Educational Resources

Educational Resources

Europlanet supports the use of planetary science to inspire and engage students and teachers with STEM.

Using the resources

  • The resources developed by Europlanet – for teachers, educators, and science communicators – are free to use.
  • The resources are adaptable. They are a template for you to create your own unique lesson, outreach activity, lecture, etc. You will also find a bunch of other resources (from Europlanet and from recommended external sources) that can complement the lessons you will find here (hands-on activities, videos, lectures, exhibitions, etc.). If you repost or share, we just ask that you use the following credit (required by the European Commission, who enabled us to create the resources): ‘The development of these resources has been supported by Europlanet 2024 RI with funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871149.‘
  • The resources are translated in many languages. This is an ongoing work so if you do not find your yours, send us a message and we will do our best to have the resources translated to your preferred language.
  • The resources can be viewed online or downloaded as .pdf, .ppt, .doc.
  • If you have comments, ideas, questions about the resources we share here, please ask them using the form below, and we will do our best to answer you.

If you have used our resources, tag us on social media or use the contact form and let us know! We always love to see educators and science communicators share our passion for planetary sciences!

Introduction to astrobiology

Discover the search for life in the Universe. This video is also available in French, German, Italian and Spanish

The Icy Moons Collection

Icy moons educational resources banner
To celebrate the launch of ESA’s JUICE mission, Europlanet is releasing a new collection of free educational resources themed around icy moons in our Solar System.

The Mars Collection

Mars Collection educational resources banner
The Mars Collection is a series of educational resource packs exploring the possibilities of life on the Red Planet. The resources are linked to Europlanet’s planetary field analogue sites – places on Earth that resemble environments on other planets in our Solar System.

The Illustrated Guide to Mars

Illustrated Guide to Mars banner
The planetary scientist and illustrator, José Utreras Contreras (aka Wandering Planet), has created a series of galleries for Europlanet that reveal all about the Red Planet and the missions that are exploring Mars.

Other Educational Resources

Europlanet has gathered other resources you might be interested in. Feel free to explore those further, and let us know if we should add more to this list.

  • Recommended external resources:
    • Icy Moons
      • AstroEDU hosts a hands-on activity titled “Deadly Moons”. This art and science project is the opportunity to get creative as you learn more about the moons of our solar system. Age 6-12.
      • The Astrobiology OU has released a creative science communication video on icy moons.
      • The Open University has published and developed a lot of resources about icy moons and astrobiology. A few are listed below:
        • The Open University has interviewed an icy moon scientist in this Astrobiology OpenLearn article. Learn more about their work, goals, and career path. Suitable for CPD training for teachers.
        • The Open University has published an OpenLearn article about the icy moons, with links to mission webpages and how they have informed our understanding of the icy moons. Suitable for CPD training for teachers.
        • The Open University has developed an OpenLearn Course about the Moons of our solar system. Towards to the end of the course (most relevant section is weeks 7 and 8), icy moons are introduced. CPD training for teachers.
      • The National Informal STEM Education Network offers a compilation of hands-on activities and resources about icy moons:
        • Ice orbs activity – includes activity sheets, info sheets about icy moons, training videos for teachers, and is also available in Spanish. Age 4+.
        • Nano ice cream experiment – This video demonstration showis how liquid nitrogen cools ice cream at such as rapid rate it forms super-fine crystals. Age 4+.
        • Cloud forming activity – This resource includes teacher training videos and worksheets for the activity. Although it is most relevant to Earth, it can be used in combination with learning about Titan’s methane cycle and nitrogen processes on Triton. Age 7+.
      • NASA has many resources for ocean worlds – the link here includes a collection of videos, activities, 3D computer models of the moons, and multiple articles about icy moons and astrobiology.

Feedback

Please use the form below to send any comments, share your experiences or upload any photos or files that show how you used our resources.

Europlanet 2024 RI has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871149.
Europlanet AISBL (Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif - 0800.634.634) is hosted by the Department of Planetary Atmospheres of the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Avenue Circulaire 3, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium.