 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
NASA's Space Place
Common Sense Media says
Site shows kids the fun in learning about science and tech.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that NASA's Space Place is a site with interactive games, projects, and facts about space and Earth science. The space-related questions kids submit to the site are sent via Formspring, a Q&A website that launches in a separate window but doesn't require registration. (We don't recommend that young kids register on the site because of inappropriate content, but using the Space Place form without registering is safe. If you do register, the site requires you to enter a username, password, email address, and birthday -- or you can sign in using a Facebook account.)
What kids can learn
Kids can learn facts and information about space through projects, Q&A, and interactive games. NASA's Space Place features topics ranging from the solar system to people and technology. Boredom won't be an issue, as there's an impressive mix of activities. Kids can play clever games about comets, get instructions on how to build a physics machine, and soak up photo galleries of Earth. Visually complex games and activities that incorporate detailed scientific information await.
Subjects
- Arts
- Hobbies
- Language & Readingletter or word recognition, reading
- Mathcounting, geometry, patterns
- Scienceastronomy, physics, weather
- Social Studies
Skills
- Collaboration
- Communicationlistening
- Creativity
- Emotional Development
- Health & Fitness
- Responsibility & Ethics
- Self-Directionacademic development
- Tech Skillsusing and applying technology
- Thinking & Reasoninganalyzing evidence, applying information, problem solving, solving puzzles, whole/part relationships
What's it about?
NASA's Space Place -- started in 1998 by NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology and International Technology and Engineering Education Association -- is an educational outreach project with dozens of activities. Each is marked as something elementary age kids can play, explore, or do. Content is grouped into five sections: the sun, Earth, solar system, space, and people and technology. An additional parents and educators tab offers classroom activities, printable posters, and other space-related science examples.
Is it any good?
NASA'S SPACE PLACE was started in 1998 as an education and public outreach project for elementary-school-age kids and is a joint effort from NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology and International Technology and Engineering Education Association.
Split into sections on the sun, solar system, and other space-related subject matter, each activity and item is clearly marked as something kids can explore, do, or play. The games, which illustrate principles such as how a black hole works, are interesting and informative. Younger kids may be a little confused by the sometimes lengthy directions, but there are enough galaxy-related craft ideas, images of the sun, and other items on NASA's Space Place to keep kids occupied, even if they aren't able to read yet.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about safety concerns for sites like this that encourage you to like them on Facebook or access Facebook using their site. What does it mean when you click over to Facebook from another site and are asked to allow access to your profile info?
Families can also talk about what science is, and why it's fun to learn about.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn facts and information about space through projects, Q&A, and interactive games. NASA's Space Place features topics ranging from the solar system to people and technology. Boredom won't be an issue, as there's an impressive mix of activities. Kids can play clever games about comets, get instructions on how to build a physics machine, and soak up photo galleries of Earth. Visually complex games and activities that incorporate detailed scientific information await.
Subjects
- Arts:
- Hobbies:
- Language & Reading: letter or word recognition, reading
- Math: counting, geometry, patterns
- Science: astronomy, physics, weather
- Social Studies:
Skills
- Collaboration:
- Communication: listening
- Creativity:
- Emotional Development:
- Health & Fitness:
- Responsibility & Ethics:
- Self-Direction: academic development
- Tech Skills: using and applying technology
- Thinking & Reasoning: analyzing evidence, applying information, problem solving, solving puzzles, whole/part relationships
How kids will learn
NASA's Space Place boasts simple but engaging space-related games that could help kids grasp key science concepts. In Wild Weather Adventure, players pilot a weather research blimp by answering science-related questions. Scattered throughout are opportunities to do creative experiments, such as building edible molecule models using gumdrops. Online coloring pages and crossword puzzles provide additional ways to spark kids’ interest in science and space.
How parents can help
- Explore the site’s games and science experiments-- many of which offer different levels of difficulty -- with your kids.
- Read some of the longer descriptions aloud to kids so they don't get restless trying to read them on their own.
- Point out when the moon is up during the day and other everyday space observations.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
Kid, 11 years old
November 6, 2011
AGE
loves it
Im just gonna sum it up, they let the kinders in my school use it. ITS SAFE
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AGE
Excellent place to visit
Our school age children used it during our Space Camp and they loved it. All the activities were easy to navigate and even I got addicted to all the games. Thank you NASA for being a great addition to our Space Camp.
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| Genre: | Educational |
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