Weekly Wrap-Up: Space Study (Resources for Preschool / Kindergarten Age)

We recently started learning about planets and space exploration.  The little guy is loving it.  He is learning a lot, but more importantly, having fun.  Before I share our resources, here are a few tidbits overheard today, to get a sense of how the learning is going:
To Daddy, while looking at a solar system game or map on the computer:

"But why doesn't it include other dwarf planets like Ceres, if it includes Pluto and Pluto is a dwarf planet?" 

 That's my 3 year-old!  But, lest you think he has it all figured out... 

To Daddy, while pointing to fabric panel solar system map:

"I would like to go to Saturn."  (and then after Dad explained that no astronaut had landed on Saturn yet --)" Well, I'm not sure, but I think maybe Daddy went there when he was a little boy."

Tools we've used this week:

Trip to the planetarium (SO fun!  and free!  wish I hadn't forgotten my phone/camera in the car)


Space Mission 20 Piece Play Set - a planetarium souvenir from Nana.  This is a fantastic learning and pretend play tool.  But it does not come with a guidebook, so identifying everything has been a project all its own.

Space Ranger quilt fabric panel (robbed from a quilt kit I bought who knows when, and hung from my quiltroom design wall for pretend play with his space mission set).  It also laid on our living room floor for a week as a playmat.  I need to get it back long enough to make it into a quilt).

Planets (All Aboard Reading) - packed with info

I Want To Be an Astronaut by Byron Barton - cute, but very simple.

solar system printable

space flashcards (Target $1 spot)

Lots of free games at http://www.kidsastronomy.com
Planets video (DK Eyewitness)

Toy telescope (ours is from a microscope/telescope kit)

Soon we'll add:

university Astronomy nights - the astronomy department has weekly outdoor family nights, but it has been too cold lately. 

rotating/revolving activity from Counting Coconuts - love the idea of this, but this week we have barely been moving, let alone rotating around the living room.  Soon, though!

I think we'll just keep going with the space theme for awhile, as he's enjoying it and learning.  

I am linking this post up with Weekly Wrap-Up, Preschool Corner, Science Sunday, and Tot School.

Comment!  What are your favorite space resources?  What have you been up to this week?  Have you been hit with as many colds as we have this winter?

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