Skip to main content
FamilyEducation
FamilyEducation
Family Education

FE-Menu

  • Pregnancy
    • <blank>
      • Pregnancy Tracker
      • Trying to Conceive
      • Signs & Symptoms
      • Pregnancy Health
    • <blank>
      • Baby Names
      • High Risk Pregnancies
      • Preparing for Baby
    • <blank>
      • Concerns & Complications
      • Labor & Delivery
      • Postpartum
  • Baby Names
    • <blank>
      • Browse All Baby Names (A-Z)
      • Top Names for Boys
      • Top Names for Girls
      • Baby Name Generator
    • <blank>
      • Baby Name Lists & Ideas
      • First Names By Origin
      • Browse All Last Names (A-Z)
      • Last Names by Origin
  • Babies
    • <blank>
      • Caring For Your Baby
      • Baby's Health
      • Feeding Your Baby
    • <blank>
      • Your Baby and Sleep
      • Baby's Growth & Development
      • Baby Hygiene
    • <blank>
      • Baby Safety
      • Baby Products
    • <blank>
  • Toddlers
    • <blank>
      • Toddler Growth and Development
    • <blank>
      • Toddler Behavior and Discipline
    • <blank>
      • Your Toddler and Sleep
  • Kids
    • <blank>
      • Health
      • Childhood Development
      • Fitness & Nutrition
      • Childhood Safety
    • <blank>
      • Communicating with Your Kids
      • Childhood Behavior and Discipline
      • Fostering Responsibility
      • Instilling Values & Manners
    • <blank>
      • Childcare
      • Neurodiversity in Kids
      • Adopting Children
  • Teens
    • <blank>
      • Teen Health
      • Teen Puberty & Sex
    • <blank>
      • Behavior & Discipline
      • Teen Social Development
    • <blank>
      • Values & Responsibilities
  • Activities
    • <blank>
      • Printables
      • Indoor Activities
      • Learning Activities
      • Arts and Crafts
      • Performing Arts
      • Food Activities
      • Outdoor Activities
    • <blank>
      • Books
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Online
      • Quizzes
      • Games
      • Celebrities
    • <blank>
      • Parties
      • Travel
      • Toys
      • Holidays
      • Gifts
  • Learning
    • <blank>
      • By Grade
      • By Subject
      • College
      • Preschool
    • <blank>
      • Back to School
      • Study Skills
      • Learning Styles
    • <blank>
      • Homeschooling
      • Parental Involvement
      • Your Child's School
  • Family Life
    • <blank>
      • Mom Life
      • Dad Life
      • Family Relationships
      • Having a Healthy Marriage
      • Divorce
    • <blank>
      • Health & Fitness
      • COVID Resources
      • Managing Your Home
      • Moving Your Family
      • Pets
    • <blank>
      • Family Finances
      • Work
      • Families and Food
  • NewslettersNewsletters
    Newsletters

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. School and Learning
  3. By Subject
  4. Science
  5. Build A Mars Colony

Build A Mars Colony

Are your children ready for an out of this world adventure? It's time to colonize Mars!
familyeducation logo
FamilyEducation Staff
Updated: December 1, 2022
  • facebook share icon
  • pin
  • twitter share icon
  • email share icon
  • Print page icon

Build A Mars Colony

Your children are in charge of planning for a Mars Colony. Their mission?To insure the colony's success by bringing along enough supplies andtools to create a self-sufficient outpost of human civilization. The missioncan be a group or classroom effort, or a family activity. This activity has the makings of a world-class science project.

As a kid, I used to spend countless hours sketching plans for my ownMars Colony. Part of the attraction was healthy escapism -- I was in chargeand my folks were on another world. Literally.  But the part of theongoing daydream I found most intriguing was the problem of creating aviable and independent world. I remember showing my plans to a scienceteacher, who looked them over and offered encouraging praise before askinga simple deadly question: "Doesn't anyone in this place ever go to thebathroom?"

I gasped! My complex plan with hundreds of rooms had everything -- excepta single bathroom. Oh, well -- back to the drawing board.

Staying Alive
Think of traveling to Mars as going camping with the nearest store severalmillion miles away. If you didn't bring it, and can't make it, you'll haveto do without. To prosper, your Mars Colony will need to "solve" the problemslisted below (more or less in order of importance).

  1. Air Supply -- If you run out, you're in big trouble.
  2. Water Supply -- Where is the next drink of water going to come from?
  3. Food Production -- Will you grow your own, or live on freeze-dried Big Macs?
  4. Waste Management -- Recycling is key and nothing can be wasted.
  5. Heating and Cooling -- How does the colony keep from freezing to death?
  6. Energy -- Will you rely on solar, atomic, or wind energy, or on something else?
  7. Living Quarters -- Above ground or below the surface?
  8. Factories -- How do you make the thing you need?
  9. Transportation -- How are you going to get around on Mars? Walk, fly, ordrive?
  10. Communication -- How will you stay in touch with the folks at home?
  11. Laws and Government -- Who's in charge?
  12. Recreation Areas -- All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Build It on Paper
Kids are capable of creating complex and thoughtful designs with littlemore than a pen, pencil, graph paper, and imagination. It's not absolutelynecessary to understand every detail of a system's operation to incorporateit into your colony's plan. A waste recycling center could be as simpleas a box labeled "Waste Conversion," or it could contain detailed plansfor filtration beds, atmospheric CO2 scrubbers, and the works.A side benefit of this process is that kids begin to learn the basics ofblueprint and map reading.

Your child may draw on many sheets of paper before he arrives at a designhe's happy with. A pair of scissors and a little glue could save a lotof time. My Mars Colony had so many cut and pasted buildings it lookedlike a ransom note.

Build It in 3-D
A rough scale model of the colony can be built using found objects rangingfrom blocks, cardboard, and Lego pieces, to recycled plastic soda bottles andplastic cake and pie covers for domes. As in any project involvingimagination and discovery, the sky is literally the limit.

Welcome to Mars!

Was this article helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.
familyeducation logo
About the author
FamilyEducation Staff

This writer is a part of the FamilyEducation editorial team. Our team is comprised of parents, experts, and content professionals dedicated to bringing you the most accurate and relevant information in the parenting space.

View more articles from this author

What's hot

  • MoneyinHands School and LearningTop 10 Graduation Gifts
  • 8 Printable Thank-You Cards for Teacher Appreciation Week School and Learning8 Printable Thank-You Cards…
  • "Thanks, Teacher!" Card Kids Can Color School and Learning"Thanks, Teacher!"…
  • Group of students studying in library School and LearningTop 10 Skills for High-School…
NewslettersNewsletters
Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.
Family Education
FamilyEducation does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Information on our advertising guidelines can be found here.

FE Footer

  • Newsletter Center
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Policy
  • Editorial Team
  • Expert Panel
  • Medical Review Policy
  • Fact-Checking Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Site Map
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info (for CA Residents)
sandbox learning logo
Family Education is part of the Sandbox Learning family of educational reference sites for parents, teachers, and students. 

factmonster logoinfoplease logoTeacherVision logo

sandbbox logo
©2022 Sandbox Networks Inc. All rights reserved. Sandbox Learning is part of Sandbox & Co., a digital learning company.