Dreaming of becoming an astronaut is familiar to most of us... and it's fun to watch the same dream enthusiastically embraced by our children. If your child has a deep love for planets and galaxies far far away, there are ways to foster their dream with imaginative play and astronaut dress up. Here’s how astronaut dress up can help your child reach for the moon.
Fostering Space Exploration Early On
For many children, dreams of what they want to be when they grow up start with exploration through dress up. Teetot’s astronaut costume resembles the real space suits that NASA astronauts wear during launches and landings. The bright orange material helps them be seen clearly by rescue crews if they need to make an emergency landing. By wearing a costume that your child will recognize as the ones their real life heroes wear, they will feel even more empowered to pursue their dream.
Play inevitably leads to more curiosity, and focused learning. You and your child will love reading age appropriate books as they grow up, from picture books about space to the memoirs of retired and current astronauts. This will help them get a first person perspective on what it’s like to be a real astronaut. Your child’s love for space can also be fostered through hands-on learning experiences. Explore NASA’s many visitors centers and museums and through online resources, such as NASA’s Space Place and Kids’ Club.
NASA’s Requirements for Astronaut Applicants
Dreams can continue pst childhood and into the teen years. Once your child is finally in high school, they will be able to practically start moving toward their goal. Your child will want to focus their studies on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) study courses in high school in order to prepare for a college career closely aligned with NASA’s degree requirements, which includes obtaining a master’s degree in one of these fields.
Physical conditioning is also important to NASA’s selection process, as space’s anti-gravity conditions are taxing on the human body. Candidates must pass a grueling astronaut physical. If your child gets involved in sports during their formative years, this can help them be a more prepared candidate.
The NASA astronaut candidate program also has physical requirements, which includes being between the height of 62 and 75 inches and having 20/20 vision in both eyes, among many other requirements. Skills or interests to consider fostering that your child will eventually need are scuba training, Russian language comprehension, and pilot training. These skills will help your child in their journey to one day make it to space.
Start the Dream Today
With Teetot’s Astronaut Costume, your little ‘space sailor’ can pretend to explore distant worlds and planets while they chase after their dream of one day making it into the prestigious NASA Astronaut Corps. For more information about our costumes, contact us today.