Sue Liedke and El Murray

Prince A., a true space enthusiast, chose to explore the moon.

Hasana C. adds details to her space helmet.

Nora G. gestures to the planets in our solar system.

One of the pre-K classes at my school was learning about Black contributions to space exploration, which led to this lesson. Their classroom teacher, El, said students were excited to learn about Katherine Johnson, Mae C. Jemison, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. “We combined books, charts, and videos to gather information about their contributions to space travel. Students were particularly stoked to learn that all three of these people are real people who were once kids like them!”

El approached me about a collaboration—could his students make something to support their learning? El’s students discovered that there’s no air in space, and that astronauts wear special technology to allow them to live and breathe in space. So, we decided as a group that if we were going to pretend to be in space, we would need gear!

Space exploration props and astronaut costumes are of course readily available for purchase, but El and I thought that letting students be a part of the design process would better support their learning.

I collected plain paper bags, stickers, and markers, and took some initial steps with scissors before students arrived in my art studio. I cut the handles off the bags, cut large holes for students’ faces, and cut out space in the sides of the bags for students’ shoulders.

Students used markers to decorate their bag helmets, and it was exciting to see what elements they chose to include. Some students featured their names or drawings of themselves, patterns, and designs. One enthusiastic student drew an entire representative solar system on his, naming each planet as he worked.

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