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The Moon Landing: Blast Off with Apollo 11 and Columbus

The Moon Landing: Blast Off with Apollo 11 and Columbus

Learn about the Moon landing in 1969 and the Apollo 11 crew, then sail with Columbus in 1492 and build a timeline of explorers.

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What you'll learn

  • The Moon landing happened in 1969 on the Apollo 11 mission
  • Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the Moon
  • What Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins each did on Apollo 11
  • Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 in wooden sailing ships
  • Putting 1492, 1969 and today in order on a timeline
  • How travel, food, clothes and news changed between 1492 and 1969

Chapter by chapter

  1. The Moon landing in 1969: the Apollo 11 journey from launch to splashdown Free to try

    Years 1–2 history · 1

  2. Significant people: the Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins

    Years 1–2 history · 1

  3. Significant people: Christopher Columbus and his voyage across the ocean in 1492

    Years 1–2 history · 1

  4. Chronology: putting Columbus, the Moon landing and today on a timeline

    Years 1–2 history · 2

  5. Similarities and differences: comparing life for Columbus (1492) and Neil Armstrong (1969)

    Years 1–2 history · 2 Years 1–2 history · 1

  6. Explorer Challenge: the Moon landing, the astronauts and Columbus (10 questions)

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Years 1–2 history: The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements, some should be used to compare aspects of life in different periods
  2. Years 1–2 history: Know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods

About this adventure

Moon Landing Explorers is an interactive history game that teaches children aged 5–7 about the Moon landing in 1969, the Apollo 11 astronauts and how space travel compares with Christopher Columbus's voyage in 1492. It follows the KS1 History curriculum and is pitched at Year 1.

Players count down and launch the Saturn V rocket, fly for four days, steer the Eagle lander to a safe, flat spot and help Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin make footprints on the Moon while Michael Collins circles above in Columbia. Then they load Columbus's wooden ship, blow wind into its sails and find the way with a compass and the stars.

A friendly robot guide reads every line aloud. Children place both journeys on a timeline using before, after, long ago and now, and spot what was the same and what was different about life in 1492 and 1969.

Questions and answers

When did people first land on the Moon?

People first landed on the Moon on 20 July 1969, during NASA's Apollo 11 mission. The Eagle lander touched down on a flat, dusty plain called the Sea of Tranquility, and Neil Armstrong stepped out a few hours later.

Who were the Apollo 11 astronauts and what did each one do?

The Apollo 11 astronauts were Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Armstrong was the commander and the first person to walk on the Moon, Aldrin joined him about 20 minutes later, and Collins flew the Columbia spacecraft around the Moon.

How was Christopher Columbus's journey different from Neil Armstrong's?

Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 in wooden ships pushed by the wind, finding his way with a compass and the stars. Armstrong flew to the Moon in 1969 on a rocket with computers and radios, and people watched his Moon walk live on TV.

What age is this Moon landing game for?

This game is made for children aged 5 to 7, especially Year 1, where the Moon landing and explorers are usually taught in KS1 History. Every line is read aloud, so children do not need to read on their own to play.

What is in the Moon Landing Explorers game and how long does it take?

The game has five chapters, an optional past-and-present warm-up and a 10-question Explorer Challenge, and takes about 40 minutes to play in full. Children can pick any chapter from the time map and stop between chapters.

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