The Space Camp model is straight forward. After a day of Space themed lessons children go home to have their dinner and then their parents/carers bring them back to school with their kit bag in the early evening. As they arrive, they are allocated a tent (all named after Space Missions) and they have some time to set up their beds and unpack.
The children then participate in a range of activities over the evening always including night sky observations, a science workshop, a creative workshop with some physical astronaut training. You could arrange to have an astronomy expert come to visit from the local University or astronomical society and end their evening with a space cinema event. The children then enjoy hot chocolate and marshmallows before tucking up for the night. It is a very busy evening and they all fall asleep very quickly.
In the morning the children continue their Space learning with more Space themed learning activities. Perhaps Space Ambassadors/ University Outreach Officers might be able to run planetarium shows or Space Science workshops for your Space Campers. After lunch, families are invited to school for a pupil led assembly where the children share their experiences telling parents and carers about what they have learnt and the activities that they have enjoyed. This is a great opportunity to share photos from the camp. The children can then have an early finish to go home and catch up on their sleep.
Sample Space Camp programmes from other schools - 'Lets go to the Moon' is a Lunar Camp for KS1 pupils and 'Starlight' is a Starlight Camp for KS2 pupils.
Choose a theme and plan
Although not essential, it has been the experience of many Space Schools that choosing a theme for the camp not only helps with putting together a cohesive programme but also enables teachers to deepen the impact of the Space Camp through thematic learning experiences across the school week.
Popular themes that Space Camp schools have used in the past have been The Moon, Mission to Mars, The Solar System, Starlight and the Search for Extraterrestrial life. This year, inspired by our work with the Stephen Hawking Foundation, we are aiming to develop some resources for a Cosmology themed Space Camp. Visit the Activities section of the website to find a wealth of resources and links organised by theme.
We have created a simple planning document that you can download from the link below to document the programme for your Space Camp.