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Model Moon phases and build a space exhibit in this three-week astronomy course for elementary school students at Fairfield University.
Course Description
Make Moon phases with a flashlight. Build a rover for a faraway world. Space offers plenty to wonder about and try.
In this course your child will become a sky detective, keeping questions, observations, and drawings in a space journal. Spheres, lights, and star maps reveal patterns in day, night, and shadows. They’ll walk through a model solar system, test craters, and design a rover or lander. A light-and-orbit demonstration shows how astronomers find distant planets.
Pictures, art, and models bring stars, galaxies, and the scale of space within reach. Teams create a Space Discovery Museum exhibit with a model or interactive visual, a surprising fact, and labels. Sharing it gives classmates a little corner of the universe to explore.
This three-week course for elementary school students is part of Summer Discovery’s Institute for the Gifted program on Fairfield University’s campus in Fairfield, Connecticut. It is available to commuter students.
What You Will Do
• Record sky questions, observations, and drawings in a space journal
• Model day, night, shadows, and Moon phases
• Build a solar system you can walk through
• Test craters and redesign a rover or lander
• Compare star colors, life cycles, and galaxy shapes
• Create and present a Space Discovery Museum exhibit
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Explain patterns in the sky using observations and models
• Describe differences between planets, stars, and galaxies
• Use a model to explain an idea about space
You’ll leave with a space journal, hands-on models, your team’s museum exhibit, and a certificate of completion.
Why Astronomy Skills Matter
Astronomy gives children a reason to look closely, notice patterns, and ask questions. Modeling Moon phases or comparing planets helps them connect an explanation to something they can see. Testing and improving a rover model gives them practice learning from what happens.
Space is much bigger than anything children can hold or see at once. Pictures, maps, and models help them make sense of that scale. Explaining a discovery to classmates builds vocabulary and gives children practice putting ideas in order, useful habits for science, reading, and everyday discovery.
Who Should Attend?
For students who have completed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade.
If your child looks up at the sky and wants to know more, this course gives those questions room to grow. Drawing, building, and trying simple models bring space closer. Children can share what they discover through pictures and words, whether they’re imagining a faraway world or noticing something new about the Moon.
Institute for the Gifted eligibility requirements apply; see the program FAQ.
Your Summer at Fairfield University
Fairfield gives elementary students a fun and welcoming first taste of campus life in a coastal Connecticut town along Long Island Sound. The day includes hands-on classes, outdoor courtyard time, shared meals, and opportunities to make friends in a setting that feels active without feeling overwhelming.
The commuter-only Institute for the Gifted has operated at Fairfield for more than two decades. Students try new challenges and build confidence within a clear, structured program day. For families, Fairfield offers an age-appropriate combination of learning, creativity, friendship, routine, and support. Students get the fun of a summer program and the satisfaction of discovering what they can make, solve, and explore next.
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive