Space for Kids: Sun, Moon, Stars and Planets Explained – with Quiz and Experiments
Space explained for kids: why the moon changes shape, what the sun does, what stars and planets are, how eclipses work and how astronauts live – with experiments, a funny space quiz, coloring pages and ideas for an astronaut party. Free, no sign-up.
Explore more
More for young space fans
Why does the moon look like that? Push the moon around the Earth and see for yourself how crescent, half moon and full moon come about.
What does the sun do? Light, warmth, food and weather: discover the sun's jobs and why your shadow moves.
What are stars? Fireflies or giant balls of gas? Star colors, giant stars and your very own birthday star.
The big space quiz: 36 funny questions in three levels – with an astronaut certificate to print.
Astronaut birthday party: A countdown invitation, games, decorations and food for a space party.
Coloring pages & worksheets: An astronaut, a rocket and the solar system to color – plus worksheets with answer keys, for teachers too.
The planets: How heavy would you be on Jupiter – and how old on Mars? Take a tour of all eight planets.
Why is the sky blue? Kids' questions about the sky, answered simply – with experiments for the kitchen table.
What is an eclipse? When the moon covers the sun or turns red: play with shadows and find the next eclipse.
Life as an astronaut: 16 sunrises a day, floating tears and tortillas instead of bread: how people live in space.
Amazing numbers
Earths fit side by side across the sun, and more than a million would fit inside it.
minutes is how long light takes to travel from the sun to you, even though it's the fastest thing in the universe.
miles (384,400 km) is the moon's average distance. Driving nonstop, you'd need almost half a year to get there.
days pass from one full moon to the next. That's where our word month comes from – it's related to moon.
people have walked on the moon so far, all of them between 1969 and 1972.
constellations cover the whole sky, from the Great Bear to the Southern Cross.
Ideas for parents, teachers and preschools
Hands-on astronomy – almost everything works with things you already have at home.
Moon diary: Draw the moon every evening for a month and write down the date and time. After four weeks your child will have watched the whole lunar cycle. The moon calendar shows when the full moon is.
Shadow clock in the schoolyard: Push a stick upright into the ground and mark the tip of its shadow with a stone every full hour. That's a simple sundial – and it's still almost right the next day.
Shooting star night: Grab blankets and a thermos of hot chocolate: the nights around August 12 and December 14 bring the most shooting stars. After 20 minutes in the dark your eyes see far more.
The moon on a birthday: What did the moon look like on the day your child was born? A lovely picture for the photo album, the invitation or the birthday card.
Mark the next eclipse: When can you see the next solar eclipse where you live? The eclipse countdown works it out for your city – and get eclipse glasses in good time.
Look for planets tonight: The night sky page for your city shows which planets and constellations you can see tonight. Venus and Jupiter are so bright you can spot them even in the middle of a city.
Questions from parents and teachers
What age is the kids' corner for? For children from about 6 to 12 – to explore on their own or together with parents, grandparents or at school. Younger kids enjoy having the texts read aloud, and the hands-on experiments work from about age 4.
Does it cost anything? No. All pages, experiments, the quiz and the astronaut certificate are free and need no sign-up. No names or results are stored.
Can I use the pages in class? Yes, please do. The experiments run on a projector, a whiteboard and a tablet. The quiz can be printed with all questions and answers, for example for a substitute lesson or a science day.
Are the numbers correct? SunnyTracker computes the sun and moon values – moon phase, sunrise, shadow length – with the same astronomical formulas as on all its other pages. Figures for distant stars are rounded, because even experts only know them approximately.
My child wants to know more – what next? A look at the real night sky is the best experiment: the moon, bright planets and the first constellations are easy to find without a telescope. Many observatories, astronomy clubs and planetariums offer programs for kids.