Pack for Space can be completed in 45 minutes and is targeted at 3rd-6th grade students (but I have used it with freshman too!). The students are told they will be responsible for determining what to “pack” for astronauts for a trip to the moon. The students must decide which items to pack and which to leave behind to make the “best” packing list. They are provided with a fixed size paper “cargo bay” made of discrete squares and paper items of various “lengths” in squares and values.

You can download the activity and activity guide here! Feel free to email me at cee0051@auburn.edu if you have questions on running the activity.