Celebrate Earth Day with this air and space-inspired activities!

A screenshot of the website "Your name in Landsat" showing satellite images that mirror the letters of the word "Luna."

Your Name in Landsat

Ages: 5-8 | 2 mins | Online Activity

See your name spelled out by the Earth!

A photograph of the black of a child modeling brown cardboard flapping wings.

Make Your Own Flapping Wings

Ages 5+ | 10-20 min | Craft | Screen Free

Make your own set of wings and learn about the forces of flight.

A homemade wind stream has a bright green paper ring, with strips of a plastic bag flowing out behind it showing the direction of the wind.

Make a Wind Streamer

Ages 6+ | 30 min | Craft | Screen Free

Make a wind streamer to help you learn more about the wind outside, just like pilots. 

A piece of paper folded half and half with a paperclip on the bottom.

Activity: Make a Spinning Seed Flyer

Ages 6+ | 10-15 min | Craft | Screen Free

This craft will spin like a helicopter or a seed.

A coffee filter with a string attached, tied to a paper clip.

Build a Dandelion Parachute

Ages 6+ | 5-10 min | Craft | Screen Free

Make a model of a parachute.

A tree branch full of red maple leaves, sometimes called helicopters, in the foreground. The National Air and Space Museum in the background.

Seed Hunt Nature Walk

Ages 6+ | 30 mins | Observation | Screen Free

Walk around your neighborhood and nearby parks and see if you can find these plants and seeds that depend on the wind for survival.

A rust-colored sphere of the planet Mars in black space

Compare the Weather on Mars and Earth

Ages 9+ | 15 mins | Observation

Did you know you can check the temperature on Mars?

An illustration of three young girls waving on the left, windsocks and windmills with the text "Which way is the wing blowing" in a frame on the right, all under the words "Story Time" with fanciful illustrations.

Story Time: Which Way is the Wind Blowing?

Ages 4+ | 7 min story, 7 min craft | Story Time Video and Craft

See how flags, windsocks, and a weather vane show which way the breeze is blowing. 

An illustrated thumbnail that reads "Story Time presents, make a wish on the wind."

Story Time: Make a Wish on the Wind

Ages 4+ | 5 min story, 4 min craft | Story Time Video and Craft

Explore the connection between parachutes and seed that travel on the wind in this original story. 

An illustration of three young girls waving at the sign for the Zoo.

Story Time: Flap, Flap, Soar

Ages 4+ | Story: 5 min, Craft: 3 min | Story Time Video and Craft

Listen to a story about three friends who visit the zoo and are inspired by animals that fly.

About This Learning Resource

Age and Grade

Age: 4-9+

Grade: Pre-K-5

Subject and Topics

Physical Science
Engineering

Helicopters
Science
Satellites
Solar System

Duration

2-30 mins

Usage Rights

You are free to use this resource for personal and educational purposes, with attribution. (CC BY-NC)

A young man shows off his eclipse viewing mask, created by adding a paper plate to eclipse glasses.

Soar Together

Soar Together offers family days at the National Air and Space Museum's two locations, as well as activities like this one for families to do anywhere.

Soar Together is made possible by the generous support of the Northrop Grumman Foundation.

More About Soar Together

Related Activities and Videos

A whimsical illustration of four children in spacesuits driving along a foreign planet.

Story Time Video: Rockets and Rovers

Ages: 4+ | Duration: 6 min story, 4 min craft | Story Time Video and Craft

Inside their rocket playground, a group of friends blast off in their imaginations. They zoom across all Mercury, Venus, and Mars using their rovers to explore.

A paper towel role made into a model airplane. The nose cone is decorated with the face of a chicken, drawn in markers.

Make a Model Aircraft

Make your own (model) airplanes, gliders, and helicopters with these easy and fun craft activities for kids, using household materials and no screens.

A paper chain made of pink and green loops, representing binary code. It sits draped over a table.

Make a Binary Code Chain

Ages 9+ | 40 mins | Craft | No Screens

Write your name in the language of computers!