Principia Space Diary: the solar system

In this activity children read and extract key facts about the different planets in our Solar System: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Using this information they write a planetary report...

Principia Space Diary: looking at Earth from space

This creative writing exercise asks your space apprentices to choose a place on Earth that they have never been to, and imagine what it might be like to visit. They will use a selection of images that Tim Peake took while on...

Principia Space Diary: 8 minutes to space

In this creative writing activity children imagine what it is like to leave Earth on a journey into outer space.  It uses the context of British astronaut Tim Peake’s journey to the International Space Station as a stimulus to develop literacy skills.

This resource is part of the Principia Space Diary,...

Taking photographs from the International Space Station

During his mission to the International Space Station, Tim Peake shared many spectacular photographs of the Earth. During this interview, recorded in  March 2017, he talks about taking the photographs and what such images can be used for. The teacher guide will help you find the segment or sections that are most...

Colour in the Earth

This resource provides activities that link in which geography at primary level, using images of cities and Islands around the World taken from Space. These images taken by Tim Peake, support children in recognising human and natural features from an aerial view. They develop their understanding of maps and keys/...

Once upon a time

Join Rosetta and Philae on their journey to rendezvous with a comet in these animated videos. The fairytale begins at launch and follows the comet-chasing duo on their voyage to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Each stage of the mission is...

Who is Paxi?

In this short animation Paxi, the ESA mascot, introduces himself explaining where he comes from. Once able to fly his spaceship was able to explore and takes us around space, before finding Earth. He compares features of the Earth to his home planet looking at similarities and differences.

This resource...

The Red Planet

In this short animation Paxi, the ESA mascot, explores the Red Planet telling us about past missions and what they have told us about Mars. He travels above the surface pointing out features of the planet and how future missions will search for evidence of life.

Do Martians exist?

This animated film joins the alien, Paxi, as he investigates the possibility of life on Mars. Looking at the characteristics of living things, he compares them to non-living things. He also looks at microscopic life and how this may be the kind of life that could be found on Mars. Paxi then considers how...