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There is just something about space, isn’t there? It’s completely fascinating to people young and old. You can see the splendor of God’s hand in creation in nearly every picture from Hubble or the APOD. My kids are no different and while we cannot touch the stars for real, we have been reading and doing hands on activities.
Usborne Space Books
We have several books on space. I think we have several books on EVERY subject, actually. But, as usual, our two favorites are from Usborne. My oldest got Look Inside Space from her Godparents for her birthday one year. It is a fabulous lift the flap book that talks about space, stars, planets and more. Be warned, it does reference the Big Bang. We just explained that the matter still had to come from somewhere and God can do anything he wanted. He could have made a big explosion to create space; we just don’t know. That’s why it’s a theory. Because she did ask :).
We also bought On The Moon which my youngest liked the most. Our version is the padded hardcover and its a delightful little story about what its like on the moon. Very simple pictures, few words per page & really captures how a small child would look at the moon.
Space Series
I also found a series called Blast Off! Let’s Explore…. These are thin, factual paperbacks for early readers we found at a library book sale a few years ago. There are 12 books in total and I think we are only missing the book on comets & asteroids. Lil’ Bit has been reading (and leaving) them all over the place. They are just about perfect for about the second grade level and have beautiful photographs of space on every page.
Space Sensory Activitites
Because my younger daughter is so hands on, I decided to make our space activities hands on. We did a couple of hands-on space activities last week.
Space Sensory Bin
The first thing we made was a space sensory bin. It’s not a unique idea; I saw several on Pinterest :).
Here is how we made ours. We used:
- A plastic shoebox ($1.25 at Target)
- 3 (2 lb) bags of aquarium rocks from PetSmart ($2.99 each)
- Star shaped buttons (free for us. We already had this set from OTC)
Pour the rocks in the box. Add buttons. Hide. Dig. Repeat. Even my 6 year old loved this. I think she loved it more, actually. And they are beautiful to look at!
These rocks, BTW are the larger ones. You can buy similar colored ones in a 5 lb bag that are much smaller. I wouldn’t buy those for a sensory bin. If you try to buy them online, the UPC is 7 37257 19687 2. FYI, they do get black dust on hands. Great for my older kids!
Oreo Moon Phases
Since we had a blood moon this month, we used the Halloween themed Oreos :). We watched a video of the eclipse and then used this free work sheet from Teachers Pay Teachers as a group. My kids don’t need that many cookies at once :). Especially with an unknown disease lurking… I also found this awesome little song to memorize the moon phases, if you have a kid who likes to learn by song.
We intended to do several more, but the Little Man came down with a mystery illness & fever. Bah!
Poppins Book Nook
Check out posts from all Poppins Book Nook co-hosts about the Space Exploration and add your post to the linky below.
Clip Art by Melon Headz
Check out more Poppins Book Nook posts by these lovely bloggers:
Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God’s Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy’s Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ My Bright Firefly ~A Mommy’s Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~Golden Grasses ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Raventhreads ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~Where Imagination Grows ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A “Peace” of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am ~ Simple Living Mama
Be sure to follow Enchanted Homeschooling Mom for more book related posts & even lapbook pages to go with each months theme!
2 Comments on Outer Space Sensory Fun {Poppins Book Nook}
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jill
10 November 2014 at 6:37 PM (9 years ago)I adore your sensory bin! What a great tie into the excellent titles you selected!
Thank you for helping to bring a spoonful of reading fun to the Poppins Book Nook this month!
jill´s last blog post ..Months of the Year Printable Series FREE December Word Wall Kit
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