Space Exploration Day Activities - post

What Is Space Exploration Day?

Space Exploration Day is observed on July 20, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing in 1969. It is also known as National Moon Day. For educators, this observance offers a meaningful context for connecting a milestone in space history with children’s questions about the Moon, exploration, and scientific discovery. Begin by eliciting children’s prior knowledge, then use their questions as prompts for collaborative investigation.

President John F. Kennedy challenged the United States to land a person on the Moon before the end of the 1960s. Apollo 11 achieved that goal in July 1969. For early childhood educators, the observance provides a context for fostering children’s curiosity about space science and the diverse forms of work involved in exploration. Instead of relying on extended direct instruction, begin with a question such as, “What might an astronaut need to learn before traveling to the Moon?” Children can draw on prior knowledge, consider their peers’ perspectives, and revise their explanations in response to new evidence.

How Can Educators Turn Space Exploration Day Into Hands-On Learning?

Plan activities around a clear learning purpose rather than the holiday theme alone. Children can practice observation, comparison, prediction, and descriptive language while exploring materials. Before beginning, explain that a tabletop color activity is a model for investigating patterns—not a simulation of space or a demonstration of how planets form. Ask open-ended questions, allow time for children to notice changes, and invite them to explain what they see in their own words.

How Can Children Investigate Color Patterns With Skittles?

FUN WITH SKITTLES

1. You will need a large white plastic plate, a bag of Skittles, and water. Make sure you're in a place where the plate won't be moved or shaken, as this can change the results.
2. Put your Skittles around the plate in a circle or in a pattern. Tell the children they can be as creative as they want with this part.
3. Pour the water slowly onto the plate. You should start to see the colors move quickly. Have the children watch to see how the colors move around the plate and what happens when they meet other colors. Depending on how big the children's creations are, this can take about 10 minutes.

After the colors settle, ask children to describe one pattern they noticed and one question they still have. You might ask what changed when the water reached the candies, whether the colors traveled in the same way, and what they would change in another trial. Record children’s predictions before repeating the activity so they can compare their ideas with what happens. For younger children, use a smaller number of candies and focus on noticing and naming colors. Older preschoolers may help arrange a repeated pattern or dictate a prediction for an educator to write down. Keep the plate stationary during observation and clean spills promptly; check for food allergies and follow program procedures before using candy. Never allow children to eat materials used in an experiment.

How Can Children Make and Explore Moon-Rock Models?

Moon Rocks

Materials: 1 cup flour, 1 cup water, a whisk, cotton balls, gray food coloring, aluminum foil, a baking sheet, and child-safe toy hammers if appropriate for the group.

Directions for making the moon-rock models:

1. An adult should prepare the moon-rock models ahead of time and keep children away from the oven and hot baking sheet.
2. Whisk together the 1 cup of flour with the 1 cup of water.
3. Add in a small drop of paint to change the mixture to a grey color.
4. Dip cotton balls into the mixture and place them onto a cookie sheet lined with foil.
5. An adult should place the baking sheet in an oven preheated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes, then remove it and allow the models to cool completely out of children’s reach.

After the models have cooled completely, arrange them on a lined tray for examination. Invite children to describe their textures and shapes, then observe how the models respond to gentle pressure or tapping with an age-appropriate tool under close adult supervision. Confirm that all materials and tools are appropriate for the group, especially for children who may mouth objects, and promptly remove loose cotton and small pieces. Before testing an idea, ask children to state a prediction; afterward, invite them to describe their observations. Clarify that these classroom models consist of flour and cotton, not lunar samples.

How Can Educators Extend the Exploration Beyond These Activities?

For an indoor follow-up, arrange picture cards showing the Moon, Earth, and a spacecraft. Ask children to describe visible features, sort images by what they notice, and explain their choices. This visual comparison supports vocabulary and evidence-based discussion without implying that the cards reproduce the scale or conditions of space.

Continue the investigation with a short conversation, a drawing, or a collaborative class display. Invite children to draw what they imagine an astronaut might see on the Moon, then ask what information they would want to find out to make their picture more accurate. Offer age-appropriate books or photographs about the Moon and compare the images with children’s initial ideas. Keep the discussion open-ended: the goal is not to require children to memorize facts, but to support curiosity, careful looking, and the confidence to ask questions.

Educators can connect this activity to broader classroom practice through STEAM learning in the early childhood classroom, engaging STEM activities that spark preschoolers’ curiosity, and space and science exploration in preschool settings. For additional ideas, see ways to encourage scientific thinking through hands-on exploration, easy ways to add STEM to a preschool classroom, and how everyday play can support preschool STEM learning.

To extend professional learning, CDA Subject Area 2 Buy Now $80.00 includes science among its areas of focus. Review the course information and confirm any relevance to your own professional development goals; do not assume a course automatically meets a state, employer, or registry requirement.

How Can Educators Conclude a Space Exploration Day Activity?

Close by inviting each child to share one observation, one question, or one idea they would like to investigate next. A brief closing reflection gives children a chance to revisit their thinking and helps educators notice emerging interests to carry into future activities. Space Exploration Day can be a starting point for ongoing scientific inquiry: children observe, make predictions, test ideas safely, and communicate what they discover. #Space #Science #STEM #Moon #Exploration