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Guilford County Schools ACES Program
Weekly Theme: Blast Off – Centers Activities
Art Center
UFO's
Take two paper plates & glue them together. Then glue on a paper bowl on top of the paper
plates. Have students decorate to make a UFO.
Telescope Craft
Cover a paper towel or wrapping paper roll with construction paper. Have the child decorate it.
Have the child look through it and pretend to see various objects in space.
Shoe Box Planet Mobile
Make a sun and 8 planets out of paper. Decorate the circles how you would like them (the sun is
usually yellow). (You can glue them on cardboard.) Hole punch a hole. Place string or yarn
through the hole. Tie off. Make holes on the top of a shoe box. Make a space background. Tie
the sun first and then the planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune, and Pluto.
Rocket Packs
Empty two soda bottles use clear packing tape to wrap together, then cut thick strips of fabric or
ribbon and tape on. The straps will look like those on a backpack.
Lite Brite Constellations
If you have a Lite Brite, allow students to use it to make constellations.
Moon Prints
Add tempera paint to water and dish soap, then use a straw (with a hole pierced halfway up the
straw to prevent swallowing!) to blow bubbles way over the top of the bowl. Press a piece of
paper down onto the bubbles, popping them and leaving "craters" on the paper.
Board Game Center
Out of This World: Earth & Space Science Game – Lakeshore
Can Do! Solar System Game – Lakeshore
Solar System Floor Puzzle – Lakeshore
Space Jingo – Edu-Play
Building/Manipulatives Center
Space Building
Students can build a space station or space ships with blocks or Lego® bricks.
Space Blocks
Cover wooden building blocks in aluminum foil and let the students build spaceships.
July 2008
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
CATCH Kids® Games
(K-3)-#98, #270 (3-5)-#24, #85, #153
Computer Center/Computer Lab
Space Arcade
http://funschool.kaboose.com/globe-rider/space/games/index.html
Space Games for Kids
http://www.seasky.org/space-games.html
Lunar Cycle Challenge
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/moon/moon_challenge/moon_challenge.html
The Magic School Bus Space Chase
http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/games/space/index.asp
NASA Online Games
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/playandlearn/playandlearn_archive_1.html
StarChild: A Learning Center for Young Astronauts
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html
Space Place
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/games.shtml
Hubble’s Greatest Hits – View Space
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/nasa/space-telescopes/space-telescopes.html
Dramatic Play Center
Astronaut Dress Up
Both Kaplan and Lakeshore have an astronaut dress up outfit.
Space Ship
Students can also make a space ship out of a cardboard box or make the rocket packs in the art
center for further dress up ideas.
Title: 5 ASTRONAUTS
Five brave astronauts floated into space (5 fingers float)
The first one disappeared without a trace (show one then quickly hide behind back)
The second one somersaulted past the moon (roll hands)
The third on entered the atmosphere too soon (hands to face)
The fourth one took off counting ten to zero (show 10 fingers then none)
And the fifth one landed safely like a hero. (jump then hands on hips)
July 2008
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
Gross Motor Center
Moon Rock Toss
Take sheets of scrap paper (copy paper works best) and crumple them into balls. You will need
two for each child. Explain that these are moon rocks. They are almost weightless, as they
would be on the moon. Divide your class into two teams. Put one team on one side of the room
behind a strip of masking tape. Put the other team on the other side of the room behind another
strip of masking tape. The two pieces of tape should be about 8 feet apart. Neither team is
allowed to cross their tape or their connection to the spaceship will be lost. Count down from 10
to 1. At blastoff, the children can throw moon rocks at each other. If any rocks land within reach
you may pick them up and throw them again. Once you say “Mission Complete”, everyone
must stop and the team with the fewest moon rocks on their side wins.
Moon Rock Relay
Divide the children into teams. Give each team a pile of "moon rocks" (any kind of ball) and a
set of kitchen tongs. Place a bucket for each team at a finish line. The object of the game is
to be the first team to transport all of the moon rocks from the pile to the bucket using only the
tongs (robot arm). The first racer will pick up a rock, run to the bucket return to his/her team and
pass the tongs to the next player. This continues until all of the "rocks" have been moved.
Asteroid Belt
Have the children form a circle. Toss the inflated balloons or "asteroids" in the air and the
children have to keep the asteroids from hitting the Earth.
Flying Comets
For this game you will use foxtail balls (comet balls, etc.) Place a hula hoop on the floor. The
students must toss their comets and try to get it completely inside the circle.
Astronaut, Astronaut, Alien
Play just like duck, duck, goose
Giant Solar System Floor Mat – Kaplan
Astronaut Exercises
Astronauts must be in top physical condition to endure the rigors of space travel. Get your
space ace trainees in shape with an out-of-this-world workout!
Solar System Stretch--Reach to the sky; then stretch arms out wide.
Rocket Ship Run-in-Place--Warm up and get ready to take off!
Galactic Gallop--Gallop all around the galaxy (your room).
Lunar Leaps--Jump as far as you can.
Trainee Toe Touches--Touch your toes ten times.
Planet Push-ups--Do nine push-ups--one for each planet!
Constellation Cooldown--Lie down on your back. Relax as you imagine staring at a starry sky.
KidzLit®
(K-2)-The Adventures of Taxi Dog
(3-5)-Shark Lady
July 2008
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
Listening Center
Learn About Science Through Music CD Set - Kaplan
Music Center
The Sun is a Fiery Ball of Gas
To help the students develop understanding of the concept that the sun is a ball of fiery gases,
not solid like the earth, use streamers or strips of paper in red, yellow, white and orange. Give
each child one streamer. The children are positioned in concentric circles of colors. The center
is white (hottest part of sun), then yellow, then orange and last red. Put on spacey type music
and have children "boil and bubble" around in their circles. The circles can spin in different
directions. Periodically say "solar flare" at which time the red streamers burst off the circle and
then return to their place. (Solar flares are giant bursts of gas exploding off the surface of the
sun.) To end, have children slowly "run out of gas" and sit on the floor as you turn down music.
The Planet Song Tune: The Ant's Go Marching
The planets revolve around the sun.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The planets revolve around the sun.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The planets revolve around the sun and spin on their axis everyone.
And they all go spinning, around and around they go.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are whirling and twirling around the sun.
and they all go spinning, around and around they go.
Jupiter, Saturn are next in line.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Jupiter, Saturn are next in line.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Jupiter, and Saturn are next in line.
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto make nine.
And they all go spinning, around and around they go.
Astronaut Song Tune: If You're Happy & You Know It
Outer space is where I'd really like to go
I'd ride inside a spaceship don't you know.
I'd like to travel near the stars
Wave to Jupiter and Mars
Outer space is where I'd really like to go!
July 2008
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
Reading Center
K-3
Space Case - Edward Marshall
Roaring Rockets - Tony Mitton
Draw Me A Star - Eric Carle
Goodnight Moon – Margaret Wise Brown
3-5
The Magic School Bus Lost In the Solar System - Joanna Cole
My Teacher Is an Alien by Bruce Coville and Mike Wimmer
Our Solar System by Seymour Simon
My Life as an Afterthought Astronaut by Bill Myers
Riddles
How do astronauts eat their ice cream in space?
In floats!
What plants do aliens have?
Venus fly traps!
When the moon got dirty, what did he do?
He took a meteor shower!
When is the moon not hungry?
When it’s full!
What did the alien say to the book?
Take me to your reader!
What is an astronaut's favorite key on a computer keyboard?
The space bar!
Science and Nature Center
Simple Rocket
Take a sheet of computer paper. Start in one corner of the paper and roll it tightly around a
pencil and tape the end point. Remove pencil. Trim both ends off square so paper is about the
length of a drinking straw. Fold one end over about 3/4 of an inch and tape with clear Scotch
tape. Using two triangle measuring about 2" x 2" x 3 1/2" fold each in half and attach to sides of
rocket toward open end. Insert a regular drinking straw into the open end. When you're ready to
blast off, just blow on the straw. **Make sure to wrap the paper nice and tight or it won't blast
off.
Make a Rocket:
MOON SHADOWS
What You Need
1 flashlight
1 large ball
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
2 toothpicks
clay
1 thick book
1 push pin
1 small ball
What You Do
1. The large ball will be the Earth, the small ball will be the Moon, and the flashlight will be the
Sun. Remember, never look directly into the Sun! Stick a toothpick into the Earth and another
into the Moon.
2. Put the other end of the toothpicks into two balls of clay. Flatten them so that the clay makes
the Earth and the Moon stand up on their toothpicks.
3. The push pin will be you. Stick yourself on the Earth somewhere near the equator.
4. Set the Sun up on top of a thick book or a few thin ones. The center of the Sun must be the
same height as the center of the Earth and Moon.
5. Set up the Sun, Earth, and Moon in the order shown in the figure. Turn the Earth so you are
on the side away from the Sun. Turn on the Sun. Is it day or night where the model of you is?
6. Now let the Earth rotate so that "you" are on the side by the Sun. Is it day or night for you?
7. Let the Earth rotate some more until you are half way between the Sun and the Moon. What
time of day is it for you?
8. Now let's see how the Moon can change things. Turn the Earth so that it is daytime for you.
9. Start the Moon revolving around the earth slowly. Watch what happens to your daylight as the
Moon comes between the Earth and the Sun. What did you see?
JMG-Teacher/Leader Guide: Ch. 1, pg. 19-Spinning Seeds
July 2008
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials