Astronauts are reading bedtime stories to children from space

The videos are educational and inspiring

Reading to your child is an invaluable bedtime ritual but keeping them interested can prove a challenge for even the most experienced of parents.

Luckily, the Global Space Education Foundation has just the thing you need – Story Time from Space.

A wonderful combination of learning and play, the project is exactly what it sounds like – astronauts from all over the world recording videos of themselves reading popular stories while simultaneously floating around the International Space Station.

The premise was the brainchild of Patricia Tribe, the former director of education at Space Center Houston, and Alvin Drew, the first NASA astronaut to read a story in space for the program.

The duo were looking for a way to blend the disciplines of reading and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education together, before landing on the idea of having real-life astronauts reading children's books.

“What better role models to engage kids in science and to engage them in reading?” Tribe told the Huffington Post.

“You’re not only looking and listening to the books, you’re looking around the International Space Station.”

The Story Time from Space program aims to stress the importance of diversity by featuring books for a wide range of levels and using an assortment of astronauts that read in different languages including Japanese.

But, it doesn’t stop there. The team also have plans to expand the project to include a set of simple science experiments for children conducted from the space station.

“Everybody thinks space is pretty cool, so it’s a nice way to capture the audience and capture the kids so they are enjoying space,” Tribe added.

You can watch videos of the reading sessions on the Story Time from Space website and YouTube.