The Andy Thomas Space Foundation (ATSF) and Makers Empire invite Australian primary schools to express their interest for the Kids in Space program for 2027.
Kids in Space is a sponsored space education program that offers both educators and learners real-world learning opportunities and exciting access to Australia’s growing space industry.
Designed to encourage younger students to engage with design challenges relating to the space industry, the program introduces learners to space technology and sparks curiosity about career opportunities within the field.
Kids in Space focuses on design thinking to teach STEM skills, using Makers Empire’s 3D design software to facilitate learning and design prototypes.
As part of the program, students are asked to:
3D printing is also utilised (with 3D printers provided to participating schools for free) to enable students to print and display their prototypes at a student showcase.
The Andy Thomas Space Foundation’s Kids in Space program is delivered by Makers Empire and supported by the Australian Space Agency.
Since its creation, it has impacted thousands of students, hundreds of teachers and schools across Australia, offering real-world learning opportunities.
In 2024 Kids in Space participants comprised of government, independent and Catholic schools in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas. 49% of schools were located in regional, rural and remote areas and 44% of schools were schools with a value below 1000 on the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA).
The Kids in Space program aims to engage students from all backgrounds.
Schools that participate will be awarded a 3D Design package valued at $7,499.*
Contents include:
At the showcase days held in each state or territory, a team from one of the schools will be selected as the state or territory winner. This winning team (limited to 1-2 teachers + 4-6 students) will be flown to Adelaide, SA, for the national showcase at the Australian Space Discovery Centre.
Want to be part of this incredible space-themed program? Fill out the form below to express your interest in participating.
Please note that filling out this form does not gaurantee that you will be selected. At this stage we are taking expressions of interest to help inform us of which states to run the program in.
We can accommodate 2-5 teachers per school (2 is a guideline) for the professional development days. We can accommodate unlimited classes and students in a school to do the Kids in Space program. We can accommodate 4-6 students per class and an accompanying teacher for the showcase days.
The Kids in Space program has been designed for grades 3-6 students. If you would like to do Kids in Space with other grade levels please email us at info@makersempire.com with the subject ‘Kids in Space grade inquiry’ and we will see what we can do.
Yes, absolutely! If your school is chosen for Kids in Space, you will receive all of the benefits on top of your existing Makers Empire subscription: your Makers Empire subscription will simply be extended for another year.
Sure! We have had many smaller, regional and area schools participate in our programs before. We encourage all interested schools to apply.
Yes, selected schools are required to participate in all activities. We receive hundreds of expressions of interest from schools each year. So we want schools that can complete the full program of activities.
Yes, definitely. Not being selected for a previous program is no reflection on your school. There are many factors that we consider when choosing schools, not least of which is available funding for your state/territory. This program is always extremely competitive, too, so please do apply!
Yes, definitely. We are looking at doing an alumni program for schools that have previously participated in Kids in Space.
Makers Empire partners with education departments, government, corporate sponsors, trusts and foundations to deliver schools industry programs to groups of schools. Check out our programs open for expressions of interest.
