Celebrate National Space Day
So many children grow up wanting to be astronauts, and why not? Space exploration is an exciting prospect for any child. You can celebrate National Space Day this May 5th with your kids through some fun activities and by making and enjoying space food.
Learn About Space-Friendly Snacks
Plan a space-themed movie night with snacks that astronauts commonly eat and space-themed films and TV shows. These snacks include dried fruits, nuts, cookies, animal crackers, and Rice Krispies treats.
You can enjoy these snacks while watching movies such as Home, Wall-E, and Apollo 13, which are age-appropriate for younger kids. Older kids and teens may appreciate Star Wars, Star Trek, or Space: The Final Frontier.
You can also use a sticker book or coloring book for discussing space concepts after watching TV shows or films.
Play Space Trivia With Space Food
Another fantastic way to enjoy National Space Day is to play some Space Trivia. There are several online sites that have trivia questions you can access for free, or you can make questions that are about space food. This is a wonderful way to learn about space and astronauts’ experiences.
Make Astronaut Ice Cream
Space food was originally made in 1968 for the Apollo 7 trip into space. Though it wasn’t popular on spaceships, it was a hit at the space museum. There are several different ways you can make astronaut ice cream, but one easy method is to use meringue from eggs. Meringue tends to have a similar texture and taste to astronaut ice cream.
Ingredients:
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 6 large white eggs
- 1 tablespoon of peppermint extract or vanilla extract
- Mint chocolate chips
- Gel food coloring
Your eggs should be at room temperature before you separate the whites out. You want to mix them until they get foamy and fluffy. This will take a few minutes.
Next, you need to slowly add sugar to the beaten egg whites. You need to add a small amount of sugar at a time or your meringue will fall. Just add a spoonful at a time and continue beating.
Once the mixture is fluffy and forming peaks, you can add your coloring and extract. You can make two different flavors by adding mint chocolate chips to part of the batch and vanilla to the other. It is the perfect food because it doesn’t need to be frozen and won’t spoil.
Plop by the spoonful on wax paper and place in a 200-degree oven for two hours until they are crispy and dry. Allow to cool completely before storing or enjoying.
These treats are perfect to make ahead of National Space Day, since they stay crispy for up to 3 weeks when kept in room temperature. That’s one less thing to worry about as you plan a fun day for your family.