Parks and Science Center Apollo 50th Celebration Package
Thanks for your interest in bringing NASA Science to your park or outdoor science center! We are excited to help support your Apollo and Moon themed events this year, and hope that the below digital package is helpful to have successful events at your park.
This year we have curated activities that focus on the Apollo 50th Anniversary celebrations.
Below is a list of suggested resources for your event. Feel free to use the suggested activities, adjust them for your audience, or search through some other NASA resources to find activities to support your event.
If you use any of these resources at your park, please let us know! In order to continue funding work like this, it is important that we understand how it was used, what was helpful, and how many people were at your event.
Indoor/Table Activities
Hide and Seek Moon
Learners experiment with some of the tools scientists use to study distant objects using binoculars and a hidden object Moon poster.
[Recommended ages 4 - Adult]
Pocket Solar System
A hands-on activity in which visitors make a scale model of the distances between objects in our solar system.
[Recommended ages 4 - Adult]
Moon Phases Calendar
Participants can figure out when Moon was in the same phase as when Apollo 11 landed, etc.
Make a Moon phase calendar for 2019.
[Recommended ages 8 - Adult]
Marvel Moon
A group of activities that could be used at booths in a visitors center. Participants visit a sequence of stations to discover how the Moon’s dark and light areas and craters formed, and identify the lunar features that were produced at different period on a Moon map.
[Recommended ages 7 - Adult]
Moon Mythbusters
Participants sort Moon puzzle pieces into two categories, the "Far-out Far Side" (urban myths), and "True-Blue Blue Moon" (true facts). Allow 30 minutes for this activity.
[Recommended ages 8 - 13]
Outdoor Activities
Big Sun, Small Moon
A hands-on activity that explores the concept of apparent size and allows visitors to experience this phenomena using familiar objects.
[Recommended ages 4 - Adult]
Spin!
In this 45-minute activity, children ages 10 to 13 explore Earth's rotation and the Moon's role by using their bodies to model the Earth's daily motions and by discussing the role of the Moon in slowing Earth's rotation over time.
[Recommended ages 10 - 13]
Apollo Stories
Have rangers and visitors share their Apollo stories with one another. This can include their memories of the Moon landing, how it affected them, their disappointment that they weren’t alive at the time - or excitement of the next Moon landing. You could broaden the discussion even more to have people share their favorite memories that feature the Moon. You could record the sessions and submit them to the Apollo Stories link above.
[All Ages]
Nighttime Activities
Moon Journal
Participants spend a month getting to know the Moon by looking at the Moon each day and recording their observations in the log provided.
[Recommended ages 4 - Adult]
Moon over My Town
Community members of all ages are invited to contribute photographs of the Moon. The images are collected over the course of a month or more and posted in chronological order. The collection forms a library display featuring the Moon's changing appearance in your local sky over the course of a month or more.
[Recommended ages 8 - Adult]
Moon in Action
In this 30-minute activity, children, ages 7 and up, and their families go outside on a clear evening and view the sky to see the Moon for themselves. Using sky charts and other resources, and possibly in partnership with a local astronomical society, children navigate the Moon's impact craters, flat plains (maria), and mountains with the naked eye and binoculars or telescopes.
[Recommended ages 7 - Adult
Activities for those with limited mobility or eyesight
Stories of the Moon
A collection of stories about the Moon and its appearance; some are sacred myths, and others are folktales old and new shared for the simple joy of the tale.
[Recommended ages 4 - Adult]
Apollo Stories
Have rangers and visitors share their Apollo stories with one another. This can include their memories of the Moon landing, how it affected them, their disappointment that they weren’t alive at the time - or excitement of the next Moon landing. You could broaden the discussion even more to have people share their favorite memories that feature the Moon. You could record the sessions and submit them to the Apollo Stories link above.
[All Ages]
Activities with limited prep time or access to resources
Stories of the Moon
A collection of stories about the Moon and its appearance; some are sacred myths, and others are folktales old and new shared for the simple joy of the tale.
[Recommended ages 4 - Adult]
Moon Journal
Participants spend a month getting to know the Moon by looking at the Moon each day and recording their observations in the log provided.
[Recommended ages 4 - Adult]
Images
Videos
- LRO Looks at Apollo 11 landing site
- Historical CBS coverage of landing on the Moon
- Apollo 11 EVA video
- Apollo 11 Flight Controller Ed Fendell Remembers the Landing
- Apollo 11 Landing footage side-by-side with LRO imagery
- Armstrong reaches the lunar surface, one small step for man.
- President Kennedy’s speech at RICE University; “We choose…” starts at 8:45
