Kids Dream Big After Bedtime Stories From Astronauts

For parents, it is important that children are inspired to learn and explore in a variety of ways, from an early age. For teachers, it is often a struggle to give adequate classroom instruction time to STEM concepts, in addition to other required subjects.

Thanks to technology, innovative children’s authors, astronauts who are very cool and genuine people, and an organization called Storytime from Space, space enthusiasts of any age can watch astronauts read picture books while in space.

Story Time From Space is a clever yet simple way to provide science literacy outreach. International Space Station (ISS) crew members read science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related children’s books in orbit, and complete simple science concept experiments.

Sponsored by both the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Laboratory Education (NLE), Story Time From Space has several steps.

First, crew members videotape themselves reading the stories and demonstrating STEM concepts.

Data is downlinked with recorded videos to ground, where they are are edited and posted to a video library, along with accompanying educational materials, on the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) Academy educational website.

The stories are available to anyone, so that elementary students (and anyone else who wants to learn!) everywhere can have new awareness of the ISS, new interest in space exploration, and curiosity about STEM concepts and careers.

There are currently 12 different stories from space available for viewing in the Storytime from Space Library; watch them all, and learn everything!