Students act as Mars exploratory rover engineers. They evaluate rover equipment options and determine what parts fit in a provided NASA budget. With a given parts list, teams use these constraints to design for their rover. The students build and display their edible rover at a concluding design review.

This unit covers the broad spectrum of topics that make-up our very amazing human body. Students are introduced to the space environment and learn the major differences between the environment on Earth and that of outer space. The engineering challenges that arise because of these discrepancies are also discussed. Then, students dive into the different components that make up the human body: muscles, bones and joints, the digestive and circulatory systems, the nervous and endocrine systems, the urinary system, the respiratory system, and finally the immune system. Students learn about the different types of muscles in the human body and the effects of microgravity on muscles. Also, they learn about the skeleton, the number of and types of bones in the body, and how outer space affects astronauts' bones. In the lessons on the digestive, circulatory, nervous and endocrine systems, students learn how these vital system work and the challenges faced by astronauts whose systems are impacted by spaceflight. And lastly, advances in engineering technology are discussed through the lessons on the urinary, respiratory and immune systems while students learn how these systems work with all the other body components to help keep the human body healthy.

During the associated lesson, students have learned about Newton's three laws of motion and free-body diagrams and have identified the forces of thrust, drag and gravity. As students begin to understand the physics behind thrust, drag and gravity and how these relate these to Newton's three laws of motion, groups assemble and launch the rockets that they designed in the associated lesson. The height of the rockets, after constructed and launched, are measured and compared to the theoretical values calculated during the rocket lesson. Effective teamwork and attention to detail is key for successful launches.

In this activity, students investigate the simulated use of solid rocket fuel by using an antacid tablet. Students observe the effect that surface area and temperature has on chemical reactions. Also, students compare the reaction time using two different reactants: water and vinegar. Finally, students report their results using a bar graph.

This simple geometric shapes activity for kids is easy to do at home or as a math center in school. It also makes a terrific STEAM project including a bit of art and design too. Learn by doing, creating, discovering, and exploring with a simple, fun geometry activity.
Check out the long list of activities on the Little Bins Little Hands site that include STEM Challenges; free printables; indoor fun ideas; STEM at home projects; free math worksheets; distance learning activities; LEGO activities; STEM activities for physics, chemistry, edible science experiments, the scientific method, oceans, weather, space, and outdoors; all kinds of slime activities; and activities for different seasons.

The purpose of this lesson is to teach the students about how a spacecraft gets from the surface of the Earth to Mars. The lesson first investigates rockets and how they are able to get us into space. Finally, the nature of an orbit is discussed as well as how orbits enable us to get from planet to planet specifically from Earth to Mars.

This site from the University of Saskatchewan provides a collection of videos, activities, and experiments that align with the grade 6 science units: Diversity of Life, Understanding Electricity, Principles of Flight, Solar System.

Move the Sun, Earth, Moon and space station to see how it affects their gravitational forces and orbital paths. Visualize the sizes and distances between different heavenly bodies, and turn off gravity to see what would happen without it!

This lesson describes how the circulatory system works, including the heart, blood vessels and blood. Students learn about the chambers and valves of the heart, the difference between veins and arteries, and the different components of blood. This lesson also covers the technology engineers have developed to repair the heart if it is damaged. Students also understand how the circulatory system is affected during spaceflight (e.g., astronauts lose muscle in their heart during space travel).

Students apply their mathematics and team building skills to explore the concept of rocketry. They learn about design issues faced by aerospace engineers when trying to launch rocketships or satellites in order to land them safely in the ocean, for example. Students learn the value of designing within constraints while brainstorming a rocketry system using provided materials and a specified project budget. Throughout the design process, teamwork is emphasized since the most successful launches occur when groups work effectively to generate creative ideas and solutions to the rocket challenge.

Students use scaling from real-world data to obtain an idea of the immense size of Mars in relation to the Earth and the Moon, as well as the distances between them. Students calculate dimensions of the scaled versions of the planets, and then use balloons to represent their relative sizes and locations.

You can take a tour of 18 different scenes from the International Space Station with this Google Earth tour. Visit the Columbus Research Laboratory, SpaceX Dragon Docking Vehicle and more!

Embark on a celestial adventure as you delve into the intricate dance of planets, explore the profound implications of Kepler's Laws, and unravel the complex relationships between velocity, position, and orbital characteristics!

• Explore how the velocity and position of a planet affect its movement and orbit.

• Discover how Kepler’s Laws apply for different bodies in the solar system

• Describe the characteristics of an ellipse that support the understanding of planets’ orbits according to Kepler’s first law

• Visualize what is meant by “swept area of a planet’s orbit” and its relationship with equal time intervals in the context of Kepler’s second Law.

• Describe the behavior of the planet's velocity in different moments of its orbit

• Explore the relationship between the semi-major axis and the period of an orbit, and their corresponding powers described by the Kepler’s third Law

Taking STEAM Learning to new heights! LEGO® Education is teaming up with NASA and the Artemis I team to bring students and teachers an out-of-this-world STEAM learning series. Build to Launch is an exploration of the technology, STEAM concepts and careers behind the Artemis I mission to the Moon. Join the all new LEGO® Space Team and their Artemis I team counterparts for a 10-week interactive digital learning adventure. Each episode students will find themselves in the shoes of NASA engineers, scientists, and of course astronauts. Through open ended lessons students will get hands-on and solve similar problems the Artemis I team faces as they build towards launch.

Downloadable teacher resources include: Teacher Resource Guide, LEGO Space Team Cards, Engineering Design Notebook, Module 1 Teacher Guide, Module 1 Student Lessons, Module 2 Teacher Guide, Module 2 Students Lessons, Module 3 Teacher Guide, Module 3 Student Lessons, Professional Development Resource Guide, Certificate of Completion.

There is a series overview webinar and videos for each of the episodes.

Check out the great fun!

This is one of the best K-12 Science resources available!
Resources are available for Grades Pre-school-12 including multiple articles and videos available for students to explore the many science concepts being learned in the classroom.

You can:
*Book an outreach visit from a scientist to teach STEM (science, technology, engineering & math) to your class

*Enter your Grade 6-8 students in team-based competitive enrichment events

*Use CurioCity with Grade 8-12 students to learn about STEM careers, Space and countless other topics with videos. You can also register and get amazing resources for STEM (in English or French) for FREE! (These are even aligned to SK curriculum!)

*Visit Ideapark for Pre-school to Grade 3 to register and receive access to a wealth of FREE STEM resources.

*Register for Tomatosphere to investigate the effects of outer space on seed germination with your class. Tomatosphere™ is a hands-on program that builds scientific inquiry and experimentation skills.

Students are introduced to the International Space Station (ISS) with information about its structure, operation and key experiments. The ISS itself is an experiment in international cooperation to explore the potential for humans to live in space. The space station features state-of-the-art science and engineering laboratories to conduct research in medicine, materials and fundamental science to benefit people on Earth as well as people who will live in space in the future.

"Participating classes will explore how indoor environmental conditions influence human health, and identify the best conditions for healthy living. This knowledge is important not only on Earth, but also on the International Space Station (ISS), the future Lunar Gateway, and as long-duration space travel progresses, maybe even on Mars!"

"Students and educators will study the key environmental conditions that are monitored and managed to keep astronauts healthy on the ISS. Students will measure environmental conditions such as temperature, CO2, and relative humidity in their classroom and submit the data to a national database. After developing their understanding of optimal ranges, and collecting data on their current environment, students will make a plan for classroom environmental improvement. The national Living Space database allows students to compare their classroom data with information from other participating classrooms in Canada as well as data from the ISS!"

Join the project on this page!

Win the chance for your class to operate a Lunar Rover in a simulated mission. There will be Canadian rovers on the Moon by the end of this decade. Let’s Talk Science, Canadensys Aerospace, and Avalon Space have teamed up to give Canadian youth in Grades 6-9 the opportunity to learn about rover technology and how to plan missions on the Moon.

The Lunar Rover Research Challenge invites teams of students to pitch their mission plans for the chance to remotely operate a Canadensys rover in a lunar-like environment.

Welcome to the Lunar Rover Research Challenge!

The challenge is for students to design a rover mission to find frozen water at the South Pole of the Moon. The activity is structured as a collaborative board game or digital game where students are guided through the design process. They equip their rover with scientific instruments, choose a target, then determine where to take measurements.

The experience is designed around 5 lessons:

1: Learn about Canada’s role in the upcoming lunar missions and the benefits of space exploration to life on Earth
2: Review the mission brief and learn how to plan a rover mission on the Moon
3: Plan the mission using an iterative design process scaffolded as a collaborative board game
4: Communicate ideas and prepare for submission
5: Reflect on the team’s experience and the impact of space exploration on society

Set in the context of space exploration, this project develops students’ design thinking, teamwork, and communication skills. Students must design their research mission by considering pros and cons, and weighing risks and rewards.

This challenge can be completed without a submission to the competition.