Mars Exploration Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this Mars exploration puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our space unit. The kids were fascinated by the Red Planet but kept mixing up words like "rover," "orbit," and "atmosphere," and they always asked whether there was really water on Mars. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using terms that would help them build a strong foundation in Mars science: Mars, rover, orbit, crater, dust, redplanet, olympus, phobos, deimos, and mission. I also included a few bonus terms from NASA resources, like atmosphere, canyon, and volcano, because the kids were especially curious about the giant volcano Olympus Mons and the massive canyon Valles Marineris—two of the most impressive features in the solar system.

The PDF is four pages. Three puzzles plus one answer key page. The word search works well for quiet time after recess, and the scramble gets them talking because they argue about the spelling of "Phobos" and "Deimos" or whether Olympus Mons is really a volcano (it is—it's the largest volcano in the solar system, about three times the height of Everest). The crossword I use for partners, and I usually have a picture of a Mars rover and a simple diagram of the planet's orbit nearby for the kids who need a visual connection to the vocabulary.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers pick one term from the puzzle and write a sentence about what they learned about Mars on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.