (red, blue, and green work well - yellow is too hard to see) at each table. Each student needs a trasparent plastic cup or test tube filled to 1/4" of the top with water. This activity can be done by all ages, but note that the food coloring stains, so that if young children are involved, it is a good idea to do this at tables outside and have lots of paper towels ready! This activity takes 10 minutes.

Gravity detector

Scale Models of the Planets

These 3-D models of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, and Mars, and paper models of the outer planets are the ones I use in school visits. Directions coming soon.

Solar System Live Game

This is a game to show how the planets move in orbits around the sun. Directions coming soon.

Big Dipper Up Close

This activity appeared in Odyssey magazine and shows the impact of distance on perception. Directions coming soon.

Local Group Model

Directions for building a Local Group (of galaxies) mobile appeared in my Stars & Galaxies book, but a math error that I discovered just as the books went to print caused the Andromdea satellite galaxies to be placed at the proper distances, but in the wrong directions. The corrected directions were supposed to be placed on the Scholastic Space University site, but never were. That site is no longer available anyway, so I'm posting the correct directions here soon.

All activities copyright, Marianne J. Dyson, all rights reserved. This page may be copied/downloaded for personal use only. Questions? Send e-mail to the author.