Blast Off!
Katherine Johnson, one of the first African American women to work as a NASA scientist, helped put people on the Moon with her amazing math skills! Can you and your little number cruncher count down to launch?
What You'll Need
Steps
- Explain to your child that NASA counts down from 10 before blasting off to space. Now we can too!
- We’ll count down from 10 to 1 to make sure we’re ready to launch into space. (Or stretch the activity for older kids and start from 20!)
- When we reach the end of the countdown, let’s jump up and shout, “We have a lift-off!” We’re off to the moon!
Words to Use
Moon – a natural satellite that orbits the Earth and reflects the Sun’s light
Count – to say the numbers in order
Mission – an important assignment like sending people safely to the Moon
Launch – to send into the airSimplify
Start at 3 and count down to 1. Say “Blast off!” at the end: 3 – 2 – 1 – Blast off!
Stretch
Let’s use the countdown throughout the day: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Let’s blast off to bathtime! Try leaving out a number in the countdown and see if your child can notice and correct the mistake!
Why
Counting down helps your budding mathematician understand that numbers go in order!
Extend the Learning
Watch Team Umizoomi’s “Umi Space Heroes!” in the Noggin app. In this one-hour special the team blasts off into an awesome outer space adventure to put the moon back together.
About Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson was an American mathematician and STEM leader whose calculations helped NASA astronauts get to the Moon. The 2016 movie “Hidden Figures” told her story! As a child, Katherine was a great math student, and she studied hard so she could become a mathematician. She found out in 1953 that NASA was hiring mathematicians; she got the job and it launched her amazing career! Later, Katherine advocated for kids to study science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
“You are no better than anyone else, and no one is better than you.” -Katherine Johnson
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New content added weekly
Accessible on multiple devices
Downloadable books & games for offline play