Space Month: March
March's four space missions, one a week, made from things you already have at home. Do one, tap "I did it!", and a badge goes in your Sky Book.
Week 1: Make a shadow clock
You need: a stick or pencil, a lump of play dough or a flowerpot of soil, chalk or small stones, a sunny day.
- Stand the stick up in the dough, on a sunny sidewalk or a sheet of paper.
- Every hour, mark the end of the stick's shadow and write the time.
- At lunchtime, find the shortest shadow. Which way does it point?
Why it works: As Earth turns, the Sun seems to move across the sky, and shadows swing around. The shortest shadow, around midday, points north from most of the US.
Little ones: Never look at the Sun: watch the shadow instead.
Week 2: Watch the Moon for a week
You need: Peabody's Moon journal, printed (or a page with seven circles), a pencil.
- Check Sky Tonight to see when the Moon is up this week.
- Each night (or morning) you can see it, shade the dark part of a circle so the white part is what you see. Write the date.
- At the end of the week, line up your Moons. Is it growing or shrinking?
Why it works: The Moon goes around Earth about once a month, so it changes a little every night. A week of drawings shows it moving through its phases.
Week 3: Take tonight's sky tour
You need: a phone or tablet with Peabody, a clear night.
- Open Tonight's sky tour and go out with a grown-up.
- Follow Peabody's five steps, one at a time. Tap Found it for each one you see.
- Pick your favourite and find it again tomorrow night, without the tour.
Why it works: Knowing which way to face and how high to look (one fist held out is about ten degrees) is how astronomers find their way around the sky.
Week 4: Line up the planets as fruit
You need: fruit and seeds from the kitchen: a big melon, a grapefruit, two oranges or apples, two plums, a peppercorn or pea, two blueberries, a table.
- Open Planets at true scale and look at how big each planet is next to the others.
- Pick a fruit or seed for each planet so the sizes match as well as you can (Jupiter biggest, then Saturn).
- Line them up in order from the Sun. Then eat Mercury.
Why it works: Jupiter is about eleven Earths wide; Mercury is less than half an Earth. Matching them with food makes the sizes stick.
Little ones: Peppercorns, peas and blueberries are choking-sized for under-fives: use big fruit pieces only.
Week 1: Make a shadow clock
You need: a stick or pencil, a lump of play dough or a flowerpot of soil, chalk or small stones, a sunny day.
- Stand the stick up in the dough, on a sunny sidewalk or a sheet of paper.
- Every hour, mark the end of the stick's shadow and write the time.
- At lunchtime, find the shortest shadow. Which way does it point?
Why it works: As Earth turns, the Sun seems to move across the sky, and shadows swing around. The shortest shadow, around midday, points north from most of the US.
Little ones: Never look at the Sun: watch the shadow instead.
Done it? Date: ____________ Tick for your Sky Book: ☐
Week 2: Watch the Moon for a week
You need: Peabody's Moon journal, printed (or a page with seven circles), a pencil.
- Check Sky Tonight to see when the Moon is up this week.
- Each night (or morning) you can see it, shade the dark part of a circle so the white part is what you see. Write the date.
- At the end of the week, line up your Moons. Is it growing or shrinking?
Why it works: The Moon goes around Earth about once a month, so it changes a little every night. A week of drawings shows it moving through its phases.
Done it? Date: ____________ Tick for your Sky Book: ☐
More at peabody.kids/space/print/moon-journal
Week 3: Take tonight's sky tour
You need: a phone or tablet with Peabody, a clear night.
- Open Tonight's sky tour and go out with a grown-up.
- Follow Peabody's five steps, one at a time. Tap Found it for each one you see.
- Pick your favourite and find it again tomorrow night, without the tour.
Why it works: Knowing which way to face and how high to look (one fist held out is about ten degrees) is how astronomers find their way around the sky.
Done it? Date: ____________ Tick for your Sky Book: ☐
More at peabody.kids/space/sky/tour
Week 4: Line up the planets as fruit
You need: fruit and seeds from the kitchen: a big melon, a grapefruit, two oranges or apples, two plums, a peppercorn or pea, two blueberries, a table.
- Open Planets at true scale and look at how big each planet is next to the others.
- Pick a fruit or seed for each planet so the sizes match as well as you can (Jupiter biggest, then Saturn).
- Line them up in order from the Sun. Then eat Mercury.
Why it works: Jupiter is about eleven Earths wide; Mercury is less than half an Earth. Matching them with food makes the sizes stick.
Little ones: Peppercorns, peas and blueberries are choking-sized for under-fives: use big fruit pieces only.
Done it? Date: ____________ Tick for your Sky Book: ☐
More at peabody.kids/space/planets-to-scale
Every month
“One small mission a week. By the end of the month you'll know more about space than most grown-ups.”