5 free space-themed ideas for World Space Week

World Space Week runs from 4-10 October each year and the theme for 2022 is "Space and Sustainability". The dates are the same each year as the start on 4 October is when the Sputnik I was first launched in 1957. The end date of 10 October was when the Outer Space Treaty was signed in 1967.

In 2021 over 96 countries and thousands of participants were involved in World Space Week events around the theme of "Women in Space". This year thousands are expected to join this celebration of science and technology and organise events around the "Space and Sustainability" theme.

You can read more about World Space Week here.

World Space Week is an excellent opportunity for schools to get their students excited and inspired about science and technology.

Whether it's making a model solar system, dressing up as a martian or learning to walk like an astronaut, there is a wealth of exciting activities to consider. World Space Week is also the perfect time to introduce students to our forthcoming storyworld Space Mission Lucy about two female NASA scientists in our latest round of Lyfta Live lessons.

If you're looking for space-inspired activities to mark the occasion in your school, explore the list of suggestions below.

Join us live to be among the first classes to experience our forthcoming space-science themed storyworld Space Mission Lucy. Students can meet Donya and Cathy, two female space scientists working on a NASA mission to explore the Trojan asteroids, primitive asteroids orbiting in tandem with Jupiter.

We will experience 360° scenes, including of the Rocket Garden, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and will learn about the careers of two formidable women in STEM and how they are inspiring young people into robotics and careers in space science and technology.

The Science Museum in London is celebrating World Space Week. The 'Exploring Space' exhibition includes a full-sized replica of Eagle, the lander that took the first astronauts to the Moon in 1969 as well as other space objects. Visitors can learn about living in space - how to breathe, eat, drink and go to the toilet.

Younger children can visit the NASA Kids' Club where there are lots of activities and space inspired games. There's a great image gallery and children are introduced to the crew currently orbiting Earth on the International Space Station.

Here there are a large number of resources available for all age groups that could be used for lesson or STEM Club activities. Students can find out about different careers connected with space, how to design a satellite or what life on Mars might look like. Children can even have their questions answered by a real astronaut.

It takes years of training to become an astronaut and they have to be extremely fit and healthy. In Mission X: train like an astronaut, students learn about the kind of training an astronaut might undertake. They'll learn about science, nutrition, exercise and space. They can then participate in the annual Walk to the moon challenge by submitting steps to the Mission X mascots who will walk from the Earth to the Moon - a whopping 384 400km! Find out more about this walk to the moon challenge.