World Space Week / Recycled Satellite Design Lab
Recycled Satellite Design Lab
Children design and build a satellite from recycled materials, deciding what job it does, such as weather watching or sending messages, and presenting it to mission control.
How to run it
- Talk about the jobs satellites do: weather forecasting, mapping, phone signals and photographing Earth.
- Have each child or pair choose a job and sketch a satellite with solar panels, antennas and sensors.
- Build it from boxes, foil, bottle lids, straws and pipe cleaners.
- Hold a 'launch briefing' where each team explains their satellite's job and parts.
You will need
- small boxes
- foil
- bottle lids
- straws
- pipe cleaners
- masking tape
- PVA glue
- markers
Make it easier or harderYounger children can choose one job and add simple parts; older children can label each part and explain how it would get power in space.
My Time Our Place · Outcome 4, Outcome 5Children apply creativity and research to design a purposeful object, then communicate their design ideas to others.
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