Neel Sockstrong 
One small step for A puppet, one fun craft for student kind
By Jordie Marie Rippon - United states
NEEL SOCKSTRONG
Activity Duration: 1 hour
​Recommended Age: 4-11+

During this activity, students will create a sock puppet astronaut who is in training and a friend with Neel Sockstrong. Students can create their puppet and design stories about their space adventures with Neel! In order to complete this activity, students will need to learn about the parts of an astronaut’s suit and why they are needed to protect a person in space.  
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EXPERIENCE
Space suits, helmets and life support backpacks are all part of the equipment needed to make an astronaut safe in space, where there is no air to breathe or protection from the cold or the direct sun (outside of a space vehicle).

Click to learn more about space suits and to play with NASA's clickable space suit here 

By creating a sock puppet, students get hands-on experience about what is needed to make a “human-  or animal-like” puppet (head with face, body, and arms.) NOTE: The puppet does not need to be totally realistic! 
THINK
  • Space suits are not just cool fashion to travel out of space. Without space suits, astronauts would not be able to leave the spacecraft. They also could not walk on the moon or work outside the International Space Station (ISS).
  • There is no air to breath in space and there are high levels or radiation. Space suits protect astronauts against these harsh and dangerous conditions.
  • Watch the video on the left to learn more about "Why do astronauts wear space suits?"
CREATE
  • Grab a sock and make a puppet. (The sock should be one that you don't mind getting glue on or cutting). 
  • Begin to add a space suit to your puppet.
  • Use cardboard to make a helmet and backpack.
  • Use felt an any other art supplies to create the rest of the details for your spacesuit and other parts of your puppet. Don't forget to have fun and be creative!
  • For some more interesting puppet stories and fun, watch: "Our World: Learning About Astronauts Suits" video. 
​​Download the activity materials and instructions below:
infographic_neel_sockstrong.pdf
File Size: 343 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
See the document below for a more detailed activity plan:  ​
dyh-_neel_sockstrong_lesson_plan.pdf
File Size: 1196 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
usSHOW US YOUR SPACE SUIT PUPPET -  Send us your pictures, videos, or drawings of your puppet to SciArt Exchange (submit here) and we will share your creativity with other kids around the world.

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Click here for full activity plan and for Resources for Educators, Parents and Students who want to know more...