Outer Space Lesson Planning Page!

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  • Add a variety of Outer Space open ended arts & crafts items to your Art Space this week including Space themed stickers, stencils, stamps, and cookie cutters.
  • Add small Space themed figures to be used with your Play Dough Invitation this week.
  • ​Make a fun snack using these cute outer space cookie cutters!
  • ​Provide blue paper, star stamps, and yellow tempera paint for kids to create star art
  • Make rocket ships from empty 2 liter bottles
  • Create an invitation to create a telescope using paper towel tubes, stickers, and markers. 
  • Create visual interest in your classroom by hanging inflatable balls in a variety of sizes from the ceiling to represent planets. 
  • Make Galaxy Dough! Simply use your favorite play dough recipe to make black play dough and add purple and silver glitter. 
  • Provide Model Magic for students to create a planet of their choice. Once it's dry they can paint it. 
  • Provide paper plates and a variety of art materials for students to create their very own planet!
  • Set out an invitation to create the moon using crumpled tin foil and scissors, cutting the foil is great for fine motor development. 
Galaxy Dough recipe from Growing a Jeweled Rose
Marbled Planets from I Heart Crafty Things
Squishy Paint Suns from Fun in PreK 1
Telescope to see the Stars from Things to Share and Remember
Moon Dust Paint Recipe from Learn Play Imagine
Paper Plate Astronaut Helmet from Toddler Approved

Add a variety of Astronaut Dress Up Items to your Dramatic Play Space this week. Some items include rubber boots, rubber gloves, and Astronaut Costumes.
Create a pretend rocket in your space with chairs, or out of cardboard. You can also create a command station with old Keyboards, Telephones, or recycled electronics with buttons and switches.
This adorable Outer Space Dramatic Play area was shared by community member Victoria S. 
Terrea D. of Adventurous Learning Unlimited Daycare
created this fabulous dramatic play space for her Outer Space them.
Erica P. also created this adorable spaceship control center.
Get your own Free printable Space Station Control Panel printable from Veggie Smugglers
Erica P. of Erica's Educare Learning Center created this adorable Jet Pack
from Soda Bottles. You can see a tutorial from Doodle Craft on how to make a similar one.
Community member Ashtynn A. created this fun command center!
I loved how she incorporated recycled electronics! 
Sherry R. of Sherry's Kids created these adorable Astronaut helmets out of Fried Chicken buckets! What a fun idea for pretend play!
  • Add a variety of open ended recycled parts to your building Area this week (both inside and out). Consider adding Cardboard Tubes, Astronaut Figures, Rocket Ships, Black and Dark Blue Felt, Stars and Planets.
  • add balled up foil to represent moon rocks
  • Mix blue and purple water beads for a galaxy themed sensory exploration. 
  • Add pretend telescopes to the classroom and demonstrate how they are used. 
  • Make a baking soda and vinegar rocket

This fabulous building space was uploaded to pinterest by Chadwell Preschool
Free Outer Space Pattern Block Printables from The STEM Laboratory
Outer Space Sensory Bin created by Erica P. of Erica's Educare Learning Center
Let's blast off to Outer Space this week and explore Astronauts, Planets, and Stars!
Here's a fun space pun to pull out this week:
"I’m currently reading a book on anti-gravity and it’s impossible to put it down"
Once the laughter is tamed from that clever pun, break out one of these impossible-to-put-down books!

  • Set up the Spaceship and Astronaut sight words set from the Pre-K Printable Fun Editable Sight Words Pack. Use this set to practice name and word recognition!
  • Put cloud dough in a writing tray along with space themed letter cards for moon sand writing. 
  • Set up the Starry Night Uppercase/Lowercase matching game from the Pre-K Printable Fun Outer Space Activity Pack. 
Spell a Star Sensory Bin from My Mundane and Miraculous Life
Smashing ABC Rocks from Stir the Wonder
Smashing ABC Rocks from Stir the Wonder
Push Light Planets from Play At Home Mom LLC
Moon Sand Sensory Bin from Totally Tots

Physical Development and Health

  • Here is a fun activity to work on hand-eye-coordination and fine motor development. You will need: golf tees, marbles (ones that look similar to planets, like these, would be fantastic but not required), and a block of styrofoam (available here on amazon or in store in the craft section). Stick the golf tees in the styrofoam in a line. Children then place the planets on top of the golf tees. For an extra engaging learning experience, encourage them to put the planets in order from distance from the sun. **Teacher Tip: You can utilize the Planet Line Up Cards included in the Pre-K Printable Fun Outer Space Activity Pack for this activity. 
  • Set up a planet obstacle course. Use a variety of materials from around the house to set this up. Some ideas: a small slide (to slide out of their rocket ship), pillows or jumping stones (moon rocks), laundry basket (large moon rock), tunnel (crawl into the rocket ship), balance beam (to walk between planets). At the start give the child a planet sticker, they then go through the obstacle course and place their sticker on a black piece of poster board that is at the end, then of course they do it all again!
  • Practice Moonwalking
  • Kids can work on hand strength using a star hole puncher, then use the punched out paper for art projects. 
  • Use the Outer Space Gross Motor Cards to get bodies moving! Included in the Pre-K Printable Fun Outer Space Activity Pack. ​

STEM

  • Make moon sand for sensory exploration. 
  • Construct a rocket ship in the block center
  • Use an app like Night Sky to explore a virtual representation to identify stars, planets, and constellations
  • . Set your classroom computer or tablet up as part of a rocket ship control center. 
  • Fill your sand table with black kinetic sand and astronaut figures
  • Practice counting backward from ten during transitions! 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-blast off!
  • Meet STEM learning objectives with the following activities from the Pre-K Printable Outer Space Activity Pack:
    • Space Shuttle Shape Clip Cards
    • Blast Off Color Matching Activity
    • Outer Space Count and Clip Cards
    • Counting Stars Mats 1-10 with frames and counters
    • Outer Space Number Puzzles (great for fine motor too!)
    • Blast Off Counting Mats 1-20
    • MoonSize SortingSorting
    • Planet Line-Ups
    • Astronaut and Spaceship shapes file folder game
    • Outer Space Positional Phrases
Space Water Bead Sensory Bin from 3 Dinosaurs
Star Gazing Box from The Wonder Years
  • Set up an Outer Space Sensory Bin like this one created by Pre-K Fun Community member Erica P. of Erica's Educare Learning Center. You can use black and white beans or aquarium gravel for the base. The figures can be found at the dollar store or in a set like this from amazon.

Group Play

  • Set up an invitation to play cooperatively in a pretend space station (see the dramatic play section). 
  • Planet scavenger hunt: Create or purchase paper or cardboard planet shapes. Trace the shapes onto dark blue or black poster board. Next, make sure the planets are labeled and hid around the classroom. Challenge students to work together to find all of the planets and place them on the board. 
  • Set up hula hoops in the yard to represent planets, mark each hula hoop with a picture label so children know where each planet is. Children draw a card and then travel to the planet they have drawn.  **The Planet Line-Up Cards included in the Pre-K Printable Fun Outer Space Activity Pack would work great for this activity. 

Community Involvement

  • Ask the librarian at your local library to put together some books related to outer space that are age appropriate for your group! 
  • If you have any local astronauts invite them to your program to talk about their job and show off pictures. 
  • Take a trip to a local science museum or see if they will bring a field trip to you!

Parent Engagement

  • If any parents have an occupation or interest in space invite them to come and share something fun with the class. 
  • Ask parents to assist in setting up an Outer Space Dramatic Play Invitation. 
  • Request materials such as paper towel tubes, tin foil, beach balls, poster board, and model magic for this theme. 

Resources from Around the Web

Astronaut pretend play fine motor activity from Best Toys 4 Toddlers
Sun inspired Number match activity from Modern Preschool
Galaxy Dough recipe from Growing a Jeweled Rose
Marbled Planets from I Heart Crafty Things
Squishy Paint Suns from Fun in PreK 1
Telescope to see the Stars from Things to Share and Remember
Moon Dust Paint Recipe from Learn Play Imagine
Paper Plate Astronaut Helmet from Toddler Approved

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