Teaching about space is such a fascinating and fun subject! When teaching concepts like these, especially to young minds, using a hands-on, interactive approach is important. Engaging their growing brains in a hands-on way helps them to learn and understand new concepts in a fun way. As teachers, it seems like we are always on the search for the perfect activities to teach our students, I know I am! One of my favorite hands-on activities is to teach new concepts in a lapbook, or flippy flaps as we call them. Let’s dive into these engaging space lapbook activities.
What is a Lapbook?
Lapbooks are a fantastic classroom tool! They are similar to an interactive notebook except they focus on just one topic. For our young students, they are the perfect way to dive into a topic and keep all the learning in one place. And . . . students love the hands-on activities. By the end, they feel as if they’ve made their own book.
Another bonus to these, they are very simple to create. They are usually made in a file folder. These lapbooks go a level above traditional worksheets. It will enhance students learning experience and give them a higher understanding of whatever topic you are teaching. If you think this sounds great, then lapbooks are definitely for you!
Lapbooks are wonderful for themed studies. Let’s chat all about our space lapbook and why it is awesome for teaching young students about our solar system!
Getting Started on your Space Lapbook
Lapbooks are not complicated projects. It just takes a little bit of preparation and a few materials. You most likely already have on hand everything you need to create the perfect space lapbook! Here are a few things you will need to get started.
- Manila file folders
- colored pencils or crayons
- glue
- scissors
- print outs for the lesson OR the space lapbook activity resource
That’s it! Super simple and once you have everything together, you are ready to jump right in! If you want to know more about how to set up, create, and layout the perfect flippy flap, check out this blog post for a more in-depth look. It is so simple and something you can do over and over again in your classroom!
In fact, with just three simple steps you will be ready to get started. After you do a couple as a class, your students will be able to prep their own folders!
All About Space Lapbook
Students love learning about space and the solar system. I love using lapbooks to introduce this theme into my class. To get started, we always chat about what we already know about space. The stars, the moon, and the sun, our favorite planets are always mentioned by students. Then I let them know that we are going to be jumping into all things and more. This gets students eager to learn more and focused on the task at hand. This space lapbook will act as a tool for the entire unit, let’s check out some of the fun activities included!
All About Planets
You can’t have a space lesson without talking about planets! It is a fascinating concept students love to learn about. First up, naming and ordering all of the planets. Students love this cut and paste activity where they color and then order the planets. And once completed, they love reviewing the planets again and again.
Next, students will learn about inner planets and outer planets. They will create a card for each planet and sort them into the correct category.
Another planet activity will have students writing facts about each planet to add to their lapbook. You will be amazed at all the interesting facts that students learn through this activity. Once finished students will create a flipbook with all of their planet facts.
There is a wonderful planet research booklet for the students to complete. I like to do this after we have spent a few days learning about the planets. This way they have all the information they need right in their lapbook to complete their guided research activity.
The Moon and Sun
The moon and the sun are both important parts of our solar system and an important part of teaching about space. Chances are, students already know quite a bit about the sun and moon, so these activities are always extra fun for them!
First, we dive into important facts about the sun and moon. Then they will complete a Venn diagram to compare the sun and the moon. It’s a great way to teach these comparing and contrasting skills in an engaging way.
One of my favorite things to teach about the moon is the different moon phases. Students are always excited to learn that there is a scientific reason why the moon changes its appearance. I like to start by asking if students have ever wondered why sometimes the moon is big, bright, and full but other times it is nothing more than a sliver in the sky. This is a great way to introduce them to the phases our moon goes through. This is a hands-on, engaging activity that will have them cutting and pasting the correct moon size/shape to the correct spot on the phase chart. Always a favorite for students!
The Stars
You can’t complete a space unit without learning about stars. While the different types of stars is a topic for the upper elementary grades, your students will love learning that the stars can create pictures. Learning about constellations is always a class favorite.
The students will be introduced to some of the most famous constellations. We talk about how they are like a giant dot-to-dot activity in the sky. This space lapbook set includes two sets of constellation cards. One with just the stars, and one where the image is drawn around the constellation helping students to see it a little easier. After learning about some constellations, students will create their own constellation and add it to their lapbook.
More Space Lapbook Activities
While those are three main topics that you’ll find in any space unit, there’s so much more fun space learning to be had. One of the favorite topics, year after year, is astronauts. What kid doesn’t want to visit space someday? They love learning about astronauts and what they do.
And you can’t miss out on the opportunity to do so space writing. With writing prompts like “If I met an alien I would. . .” and “If I was an astronaut I would. . ” students will be excited to write. These activities get students’ creative juices flowing while working on important writing skills.
Grab Your Space Lapbook and Get Learning
Your students will love learning about space and creating their own space lapbook. You can get all of these activities and more in the Space Lapbook resource on Teachers Pay Teacher. You can also find these activities in a digital version too. No matter which you choose, your students will love digging deeper into space by creating a space lapbook.
Find more ready-to-use lapbook resources that are perfect for all your teaching needs. Here’s just a few to get you started.
Save these Space Lapbook Activities
Make sure you pin these space lapbook ideas to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you can quickly and easily find them when you are ready for your space unit.
