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Studying the night sky is a great way to spark curiosity and wonder about the universe—and the best way to learn is by doing! Whether you’re teaching about constellations, the solar system, or space exploration, these hands-on activities will bring astronomy to life in your classroom or homeschool. From creative art projects and snack activities to real-world stargazing, this list has something for every young space enthusiast. Plus, I’ve included links to both free and paid ready-to-use materials to make your space lessons even more engaging. Get ready to explore the cosmos with your students with 11 hands-on space activities.
A Note For Teachers: If you’re an educator planning to teach the night sky in your classroom, great activities & visuals are key to deepening understanding! Materials for many of the night sky and space activities in this post are included in my Night Sky Unit. It’s a bundle of printable classroom resources for learning all about the night sky and space (plus you’ll support my blog with your purchase! ❤️)
Constellation Snacks
Form different constellations using mini marshmallows as stars and pretzel sticks as the lines. Then eat them!
Constellation printable classroom materials – includes the printable directions and constellation image cards needed for this activity (purchase)
Online directions (free)
Night Sky Scratch Art
Try scratch art; it’s the perfect artistic medium for drawing objects in the night sky like stars, meteors, and planets!
Make your own scratch art boards guide (external link)
Purchase scratch art supplies (external link)
Planetarium Field Trip
Plan a trip to a planetarium if there’s one in your area. At a planetarium, your program guide may show you how to identify stars and planets, tell you about constellation mythology, or teach you about deep-space objects.
Find a planetarium near you (external link)
Phases of the Moon Snack
Make the Moon’s phases from crème-filled sandwich cookies. Remove the top cookie and part of the crème to create each lunar phase.
Printable worksheet and directions for this activity (Available to this blog’s newsletter subscribers on my Free Resources Page!)
Moon mini study printables (purchase)
Distance Model
Make a mini model of our solar system. Calculate each planet’s relative distance from the Sun on a tape measure and mark it.
Distance model worksheets & printable directions (purchase)
Online directions (free)
Spot the International Space Station
If you know when and where to look, you can watch the International Space Station as it passes through the night sky above your area.
Track the International Space Station online (external link)
Star Charts
Find a star chart for your location and season. Head outside to a dark area at night and try to locate some constellations and stars. For recommended websites for online star charts, visit WildEarthLab.com/night-sky
Stellarium online star chart (external link)
Sky & Telescope online star chart (external link)
Constellation printable classroom materials (purchase)
Watch a Meteor Shower
Mark the dates of the next meteor shower on your calendar. Go to a dark area away from city lights and see how many shooting stars you can spot.
Find a meteor shower (external link)
Eclipse Model
Model eclipses using two orbs on sticks and a flashlight. For a lunar eclipse: place the larger orb (Earth) between the light source and the smaller orb (Moon) to cast a shadow over the smaller orb. For a solar eclipse: place the smaller orb (Moon) between the light source and the larger orb (Earth).
Lunar eclipse mini study (purchase)
Solar eclipse mini study (purchase)
Read my blog posts all about solar eclipses and lunar eclipses (free)
Become an Astrophotographer
Head outside to a dark area and capture pictures of the stars, Moon, planets, and more! Some smartphones have an astrophotography setting. A tripod will help keep the phone/camera still.
Lunar photography guide from NASA (external link)
A Guide to Smartphone Astrophotography; free online book from NASA (external link)
Moon Calendar
Print or create a calendar that shows the phase of the Moon on each day for the current month.
Free moon calendar (external link)
Printable moon activity pack (purchase)
Grab the complete set from Wild Earth Lab!
There’s no need to scramble to pull together the perfect Night Sky lesson materials – I’ve already created them for you! This set is a big bundle of many night sky printable materials and activities, many of which were linked in the blog post.
AND for even more outer space activities, try out my complete Sun and Stars Unit!
Explore more lessons from Wild Earth Lab:
If you enjoyed the space activities in this post, I know you will love trying my other printable science and nature units in your classroom too!
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