Educational Materials
Purdue Space Day is working to make its high-quality STEM activities available on the web for educators, parents, and students around the world to download and use. Each activity has a detailed write-up explaining the necessary materials and procedures, along with an explanation of the relevant scientific background, suggested teaching practices, and relevant educational standards drawn from the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Please browse the activities below and please don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions, comments, or other feedback.
Activity Write-Ups
Straw Rockets
Build and launch a rocket using common classroom materials! This activity is a great demonstration of momentum exchange and aerodynamic forces.
View PDFWater Rockets
Build rockets from empty soda botles and send them flying into the sky with some water and a bicycle pump!
View PDFEgg Drop
Keep an egg safe by building a landing vehicle to protect it from a long fall - then see how high you dare drop it and find out if your design succeeds!
View PDFLife in Space
Use recycled materials to build a mock-up space suit and get a sense of how difficult it is to do work as an astronaut.
View PDFCardboard Shuttles
Build simulated re-entry vehicles using cardboard and poster board and see how they fly at low and high speeds!
View PDFContact Purdue Space Day Education
Purdue Space Day
701 W. Stadium Ave.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Email: psd@purdue.edu
Chell Nyquist
Outreach and Purdue Space Day Program Administrator
Email: nyquist@purdue.edu