Mission to Mars

Before you begin

• Set up four different bases, with the base card and right equipment for each activity at each base.

Prepare to adventure

1. The person leading the game should explain that the four bases include information and activity about what life would be like as an astronaut exploring Mars.
2. Everyone should split into four groups.
3. The person leading the game should send one group to each base.

4. After about 10 minutes, the person leading the game should make a noise to let groups know that they should move on to the next activity.

5. Once all of the groups have visited all of the bases, they should come back together. They should spend some time talking about the things they’ve learned about being an astronaut, and about Mars.
6. If you said a rhyme or moved to pretend to become astronauts or travel into space, make sure you turn back in to normal people before you leave.

Shape up to suit up (base 1)

1. Someone in the group should read the base information card, to explain how important it is for astronauts to stay fit and healthy.
2. The group should get into pairs.
3. One person in each pair should stand on one leg. Their partner should time how long they can balance, before they put their other leg down. They should note the time down.

If they don’t have a stopwatch, players should just count steadily.

4. One person in each pair should hold their arms straight out in front of them. Their partner should time how long they can keep them held up. They should note the time down.
5. One person in each pair should create a plank, by balancing on their hands and toes as though they were about to start a push-up. Their partner should time how long they can hold the position. They should note the time down.
6. Players should swap, so they’ve both taken turns at all three activities.

It’s all in the details (base 2)

1. Someone in the group should read the base information card, to understand more about the suits astronauts wear.
2. The first person should put on a pair of gloves. They should try to pick up exactly 10 grains of rice. Everyone should take it in turns to do this challenge, while the rest of the team times how long it takes.

If they don’t have a stopwatch, players should just count steadily.

3. Everyone should take it in turns to try the next challenge while wearing the gloves – using a knife and fork to cut a perfect square of chocolate from a bar. Their team should time them, as before.
4. Everyone should take it in turns to try the next challenge while wearing the gloves – threading ten pieces of dry macaroni onto a piece of string. Their team should time them, as before.
5. Everyone should take it in turns to try the final challenge while wearing the gloves – building a house of cards. They should see how big a house they can build in one minute.

A tall tale (base 3)

1. Someone in the group should read the base information card, to understand more about how astronauts’ bodies change when they’re in space.
2. Everyone should take it in turns to measure how tall they are with the tape measure, and write it down.
3. Everyone should use the calculator to multiply their height by 1.03, to find their space height.

Ready, steady, race (base 4)

1. Unravel some of the cotton from the cotton reel. The length you choose will be how much has to be reeled back in so choose a length suitable for your young people.
2. Place a bit of tape on your cotton reel when you have reached the correct length to stop it unraveling further. Then tape the other end of the cotton to the middle of a pencil.
3. Lay the pencils in a line and stretch out the cotton until tight and lay the cotton reel down.
4. Explain to everyone that they will have to reel the cotton up on the pencil as fast as they can to get the cotton reel back to them. The first one to get their cotton reel back wins.
5. Once everyone’s ready, line all of the rovers up to start the race.