6 ways to explore space with curious kids if you can't leave planet Earth

While Artemis II continues its journey around the moon, here's six of our favourite ways to spark kids’ curiosity about space from right here on planet Earth.

First up: Encourage children's dreams - even the out of this world ones.

We’ve all dreamt of being an astronaut, but we know our chances are slim. Kids will figure that out later on. For now, any and all interest in STEM should be encouraged. Engagement as a kid will set them up for life, even if they’re not the next Katherine Bennell-Pegg.

Second: Read space related books.

A host of awesome Australian authors publish fiction that introduces curious minds to the wonders of space - including our own Imagining the Future series. Read or listen to the stories for free on our website - or ask at your local library for some space-filled recommendations of your own.

Read or listen to the Imagining the Future series

Third: Stop and look up at the night sky. 

There are so many stargazing apps out there - download one and spot stars, planets and constellations in real time. Doing exactly this first inspired Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith's love of space. As an astrophysicist, she went on to work on some of Australia’s biggest telescope projects. Lisa is now one of our Pathfinders, helping to inspire children across Australia to think about a future in STEM.

Explore Lisa's journey in Astrophysics

Fourth: Share role models from the Australian space industry. 

From engineering sustainable fuel, growing space crops and universe-shaping physics, there's a huge diversity of roles that we need to make space tick - and a huge diversity of people who can belong in those roles. Sharing role models of STEM professionals from diversity backgrounds with kids from an early age can help to challenge the currently prominent stereotypes about who thrives in a STEM career.

Meet our Pathfinder STEM role-model line-up

Fifth: Dive into hands on activities that introduce the fundamentals of space science. 

• Design your own space rover or test and refine paper rockets with resources from the Australian Space Agency.
• Explore ecosystems and plant life beyond earth with resources from Plants for Space (P4S).
• Tune into the One Giant Leap Australia Podcast for interesting space info for kids who are keen on a future in STEM.

And last, but by no means least: Check out Careers with STEM: Primary.

Discover the amazing jobs you can do with STEM across 36 fun-filled pages. STEM skills can be applied in the space industry - or in a whole host of other careers too!

Read Careers with STEM: Primary