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Blast off to the edge of the galaxy and back in this thrilling roller coaster in the dark. Both Disneyland and Walt Disney World have this exciting attraction, although they are slightly different.
The Disneyland version of this ride is considerably darker, which we prefer. Now, to be fair, I think that the reason the Disney World version is lighter is at least partly because the TTA People Mover goes through it. No complaints on that, since the TTA is seriously one of my all-time favorite attractions. (Simple but perfect.)
Another difference is that the Disneyland version of the ride includes speakers in your ride vehicle (similar to the Incredicoaster) which adds a lot to the experience. Still, regardless of which park you ride in, prepare to have your breath taken away.
You might enjoy reading 15 out-of-this-world facts about Space Mountain. Did you know that after the idea for the ride was conceived, it was 11 years before the technology existed to create it or that Disney hired an astronaut as a consultant on the attraction??
Space Mountain in your Homeschool
If you are considering a complete Astronomy curriculum for your elementary school students, we really loved this one by Apologia. We used the accompanying notebooking journals as well.
Books you might enjoy:
- DK First Space Encyclopedia
- National Geographic Kids First Book of Space
- Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story
- There’s No Place Like Space: The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library
- A Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky
Videos to check out:
Van Gogh Starry Night art project. (If you decided to do an artist study, here’s some additional info on Van Gogh.)
Online Resources
The first moon landing unit study. – This study includes quite a few links to images, resources, activities, and notebooking pages.
Unit study on comets – Mainly focused on Halley’s comet, this study has links to lots of resources and ideas.
Astronomy Basics Lapbook – Create colorful booklets to put in your lapbook, study guide included.
This earth science page has links to content on stars, planets and space exploration, including some neat images.
Moon Unit Study – Hands on activities to study the phases of the moon.
A nighttime sky study is fun with these notebooking pages and suggestions for things to observe.
Space and solar system unit study resources.
Constellation Study – with free constellation printable flashcards
Fun and Easy Moon Unit Study – Hands on activities for kids.
This small nature study on the moon and moon vocabulary. It also includes my favorite moon activity: Oreo Moon Phases.
For older students, you might consider this full online Astronomy course.
Read short paragraphs here about many famous astronomers.
Some videos you might enjoy:
They Might Be Giants – Why Does the Sun Really Shine? (The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma) You can also read this article, which details why the band recorded this second song after recording the song, Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas).
Khan Academy – The scale of the universe. This video tries to give students a picture of the vast size of our universe.
This lecture on the moon might be a bit much for younger students, but for older kids is a good option.
This site has 10 space related videos that you might find interesting regarding astronomy.
The Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3D – About the images received from the Hubble Telescope.
You could listen to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata or Debussy’s Clair de Lune while you do your schoolwork.
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