Teaching science can be a big job. A broad field that describes dozens of educational paths and hundreds of jobs, think about just what topics ‘science’ covers for a minute and your head will start spinning. And while some topics like geology, biology, and ecology can be covered easily and memorably with hands on field trips, space isn’t a place the bus can go. How do you bring space and the various studies around it into the classroom? The simplest way is by adding film to your planned activities. However, when you look at a collection, kid’s media trends toward sci-fi and fiction rather than documentary and educational, and that’s in large part to the abstract and rapidly-advancing nature of the study of space. If you’re developing a space film collection for a school or even just a parent looking for good space information for young minds, these films should be first among your selections.
The Edge of All We Know (2020)
Black holes present one of the greatest mysteries in space. It’s only in recent years that we’ve really begun to grasp just how they function and the roles they play in our galaxies and universe, as well as how to find them with specialized telescopes. A massive undertaking dubbed the Event Horizon Telescope was a huge cooperative undertaking, linking observatory resources across the world to create an “earth-sized instrument,” allowing incredibly valuable and accurate deep space scanning of a black hole. Their experiments resulted in the famous first black hole photo released in April 2019. The Edge of All We Know dives into this discovery and investigates what we know about black holes and the theoretical physics that help to explain them. With dozens of experts giddily sharing their findings, it’ll be hard for kids to come away without thinking a job in space exploration might be a lot of fun.
Get a copy of The Edge of All We Know on DVD here.
Hidden Figures (2016)
A biographical drama starting in 1961 at the height of the Space Race, Hidden Figures follows three black mathematicians, Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe). These women’s critical work still helps to get spacecraft and manned space flights airborne and headed to the right places today. While not the most technical film about space or spaceflight, children especially get caught up in the idea of astronauts, while often forgetting the thousands of experts who help make those flights a reality. Hidden Figures allows science classrooms to get a little history as well as race and gender studies or history classrooms to touch on some math and science. Those working in “pod” style education will want to consider the cross-curricular usage of this excellent film to inspire young minds.
Get your copy of Hidden Figures on DVD here.
The Farthest - Voyager in Space (2017)
This Irish documentary film explores the history of The Voyager Program, the longest lasting and most successful space probe explorations of our galaxy. The Farthest talks with some of the original and current mission scientists, engineers, and team members who keep listening for chatter from the two Voyager probes as they sprint ever deeper into interstellar space. For an awe-inspiring glimpse at the sheer scale of our solar system and in-depth conversation with the people who are responsible for shepherding our robotic space explorers, look no further than The Farthest.
Get your copy of The Farthest on DVD here.
Good Night Oppy (2022)
Just successfully landing on Mars in 2004 was enough to get the rover Opportunity, nicknamed Oppy, into the history books. No one expected this mechanical marvel to keep on chugging for more than a decade (They were worried it would tip over into a crater, honestly), but it did until a catastrophic dust storm in the summer of 2018 caused the opacity of the atmosphere to dim to levels never before recorded. The engineers and scientists continued trying to contact the rover for another year before sending one final data package, Billie Holliday singing “I’ll be seeing you”. Good Night Oppy tells the full story of the Opportunity rover from conception to its final transmission and a bit beyond. Containing interviews with people who guided Oppy on its lumbering journey across the Red Planet and outstanding imagery by Industrial Light and Magic, this documentary will be a perfect addition to elementary school classwork or public library film showings.
Stream Good Night Oppy on Prime Video here.
A Beautiful Planet (2016)
Many of the films listed here rely on computer graphics to help viewers explore space. A Beautiful Planet is unique among these films as it uses footage actually captured in space with IMAX digital cameras. This stunning documentary mostly focuses on near-Earth operations and the planet itself, but from an orbital point of view. Filled with interviews with astronauts who have operated the International Space Station, ground control experts, and scientists galore, A Beautiful Planet bounces between inspiring information and breathtaking visuals of our planet and the stars beyond. Consider this title most highly for your space documentary collection in whatever field you work: Anyone can get into this fantastic film.
Get your copy of A Beautiful Planet on Blu-ray here.
Series:
Snoopy in Space (2019-2021)
Developed in part with NASA, Snoopy in Space is a series of shorts, giving teachers looking for materials for younger kids or with less screen time in their lesson plans a fun and accurate space show for kids. Even older children would enjoy this series, because who doesn’t like Snoopy?
Cosmos (Ultimate Edition) (2017)
While some will recommend the Neil deGrasse Tyson reboot of the series–and it is a fantastic series with more up-to-date scientific information–there’s something entrancing about Carl Sagan’s original Cosmos. I remember watching many segments of this series both in and out of the classroom in the 2000s. While it was certainly dated even at that time, there was a kind of magic to it that kept me and others coming back for more. Help keep Cosmos a formative part of children’s education: add the Ultimate Edition to your collection today.
Get your copy of Cosmos on DVD here.
Materials from NASA:
For Students Grades K-4 - https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/for-students-grades-k-4/
For Students Grades 5-8 - https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/for-students-grades-5-8/
For Students Grades 9-12 - https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/for-students-grades-9-12/
NASA Kids' Club - https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/nasa-kids-club/
NASA Kids Science - https://science.nasa.gov/kids/
For Educators - https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/for-educators/
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