STREAM Activity: Math Based Space Game

Do you think you can win the Rocket Race to the Moon?

Activity best for children age 2 and up

Scientists and astronauts who study space use a lot of math. They enjoy using math because it helps them solve interesting problems and answer important questions. Without math, engineers would never be able to figure out how to get spacecrafts to leave the earth or how fast the objects in space are flying. By creating a board game about space that uses math all on our own, we can have fun – without even noticing we’re doing math! Do you think you can win the Rocket Race to the Moon?

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Materials you’ll need:

Cardboard display board

Assorted colors of paper

Glue

Scissors

Markers

Stickers, glitter, or any decorations

Guiding Questions:

What aspects make up a game? Why do we need rules?

How does learning math help us in this game?

Can you think of any rules that help make the game more fun or challenging?

Directions

Step 1

Gather all of your materials and cut up some colored paper into small squares.

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Step 2

Either paint your display board black or glue black paper onto the board. Place your squares in a pattern that has a beginning and an ending and then glue them down. You can design it any way that you want. This game starts with a rocket ship and ends with a moon.

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Step 3

Next, add some fun rules to your game! Make some of the rules helpful to the player (for example, landing on a shooting star in this game moves players up 8 spots). And make some of the rules tricky for the player (for example, landing on a black holes makes players stuck for 2 rounds).

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Step 4

After that, create a way for players to move around the board. In this game, players pull an orange card and a purple card and find the difference. Here, the difference between 5 and 2 is 3, so players move 3 spaces.

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Step 5

Finally, find some pieces to represent your players. We used circles with stars on them. Then, start the game by taking turns. The player who reaches the moon first is the winner!

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Grown Ups-Are you looking for more ways to extend your child’s learning? Check out these extension activities to build upon today’s STREAM activity!

Reading Connections:

Look Up With Me by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

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Math Connections:

Research shows that time spent playing board games boosts the math skills of children in early childhood programs. Think of ways to make the game easier or more challenging! For example, make a game with multiplication.