Space Month: May
May'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: 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 2: 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 3: Make a star wheel
You need: Peabody's star wheel, printed (two pages), thin card and glue, scissors, a paper fastener.
- Glue both printed pages to thin card.
- ✂️ Grown-up step: Cut out the star disc and the holder, and the holder's window.
- ✂️ Grown-up step: Join them at the centre dots with the paper fastener.
- Turn the disc to tonight's date and the time, go outside, and find one star pattern from the window.
Why it works: The sky turns once a day and shifts a little every night, so the stars you see depend on the date and the time. A star wheel does that turning for you.
Little ones: A paper fastener is a small part: a grown-up keeps it.
Week 4: Do the orbit dance
You need: three people (or two and a lamp), a room or a yard.
- One person is the Sun and stands still in the middle. One is Earth. One is the Moon.
- Earth walks a big slow circle around the Sun (a year), spinning on the spot as it goes (each spin is a day).
- The Moon walks a small circle around Earth, always keeping its face toward Earth.
Why it works: Earth spins once a day and goes around the Sun once a year; the Moon goes around Earth about once a month and always shows us the same side.
Week 1: 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 2: 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 3: Make a star wheel
You need: Peabody's star wheel, printed (two pages), thin card and glue, scissors, a paper fastener.
- Glue both printed pages to thin card.
- ✂️ Grown-up step: Cut out the star disc and the holder, and the holder's window.
- ✂️ Grown-up step: Join them at the centre dots with the paper fastener.
- Turn the disc to tonight's date and the time, go outside, and find one star pattern from the window.
Why it works: The sky turns once a day and shifts a little every night, so the stars you see depend on the date and the time. A star wheel does that turning for you.
Little ones: A paper fastener is a small part: a grown-up keeps it.
Done it? Date: ____________ Tick for your Sky Book: ☐
More at peabody.kids/space/sky/star-wheel
Week 4: Do the orbit dance
You need: three people (or two and a lamp), a room or a yard.
- One person is the Sun and stands still in the middle. One is Earth. One is the Moon.
- Earth walks a big slow circle around the Sun (a year), spinning on the spot as it goes (each spin is a day).
- The Moon walks a small circle around Earth, always keeping its face toward Earth.
Why it works: Earth spins once a day and goes around the Sun once a year; the Moon goes around Earth about once a month and always shows us the same side.
Done it? Date: ____________ Tick for your Sky Book: ☐
Every month
“One small mission a week. By the end of the month you'll know more about space than most grown-ups.”