In this article
When Mars Rover Perseverance landed on Jezero Crater earlier this year, many homeschooling families found a renewed interest in learning about space. Whether you've created space exploration unit studies before, or your kids are getting curious about the cosmos for the first time, there are countless resources to pull from.
Here are 9 lessons about NASA to incorporate into your next outer space homeschool lesson plans.
What does NASA stand for?
Most everyone is familiar with NASA and what the space program does, but help your child dig a bit further using the following resources to learn more about the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and its many facets.
1. Learn the history of NASA and how the program came to be
The Who Was book series from Penguin Random House is the quintessential homeschooling resource for independent readers or family read-alouds. With over 250 titles, your child can learn about people, places, and events that changed and shaped history.
One such book, What is NASA? by Sarah Fabiny explores the origins of NASA and the numerous missions and landings that paved the way for space exploration and the space program as we know it today.
2. Go directly to the source to learn more about NASA
The NASA Langley Research Center website offers a host of classroom and homeschool lesson plans with links to activities, resources, and activities for all ages including the NASA Kid's Club, an interactive and engaging kid-friendly site for the younger learners in your homeschool. This online kids-space learning resource is perfect when you need to work with older kids while keeping younger children occupied.
3. The NASA at Home brings science right to the comfort of your own living room or kitchen table
Last year when the entire world went on lockdown, Mom.com reached out to a NASA representative for insight into creative indoor STEAM activities for kids.
Holli Riebeek Kohl, who works for Science Systems and Applications, Inc. at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, says that STEAM activities offer kids the ability to use their natural curiosity to learn. "When kids explore to discover science, math, and engineering on their own terms (including through art), these topics become exciting. They become relevant to everyday life," the GLOBE Observer Coordinator told Mom.com. The NASA at Home website provides countless resources and activities for kids interested in space and space exploration.
Fun NASA homeschool lessons for all ages
What's great about learning about NASA and the space program is that the topic generally appeals to children of all ages and is easily customizable. You can delve into the inner workings of the more technical and scientific topics with your older children, and still involve younger children by providing coloring pages and hands-on activities to complete.
4. Consider a done-for-you space exploration unit from 4H
4H is a federally funded youth development program that inspires children to reach their fullest potential. The 4H at Home program provides a variety of lesson plans across several subject areas. If you're looking for an easy-to-follow space activity for kids, the space exploration STEM lessons from 4H include everything you need to get started and are geared for students in grades 3-5.
5. Homeschooling multiple ages? Consider a one and done resource
Preschoolers can learn the alphabet with the High Flyers Alphabet Activity Book while older kids work through activities that introduce advanced aeronautical terms, solve puzzles, and practice copy work and handwriting. This space activity for kids can be adapted and used for all ages as a supplement to a space unit study.
Resources to supplement homeschool lesson plans
From virtual tours to videos, supplementing your homeschool unit study from a variety of sources is a great way to keep your kids engaged and provide them with different viewpoints and experiences.
6. Discover what it's like to actually live on the International Space Station
Think of them as the ultimate Day in the Life videos on social media; countless astronauts over the years have filmed videos from the ISS explaining what life is like living on the ISS.
Whether it's NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg showing how she washes her hair in space or former ISS Commander Chris Hadfield explaining how to brush your teeth on the ISS, your kids will discover what it's like to live in space for months at a time. A quick YouTube search for ISS videos will yield a plethora of intriguing results.
7. Do some stargazing in your own backyard
Track the International Space Station (ISS) and get updates when it's flying overhead — try to find it in the night sky. On clear nights it became a regular pandemic lockdown activity for our family.
8. Consider an immersive experience; perfect for roadschooling families
If your family is on the road or planning a road trip, consider family astronaut training or space camp in Alabama. Diana Hughes is a mom of two and Alumni Relations Officer at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville.
"Space Camp is a truly unique experience. At Space Camp you not only take part in an immersive STEM program, but also build skills in teamwork, leadership, and individual confidence," Hughes told Mom.com. "After taking part in Space Academy and Advanced Space Academy in my youth, meeting people from around the world, and taking part in activities like SCUBA for the first time, it helped me realize that the sky is the limit!"
9. Explore NASA right from the comfort of your own home.
The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory offers virtual tours of the facility. With 3D panoramic images, you and your kids will feel as though you're sitting right alongside mission control staff. You'll get to see the Spacecraft Assembly Facility and explore individual rooms dedicated to educating visitors about the moon, planets, comets, asteroids, and the stars.
