Family Space Day Overview - Comets

Family Space Day is a three hour event. The activities are set up so that children
and parents can select the order in which they undertake activities. Parents and
children are encouraged to learn, play, and explore together.

Objectives of the Day

Children will:

  • learn what comets are made of and the different parts of comets.
  • understand that comet tails form as the comet approaches the Sun and that
    solar wind from the Sun causes the tail to always point away from the Sun.
  • understand that comets formed early in the history of our solar system and
    contain important information about this time.

Activities

  • Station 1: Comet Quest
    Children and their parents view 8 posters. Each focuses on a specific aspect
    of comets. The children keep track of their answers to the multiple choice
    questions using the Comet Quest Answer Cards.
  • Station 2: Build a Comet
    Children use different craft items to create a model of a comet, based on
    what they learned from Comet Quest.
  • Station 4: Dry Ice Comet Demonstration
    (Adult Supervision Required At All Times)
    Facilitators demonstrate the building blocks of a comet using dry ice and
    other ingredients. With a hair-dryer they show the effect of solar wind on a
    comet.
  • Station 6: Reading Room
    Children and their parents can browse and read a selection of books about
    comets (refer to book list for suggested reading).

Other Materials

Facilitator Information – Comets
Explore Comet – Book and Website References
All About Comets – A Comet Fact Sheet

 

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