DIY Summer Camp: Space Week

Learn about the solar system with fun crafts, educational activities, and more during summer camp space week!

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Turn a quiet summer at home into a fun DIY summer camp with our space week ideas. Below we’ve put together a simple plan that’s full of indoor and outdoor fun, plus suggestions for snacks, books, and more.

Our Backyard Summer Camp ideas are ideal for kids ages 5 to 12 and easy to customize to fit your family.

Summer camp planning tips

Use our simple system to plan a summer-camp style staycation for your kids! It’s easy to organize a day, a week, or a whole summer of indoor and outdoor play ideas, easy crafts, and fun hands-on learning.

Space week lesson plan

Indoor activities

1. Paint solar system art
2. Craft and display tissue paper star sun catchers
3. Use scrap paper to make moon collage art
4. Learn how to draw a rocket
5. Weave a yarn sun craft

Outdoor activities

1. Build and launch simple straw rockets
2. Learn about solar eclipses and make shadow puppets
3. Create shadow art using sunography paper
4. Camp in your backyard to watch the night sky
5. Learn which planets and constellations are visible where you live and try to locate them at night

Family activity

Check the schedule for the International Space Station in the Spot the Station app (iOS and Android) and watch it fly over your house.

For the best viewing, find a night with clear skies when the station will have a max height above 40 degrees. It moves fast and is usually only visible for a few minutes. You can see it with just your eyes — it will have flashing lights and look a bit like an airplane.

Themed snack ideas

• Freeze-dried astronaut food, like ice cream or fruit
• Moon pies or Star Crunch
• Small bowls of yellow queso with round blue corn tortilla chips (to simulate a solar eclipse)

Books, movies, and videos

Browse our roundup of 24 Outer Space Books for Kids.

Watch The Magic School Bus Gets Lost in Space (s1, ep1), Disney’s Wall-E, or the Space Kids tv series.

Crash Course Kids on YouTube has several space episodes. See all our favorite educational YouTube channels.

Field trip suggestions

Field trip options will depend on what’s local to you. Here are some places to look for:

• Science museum
• Planetarium
• Observatory (check local universities)
• Visit a natural area for stargazing

More fun ideas from Backyard Summer Camp:

• Summer Reading Challenge Ideas for Parents
• Make Your Family Summer Bucket List
• 15 Outer Space Printables for Kids