Get ready for space with this 5-circuit exercise workout, combining maths with PE.
Activities
Browse all of the Discovery Diaries activities and download accompanying teacher resources.
Your Body In Space
A 10-question 'true or false' quiz about what happens to the human body in space.
Space Dinner
Students will plan and draw a space dinner using the Eatwell food plate as a guide for choosing healthy options.
Eatwell Plates
This activity supports Space Dinner (Activity 0.3 of the Pre-launch Chapter).
Design Your Spacesuit
Design a spacesuit to keep yourself safe, either during mission launch or on a spacewalk.
Investigating Materials
Children will investigate different materials while they research the best insulator for a spacesuit.
Time for Launch
Follow Tim's schedule on launch day! Learn about time and duration while completing a comic strip!
Build Your Own Soyuz
This extension activity supports Time for Launch - Activity 1.1 in Chapter One.
8 Minutes to Space
With the help of astronaut Richard Garriott, describing how it feels to launch into space for the first time.
Fast-Track Rendezvous
Understanding how the Soyuz capsule gets from launch to the ISS is a complex concept.
United in Space
It's time to find out about fellow astronauts and research the countries who have been to the ISS.
Breaking News
Imagining they are astronauts, students will write a newspaper article about their first day in space.
Create a News Report
This extension activity supports Breaking News: Activity 2.2 in Chapter Two.
Earth to Principia
Budding young coders and mathematicians will enjoy this challenging activity.
Your New Home
The ISS is an extremely complex structure and at first glance it can be intimidating.
Build Your Own ISS
This extension activity supports Your New Home: Activity 3.1 in Chapter Three.
Draw Your Own ISS
Get to know your new home! Draw a diagram of the ISS and colour-code the different parts.
Looking at the Earth from Space
Inspire research, discovery and writing using Tim Peake's incredible images of Earth from space.
The Solar System
Explore the Solar System, learning about the weather and conditions on each one.
Create Your Own Solar System Model
This extension activity supports The Solar System: Activity 3.4.
Space Gardening
It's gardening time! Find out which foods are best to grow in space then design your garden.
Space Gardener – Get Outside and Grow!
This extension activity supports Activity 4.1: Space Gardening.
Make a Splash in Space
Water is scarce on board the ISS and an intricate recycling systems allows astronauts to reuse every drop.
Make Your Own Water Cycle
This extension activity supports Make a Splash: Activity 4.2 in Chapter Four.
Experimentally Yours
Curiosity makes a great scientist! Design, draw and label an experiment to answer a scientific question.
Experimentally Yours (Extension)
This extension activity supports Activity 4.3: Experimentally Yours.
Making History
Where are you in space history? Learn about key events on our space timeline.
Space Habitat
After completing the Solar System activity students can create their own imaginary space habitat.
Robots in Space
Humans need robots to do some of the jobs that are too difficult, or too dangerous, for astronauts.
Re-entry
Learn about the complicated and dangerous process of returning to Earth from the ISS.
The Journey Home
You're on your way back to Earth but where will you land and how will you get home from there?
Egg Parachutes
This extension activity supports The Journey Home: Activity 6.2 in Chapter Six.
Send a Postcard to Space
Write a postcard to the astronauts on the ISS and let them know you've made it back to Earth safely.
Signs of Life
This activity asks students to research Earth and Mars and draw them side-by-side, focusing on ‘signs of life’.
Making History
Student complete a space history timeline showing past, present and future missions to Mars.
Mars Quiz
An interactive and entertaining way to find out more about Mars, for students and teachers.
Letter to Tim
ESA Astronaut Tim Peake wants to know the benefits of your mission to Mars.
Word Search 1
Can you find eight scientific words from Chapter 1? Don't forget to write them in your Space Glossary!
Going the Distance
Help students to comprehend the huge distance from Earth to Mars and how orbits effect it.
Astronauts Wanted
What the skills, knowledge and experience might people need for a successful mission to Mars?
Excess Baggage
Students will learn about the essential (and non-essential) items astronauts take to space.
Design Your Own Rocket
In this creative, hands-on activity students will design their own Mars rocket.
Word Search 2
Can you find nine scientific words from Chapter 2? Add them to your Space Glossary!
Weather on Mars
Students create their own infographic (or visual interpretation) of Mars weather data.
Breaking News
Write and illustrate an article telling the world about an exciting discovery - water on Mars!
Mighty Mons
Study images of Olympus Mons from space, and create an interpretation of how it would look from the ground.
Design Your Mars Rover
Design a Mars rover to explore the Martian surface and collect samples to send back to Earth.
Word Search 3
Can you find nine scientific words from Chapter 3? Add them to your Space Glossary.
Team Work
Complete the maze then code a set of instructions for your Mars Rover using the available commands.
Rover’s Discovery
Students practise their visual differentiation skills to crack the code.
Martian Mechanics
This activity asks students to create a machine to get their rock samples back to an astronaut on Mars.
Space Lab
Designing an experiment to test a hypothesis is a fundamental part of scientific enquiry.
Word Search 4
Can you find ten scientific words from Chapter 4? Add them to your Space Glossary.
Town Planner
Practice mapping and drawing skills and explore what makes a good city, society and community.
Biodome Garden
Create a biodome to house food and plant crops that can sustain your Mars population.
Energise Your City
Research energy sources then, design your own sustainable energy source to power your city on Mars.
Protect Your City
How will you deal with the lack of oxygen, extreme weather and severe radiation on Mars?
Word Search 5
Can you find eight scientific words from Chapter 5? Add them to your Space Glossary.
Weekend on Mars
How can you communicate the excitement of space tourism in one image?
Planet X
Design your characters, plan your plot then a comic strip telling the story of life beyond Mars...
No. 1 Space Glossary
Turn the specialist Mars vocabulary you have learnt into a number one hit song!
To Space And Beyond
Imagine what you could discover if you could see more of the Universe than ever before.
The Sky at Night
Plot the coordinates to reveal a star formation you can see with the naked eye.
Ancient Astronomy
Examine an ancient diagram of the Solar System to discover what we’ve learnt over time.
The Starry Messengers
Travel back in time to learn the history of astronomy and the development of telescopes.
Deep Space Quiz
Create a fun quiz to test your friends’ knowledge about the history of space observation.
Lights, Mirror, Action
Design a demonstration to show that light travels in straight lines, reflects off things and casts shadows.
Make-Your-Own Colour Wheel
Use your engineering skills to make a colour wheel that turns the spectrum into white.
Recipe for a Rainbow
Experiment with prisms and light, devising a step-by-step guide on how to make a rainbow.
Infrared Selfie
See yourself in a whole new light! Draw a portrait showing how you’d look in infrared.
Chapter Two Word Search
Can you find eight scientific words from Chapter 2? Add them to your Visual Dictionary of Deep Space!
Blueprint for Space
Complete the sums then follow the key to unveil the blueprint of your space telescope.
Mega Mirror Engineer
Solve this engineering challenge by designing a mirror that meets the guidelines in your brief.
Keep It Cool
Devise an experiment testing how to keep the infrared camera on your telescope super cool.
Pack Your Payload
Design how to fold up your huge telescope, so it will fit into the rocket taking it to space.
Chapter Three Word Search
Can you find eight scientific words from Chapter 3? Add them to your Visual Dictionary of Deep Space!
Parking Skills
Programme your telescope with a series of commands to guide it to its final destination.
Deep Space Decoder
Decode an encrypted message to unlock your telescope’s deployment sequence.
Calibrate for Discovery
Measure the angles your telescope will need to rotate to examine six objects in space.
Chapter Four Word Search
Can you find eight scientific words from Chapter 4? Add them to your Visual Dictionary of Deep Space!
First Findings
Analyse your telescope’s first infrared image to identify the new wonders you’ve discovered.
Data Detective
Examine the datasets to find out if your telescope has identified any planets that might support life.
Visualising the Universe
Share your exciting discoveries with your fellow space experts by creating a scientific poster.
Chapter Five Word Search
Can you find eight scientific words from Chapter 5? Add them to your Visual Dictionary of Deep Space!
Deep Space Daily
Write and illustrate newspaper articles to tell the world everything you’ve discovered with Webb.
Visual Dictionary of Deep Space
Create a visual dictionary using your scientific vocabulary, so everyone can understand your technical lingo.