{"id":49154,"date":"2020-01-16T07:19:13","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T12:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/?post_type=news&p=49154"},"modified":"2020-01-27T10:33:53","modified_gmt":"2020-01-27T15:33:53","slug":"top-5-astronomy-days-activities-for-young-kids","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/news\/top-5-astronomy-days-activities-for-young-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Astronomy Days Activities for Young Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Young<\/p>\n

Introducing astronomy to young kids can be a memorable experience. Bring them to Astronomy Days at NCMNS where this year\u2019s theme is \u201cEarth and Ocean Worlds.\u201d<\/a> The event spans two days, January 25 and 26, and there\u2019s something to do for everyone! Our free space-themed event helps enthusiasts of all ages explore the big picture of the Universe with fun and educational activities, so here a few crowd favorites for kids ages 5 to 9:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Blast Off Rockets <\/b>Your kiddos will decorate and build their own rocket to shoot sky-high in the Plaza! Pull the string and experience an unforgettable science experiment. Young rocket engineers can keep their rockets or place them in the bin to be recycled!<\/li>\n
  2. How Craters Are Formed<\/b> Come learn about the moon and why its surface is so bumpy and marred. Here\u2019s a hint: space collisions! Then, make your own craters on a simulated moon surface trying different angles and velocities to make your very own moon craters. It\u2019s hands-on and simple for younger moon enthusiasts.<\/li>\n
  3. Animals of the Constellations<\/b> Little ones will learn about animal constellations and the stories behind them. The best part? Meet our live animal ambassadors, like the furry rabbit that embodies Lepus, the scaly watersnake representing Hydra, and the spiny Bearded Dragon symbolizing Draco. We\u2019ll even have some special specimens from the Museum\u2019s Research Collection, including a lion skeleton! Don\u2019t miss this!<\/li>\n
  4. Moonbear\u2019s Shadow<\/b> If you think astronomy is too high-level for early childhood, Moonbear\u2019s Shadow is designed for you! We explain, with help from little toy bears and flashlights, how the angle of the sun affects the length of shadows. Perfect astronomy for the very young that\u2019s applicable from anywhere!<\/li>\n
  5. Lunar Landers and Mars Rovers Maker Station<\/b> Kids like to build stuff, and we\u2019ve created the perfect place to engineer a special spacecraft (or an amazing robot!) from recycled materials. For a greater challenge, you can try creating your own special machine or recreate a model of the lunar lander or Mars rover. And more! Explore a full list of activities here.\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Sharing an understanding of something bigger than ourselves can inspire a curiosity for lifelong learning and memories to last a lifetime. Even if you\u2019re small and new to such a big topic, you\u2019re guaranteed an understandable, age-appropriate experience! If you\u2019re looking for more advanced topics, our hourly presentations have got you covered<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Let\u2019s get started with more happenings at Astronomy Days 2020!<\/a><\/p>\n

    \"Child<\/p>\n

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    For more information about our upcoming activities, conservation news and ground-breaking research, follow @NaturalSciences on <\/em>Instagram<\/a><\/em>, <\/em>Twitter<\/a><\/em> and <\/em>Facebook<\/a><\/em>. Join the conversation with #visitNCMNS.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49163,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/49154"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/49154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}