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Have a space-themed movie night

Learn about the moon landings with a watch party, with some space themed snacks.

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You’ll need

  • Device with access to the internet
  • Snacks and drinks (optional)

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There’s also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.  
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help. 

Planning and setting up this activity

  • You may want to find someone in the community who remembers watching the 1969 moon landings and could share their memories of them.
  • You could decorate the meeting place with space-themed decorations.
  • You may wish to see if a local cinema would put on the film for you to watch.
  • If you haven’t seen a film or are unfamiliar with it, you may want to watch it before the session to check the content is suitable for your group.

Running this activity

  1. Gather everyone together and ask if anyone knows anything about the 1969 moon landings.
  2. You could explain some information from BBC Bitesize about the 1969 Apollo 11 mission and why it was so important
  3. If you have a guest, they may be able to share their own memories of the space race and Apollo 11 moon landings.
  4. When everyone’s ready, you could watch the moon landings, a film or documentary. Some ideas include:
    • First Man (2018) Rating: 12
    • Apollo 11 (2019) Rating: U)
    • In the Shadow of the Moon (2007) Rating: PG
    • For All Mankind (1989) Rating: U
    • When We Left Earth (2008) Rating: None – TV series
    • Chasing the Moon (2019) Rating: None – TV series
    • Hidden Figures (2016) Rating: PG
    • Mercury 13 (2018) Rating:  PG
  1. You may wish to provide some snacks while you watch. Always check for allergies or dietary requirements and adjust what you’re using as needed. Some space-themed snack ideas include:
    • Chocolate and sweets, such as Starburst, Milky Way, Mars, flying saucers and Galaxy
    • Rocket shaped ice lollies
    • Crisps, such as Space Raiders
    • Popcorn (it looks like asteroids!)
    • Galaxy popcorn, which is popcorn dipped in cooking chocolate with added star shaped or galaxy sprinkles and mini marshmallows
    • Fruity rockets on skewers
    • Cheese snacks (for the moon being made of cheese!)
  1. At the end, you may wish to discuss what you watched, what people thought and ask any final questions to any guests (as well as thank them for coming to visit!)

Reflection

This activity was a great way to learn about the moon landings. What can you remember about the Apollo 11 Mission? Did anything surprise you? What do you think may happen next for people travelling into space or space missions? Do you think we’ll ever go back to the moon? 11 out of 12 of the astronauts who walked on the moon were Scouts, including Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin from the 1969 Apollo 11 mission. What do you think you’d like to explore if you could go into space? What would you like to learn about? The moon landings were a momentous event in history. What moments from your lifetime do you think people will learn about in the future?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Food

Remember to check for allergies, eating problems, fasting or dietary requirements and adjust the recipe as needed. Make sure you’ve suitable areas for storing and preparing food and avoid cross contamination of different foods. Take a look at our guidance on food safety and hygiene.

  • Check for allergies or dietary needs and adjust ingredients if needed. Use separate tools, such as chopping boards, toasters, and tongs, to avoid cross-contamination. Check with parents or carers, and keep any packaging for them to check.
  • Some people may find eating difficult for different reasons, such as sensory sensitivities, eating disorders, food preferences, or fasting. The National Autistic Society has helpful guidance on some common food issues. It’s OK if someone doesn’t like or want to try certain foods—offer alternatives but never force them.
  • Some people may be sensitive to flashing lights, such as the turning of torches on and off, flashing lights in live shows and films, rides, disco lights or camera flashings. You may want to pre-check the film, look for any flashing light warnings and attend special showings as needed.
  • You may need to use subtitles or BSL-signed versions of films and videos, if available, to make sure everyone can access them. When attending a cinema or event to watch a film, remember to confirm and check any accessibility requirements. If a video isn’t necessary, consider running the activity in another way, such as reading out a story.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Explorers Space Activity badge

If you enjoyed this activity, try some of our other space activities.

Young people could choose or vote on the film, help decorate the venue, share facts about space or bring snacks to share.