Do you have what it takes to be an astronaut? Tackle the training course to find out. 

DOWNLOAD STATION INSTRUCTIONS

Asphalt Astronaut Training

Who: Grades K-5 

Players: 8-12 

Time: 15 minutes+ 

Where: Auditorium, cafeteria, gymnasium, hallway, playground 

Equipment: Tape, cones, task tents. 

Set-up: When creating stations, space cones far enough apart so students can remain 6 feet away from each other for the duration of the activity. Insert the Asphalt Astronaut activity sheets into the task tents (one sheet per tent, to create a total of up to eight stations). You may want to number each station to help guide participants.  

How to Play 

  • Gather up! Make sure players are standing 6 feet apart from one another. 
  • The leader explains, "You have all been selected to become Asphalt Green’s next group of Asphalt Astronauts! It’s super important that we train for all of the adventures we might have in outer space." 
  • All around the room there are different space training stations with a task tent. Each task tent contains a card with a description and illustration of the training participants need to complete. For example: There is a moonwalk station where you will need to practice walking on the moon. 
  • Astronauts will have 60 seconds at each station.
  • After the 60 seconds, everyone will transition to the next space training station.  

Game Tip 

  • Make sure there are enough activity stations so there are never more than two or three players at a station. Ensure there is always enough room for participants to be 6 feet away from one another.  

Check for Understanding 

  • How long do astonauts have at each space training station? 
  • How will astronauts know it’s time to switch space training stations? 

Conflict-Resolution Tip 

  • If participants are having a hard time at any particular station, have them practice their spacewalk by skipping slowly. No astronaut can ever practice his or her spacewalk enough! 

PLAY: REP IT OUT

Easy: Zero gravity - Players need to spacewalk between each space training station. 

Medium: Double gravity - Increase the amount of time students are at each station.   

Hard: Graduation Spacewalk - With tape, create a 20-foot line at each station, and have students complete each training exercise along that line.  

 

Task Tent Stations

Moonwalking 

Practice walking on the moon. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your left knee to your chest, then return to starting position. Repeat the motion on your right side. Continue the movement, alternating your legs and moving as fast as you can. Try and bring your knees as high as they can go – just be careful not to float away! 

 

Gravity Squats 

You'll have to get used to the gravity in space. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, put your weight in your heels, and sit back like you would in a chair.  

 

Star Jumps 

Squat to touch the ground, then explode into the air, reaching your arms and legs out as soon as your feet leave the ground. Make sure to say, “I’m a star,” at the top so that every other star hears you.  

 

Inchworm Walk 

We might need to travel through a wormhole, so we better practice how to do it. Start in a standing position. Bend forward, lower your hands to the ground, and keep your feet still as you walk out to a plank or raised pushup position. From the plank, keep your hands still as you walk your feet in toward your hands. Then, stand up and begin again. 

 

Lightspeed Running 

Run in place as fast as you can for as long as you can like you’re traveling at lightspeed.  

 

Gravity Jumps 

We’ll need to be able to push through the heavy gravity on some planets! Start in a deep squat with your hands on the ground between your legs. Jump up as high as you can with your hands and feet leaving ground at the same time. Land and return to starting position.  

 

Space Shuttle Crab Walk 

There are tight spaces on the space shuttle, so we need to practice being able to squeeze through. Start on your bottom with your hands behind your back and legs bent at the knees. Lift your bottom off the ground. Move forward, backward, or sideways like a crab.  

 

Space Bear Crawls 

You never know when you might have to befriend a space bear. Start on your hands and knees. Gently lift your knees 1 to 2 inches off the ground. Travel by crawling like a bear, keeping your back flat with your knees bent and close to the ground. Move forward, backward, and laterally. 

Looking for more ways to keep kids active all summer long? Join us for virtual camp Monday through Friday. The schedule features a variety of active, creative, and game-based programs that keep campers engaged, learning, and having fun every day. Join the fun.