Intended End User: Teacher, Teacher Educator
Age Group: Lower Primary; Upper Primary
School Curriculum: Maths; Science; Applied Science
Themes and Topics: Environmental Change; Information & Knowledge; Pedagogy Approaches
Duration: Approximately 2-4 teaching hours, depending on group size and implementation depth.
Type of Resource: Experiment, Lesson Plans, Project
Keywords:Â Scaling, Proportions, STEM Education, Astronomical Literacy, Experiential Learning
Languages: English, Dutch, German, Español, Français, Italiano
Description
The “Astronomy and Football” resource is an interactive lesson where students explore the scale of the Solar System by mapping planetary distances onto a football field. This activity provides a tangible way to understand astronomical distances, proportions, and scaling while integrating STEM concepts through mathematical calculations.
Students use measurements and spatial reasoning to place planets at appropriate scaled distances, gaining insight into the vastness of space. This practical, hands-on approach fosters critical thinking, scientific literacy, and problem-solving skills. The activity can be adapted for different education levels and is ideal for engaging young learners in astronomy through experiential learning.
By combining sports and science, this resource encourages students to think about real-world applications of mathematics and space science in a fun and interactive way.
How to use this resource
Teachers introduce the concept of planetary distances and scaling by discussing the vast distances between planets. Students then use a football field as a model to physically map out the positions of the planets using scaled distances.
Through guided calculations and teamwork, students place markers representing each planet at proportional distances from the “Sun.” Discussions and reflections encourage them to think about astronomical scale, space exploration, and STEM applications in everyday contexts.
The activity concludes with a discussion about space science, distances in astronomy, and how scientists measure vast cosmic distances using scaling techniques.
The resources
The resource can be found here:
Learning Outcomes
- Elicit prior knowledge and further develop knowledge and comprehension of key Sustainability Citizenship key concepts, challenging established worldviews and values.
- Collaboratively synthesise the knowledge, tools and frameworks to create educational materials and lessons plans adapted to their own local context
Green Competencies
- Embodying Sustainable Values: Promoting Nature
- Embracing Complexity in Sustainability: Systems Thinking; Critical Thinking
- Envisioning Sustainable Futures: Exploratory Thinking
Creative Commons
“Astronomy and Football” is an open-access educational resource developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). ESA provides its educational materials under a Creative Commons licensing scheme to ensure widespread accessibility and knowledge-sharing.
SDGs
