DLTK's Crafts for Kids
First American Astronaut to Orbit Earth - February 20th, 1962

Photograph by NASA on Unsplash.com

John Glenn was the first American astronaut to orbit around the earth. This special event occured on February 20th, 1962 and it's such a great day to celebrate and learn about space!

Before becoming one of the first seven American astronauts for NASA, John Glenn was an accomplished pilot. The selection process for these astronauts was difficult. 508 people applied for these seven positions and had to take many different tests. So even just becoming a NASA astronaut seems pretty impressive!

On his monumental flight orbiting the earth, John Glenn travelled in the Friendship 7 capsule. His journey started at 9:47am at the launch pad in Cape Canaveral. The capsule was incredibly fast—it travelled at 17,500 miles per hour! His entire journey include three orbits around earth and took five hours. But his journey was not flawless because there were some mechanical issues with the capsule (specifically its heat shield). After stepping out of the capsule (back on earth of course!), John Glen said "It was hot in there."

Below are several space and astronaut activities that are a gerat way to celebrate this awesome SPACE-iversary!

	Orbiting Objects Paper Plate Craft preschool and kindergarten
	Space Travel Coloring Pages
Astronaut and Rocket Crafts:
	Astronaut Craft preschool and kindergarten
	Porthole Paper Plate Craft Kindergarten and grade school
	Rocket Toilet Paper Roll Craft preschool and kindergarten
	Space Collage Craft
	Space Shapes Matching Craft preschool and kindergarten
	Spacesuit Craft preschoolers and up
Earth and Space Craftss:
	Magic Stars Paint and crayons project Age 2+
	Planet Earth 3D Craft Kindergarten and grade school
	Planet Earth Coffee Filter Craft preschoolers and up
	Planet Earth Handprint Craft
	Planet Earth Scissor Skills Craft preschoolers and up
	Planet Earth Stained Glass Craft Kindergarten and grade school
	Other Outer Space Crafts and Activities

Other Holidays You May Be Interested In:

• First Walk in Space (March 18th, 1965)
• First American Astronaut to do a Space Walk (June 3rd, 1965)
• World UFO Day (July 2nd)
• National Moon Day (July 20th)