Today is Andrew’s 5th birthday and I thought it would be the perfect time to share his very favorite thing: outer space. He has been obsessed with all things outer space, black holes, and Mars for the past year and a half or so and it’s incredible just how much he has learned! I’m sure he knows more than any 6th grader. He can sit and talk about things like the event horizon, Cignus X-1, and more and you just see his eyes totally light up! While I was a bit sad when he first transitioned from his love of John Deere tractors, I really enjoy this stage of life he is in and we have so much fun learning together! We got a membership to Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City and I’ve seen more documentaries about space in the past year than during my entire 12 years of education when I was in school.
I’ve partnered with a really cool company called SpaceMail Pal to bring you some awesome ways to learn about space. As always, all thoughts here are my own! Be sure to watch the video of Andrew’s most recent trip to Mars! It’s adorable!!
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What is SpaceMail Pal?
SpaceMail Pal is a fun and educational subscription service for kids that teaches about outer space! Children receive personalized notes on postcards with fun illustrations and educational info about the extraterrestrial adventures of Astronaut Neil and Robot Sally. The stories on each postcard are written by a PBS Kids scriptwriter! This subscription service offers a variety of packages: Monthly for $2.99/month, Bi-weekly for $5.49/month , or Weekly for $8.99/month! These postcards are ideal for ages 4-11 and can also be sent as gifts! Andrew and Aidan love getting things in the mail, and I knew that this would be perfect! Every time we check the mailbox, Andrew asks if his new postcard has come in.
Let Your Imagination Soar with Hide-a-Boo:
We got this fun Rocket Ship play house (they are only $28!) last summer when they first launched. It is SOOO cool! They have a variety of options but, of course, our little space boy wanted the rocket ship option. Unlike other playhouses, this is really unique because it doesn’t take up a lot of space, it’s washable, and it’s interactive! It’s made from cloth, and it fits perfectly over a square card table. NO assembly required! Simply take it out of the package and place it over the card table. Done! Kids can even do it all by themselves. Each side of the Hide-a-Boo has something different and unique including the top. The front has an opening and looks like doors on a rocket ship. These are so cool for kids to use for imaginative play! I am able to wash it if it gets dirty and we can even pack it in a suitcase if we travel (providing someone we visit has a card table). If you really want to see just how far a little one’s imagination can take them, you HAVE to watch Andrew’s video below where you can see him go all the way to Mars- for realz! Learn more about Hide-a-Boo here!
Every Space Boy Needs an Astronaut Suit!
I’ve always been super excited about the idea of my kids playing dress up! For Andrew’s first Halloween (he was only a few months old) I literally had him dressed up in 4 different costumes! I know girls love to dress up like princesses, but I was determined for my boys to love dressing up as well. We have an entire bin in the playroom filled with all kinds of costumes from animals to super hero capes and masks and favorite characters! So when Andrew took an interest in space, we knew he needed to dress up like an astronaut! My parents got him this adorable NASA suit for Christmas last year and then he added his Astronaut Helmet to his costume on their recent visit to see us (from the planetarium gift shop).
Photographed at Clark Planetarium, images used with permission.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Have a little future astronaut in your home? Check out this ADORABLE NASA costume! #space” quote=”Have a little future astronaut in your home? Check out this ADORABLE NASA costume! #space”]Make Reading FUN!
So I am a book lover. I’ve loved reading ever since I was a little kid! And when it comes to my kids, I really really want them to share my love for reading. The best thing I’ve done for their playroom (at least it’s my favorite) is their themed reading corner. We DIYed some IKEA spice racks and hung them on the wall. They keep all of their books on a book shelf, but these racks hold monthly themed books. During the holidays they are filled with Christmas books, Easter books during spring, etc. For July (Andrew’s Birthday month!!), I went with a space theme.
The cool rocket ships were gifts from one of his Aunties who happens to work right next to Kennedy Space Center! The beautiful painting of Earth with the red balloon was a recent gift from his talented cousin, Julia! I’ve found that coming up with a theme for reading allows my kids to “discover” fun in books that they already have and makes them seem new and exciting again.
Visit Your Local Planetarium!
If your child loves space as much as mine does, you definitely need to visit your local planetarium. We live in Utah and there is a planetarium about 45 minutes from us. They just recently renovated everything and now it’s filled with so many amazing and educational space exhibits that our kids both LOVE! The best part? It’s TOTALLY FREE! Now that being said, we didn’t know that and we purchased an annual membership for the family. Our membership includes unlimited free movies in their IMAX and Dome theaters which is actually really cool! They have an amazing variety of science documentaries around 45 minutes or so, which is a nice length for our kids’ ages. We have seen quite a few and the boys really enjoy them. I think it is soooo awesome that my young kids already have such a love for learning! Andrew could seriously watch the documentaries all day long! Our favorite part of this Planetarium is this amazing Mars exhibit that you can see in this blog post. For a space boy whose favorite planet is Mars, it’s everything! Check out the video below for some Mars exploration! Spoiler alert: it’s out-of-this-world cute!
Watch Video: Andrew Goes to Mars and Learns about Black Holes!
Remember, be sure to check out SpaceMail Pal!
Be sure to check out SpaceMail Pal for your kids! Even if they aren’t super obsessed with Space like Andrew, your kids will probably still think it’s fun to get Astronaut mail and it’s SUPER affordable (and a great way to introduce space to spark a future interest!)
You can also follow SpaceMail Pal on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Tell Andrew YOUR Favorite Planet! (He wants to know!)
Leave a Comment Below!
Sharon/Mike
July 10, 2017Hi Andrew, I think you are so cool learning all this neat stuff about space. My favorite planet is Saturn because it’s got rings around it and is so different from the other planets. I don’t know much about it, but I’ll bet you do. The Planetarium in Salt Lake City really looks like a great place to visit. If we ever make it out for a visit, we can take you there with us and you can be our official guide. You never know, we just may surprise you some day. Keep up the good work in learning so much. Love, Aunt Sharon and Uncle Mike.