Space Month: November
November'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 Moon box
You need: a shoebox with a lid, a ball about the size of a ping-pong ball (or a ball of foil), a string and tape, a small flashlight, a pencil.
- Hang the ball from the middle of the lid on a short string, so it dangles in the middle of the box.
- ✂️ Grown-up step: Cut a peephole in the middle of each of the four sides, and one more hole in a corner for the flashlight.
- Shine the flashlight in through the corner hole. That's the Sun.
- Look through each peephole in turn and draw what you see: a full ball, half a ball, a thin crescent, or almost nothing.
Why it works: The ball is always half lit, like the Moon. What changes is how much of the lit half you can see from where you look. That's all the Moon's phases are.
Week 2: Make a pinhole Sun viewer
You need: two pieces of white card (a cereal box works), a pin or a sharp pencil, a sunny day.
- Print Peabody's pinhole viewer, or draw a cross in the middle of one card.
- ✂️ Grown-up step: Poke a tiny hole at the cross.
- Stand with your back to the Sun. Hold the pinhole card up and let its spot of light fall on the second card.
- Move the cards apart: the spot of light gets bigger. It is a picture of the Sun itself.
Why it works: A tiny hole makes a picture of whatever is bright beyond it. It's the safe way to watch the Sun: you look at the card, never at the Sun.
Little ones: The pin is a grown-up's job.
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: Take a planet walk
You need: a ball for the Sun (a basketball, softball or ping-pong ball), nine sticky notes or the printed signs, a long sidewalk, path or park.
- Pick your Sun ball on Planet Walk. It tells you how far apart the planets go and how big each one is.
- Put the Sun down and walk, counting steps, to each planet. Leave a sign at each one.
- Stop and look back at the Sun from Neptune.
Why it works: The planets are tiny and far apart. Most of the solar system is empty space, and a walk is the only way to feel how much.
Week 1: Make a Moon box
You need: a shoebox with a lid, a ball about the size of a ping-pong ball (or a ball of foil), a string and tape, a small flashlight, a pencil.
- Hang the ball from the middle of the lid on a short string, so it dangles in the middle of the box.
- ✂️ Grown-up step: Cut a peephole in the middle of each of the four sides, and one more hole in a corner for the flashlight.
- Shine the flashlight in through the corner hole. That's the Sun.
- Look through each peephole in turn and draw what you see: a full ball, half a ball, a thin crescent, or almost nothing.
Why it works: The ball is always half lit, like the Moon. What changes is how much of the lit half you can see from where you look. That's all the Moon's phases are.
Done it? Date: ____________ Tick for your Sky Book: ☐
More at peabody.kids/space/moon/phases
Week 2: Make a pinhole Sun viewer
You need: two pieces of white card (a cereal box works), a pin or a sharp pencil, a sunny day.
- Print Peabody's pinhole viewer, or draw a cross in the middle of one card.
- ✂️ Grown-up step: Poke a tiny hole at the cross.
- Stand with your back to the Sun. Hold the pinhole card up and let its spot of light fall on the second card.
- Move the cards apart: the spot of light gets bigger. It is a picture of the Sun itself.
Why it works: A tiny hole makes a picture of whatever is bright beyond it. It's the safe way to watch the Sun: you look at the card, never at the Sun.
Little ones: The pin is a grown-up's job.
Done it? Date: ____________ Tick for your Sky Book: ☐
More at peabody.kids/space/eclipses
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: Take a planet walk
You need: a ball for the Sun (a basketball, softball or ping-pong ball), nine sticky notes or the printed signs, a long sidewalk, path or park.
- Pick your Sun ball on Planet Walk. It tells you how far apart the planets go and how big each one is.
- Put the Sun down and walk, counting steps, to each planet. Leave a sign at each one.
- Stop and look back at the Sun from Neptune.
Why it works: The planets are tiny and far apart. Most of the solar system is empty space, and a walk is the only way to feel how much.
Done it? Date: ____________ Tick for your Sky Book: ☐
More at peabody.kids/space/planet-walk
Every month
“One small mission a week. By the end of the month you'll know more about space than most grown-ups.”