Schoolchildren have made contact with outer space during a live question-and-answer link up with British astronaut Tim Peake.

Around 300,000 children in the UK saw their usual lessons turned into a "cosmic classroom" as Major Peake played space ping pong whilst travelling at 17,000mph on board the International Space Station (ISS).

Major Peake was quizzed by students back on planet earth during a 20-minute video call home, streamed to three cameras at the World Museum in Liverpool.

The event saw 300 students from schools across the country come together to speak directly with Major Peake as their counterparts watched from classrooms across the world.

The 43-year-old from Chichester, West Sussex - the first British astronaut to carry out a spacewalk - is more than a month into a six-month mission on board the ISS, carrying out experiments and research.

In a busy first month aboard the ISS, he became the first Briton to complete an Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) or spacewalk, and also backed a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and UK Space Agency project, Rocket Science.

More than 10,000 teachers signed up for their class to participate in the Cosmic Classroom showing the pupils how exciting science could be in learning about gravity and free floating.

Before making contact, the visitors were told: "This is space, sometimes things can get a little tricky."

During the call, which was possible thanks to a signal being sent down to America and beamed across to Liverpool, Major Peake demonstrated a number of science experiments for pupils to copy from their classrooms.

In a zero gravity game of "Follow the Leader", he was asked to crouch down, spin around, touch his toes and drink water.

The pupils watched as he let go of his "floating" microphone before spinning around and around in space.

The event was hosted by Doctor Kevin Fong, who worked for NASA for 10 years, who was to tell pupils "it could be you up there, you just need to work hard".

More than 7,000 school children uploaded videos of questions and although there was not enough time to ask them all, a lucky handful did get the chance.

Five-year-old budding astronaut Harry, from Ursula Taylor School in Clapham, Bedford, blasted off the questions via video link asking Major Peake, "what can you see out of your windows?"

Major Peake floated to the window to tell the schoolboy he was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and was approaching the coast of Africa.

He described it as "beautiful" to look at from space.

Six-year-old Chloe, from Golden Flatts School in Hartlepool, County Durham, appeared over the moon as she asked, "why doesn't space have any gravity?"

He told her that it was a "great question" despite it being "tricky" to answer.

He added that in space there was almost as much gravity as on earth - but that they "trick planet earth by travelling so fast".

Jeremy Curtis, from the UK Space Agency, said that he had been impressed with the "insightful" questions put to Major Peake adding that the experience would enable children to believe that they, "could do anything":

He added: "Tim has always said that he wants to share his experience in space with as many people as he can."

Paul Kahn, from the World Museum, said he was "delighted" to be welcoming children from up and down the country, with schools from Cumbria, Cheshire, Tunbridge Wells, the Isle of Wight and Sheffield to name but a few.

He said: "We are absolutely delighted to be hosting this event, it's such an accolade and privilege.

"We are delighted to welcome people from all over the country and very excited to be making the call."

During the call, Major Peake wowed the students as he performed space experiments using a bubble of water and a fizzing tablet.

As the bubble fizzed and got bigger, the children fell about in fits of laughing as he began to play space ping pong with it.

He told the children: "We are so privileged, we get to work up here all day, it's like playing in a playground of weightlessness."

Ending the call, Major Peake said: "I have had an absolutely fantastic time talking to you this afternoon, thank-you so much for joining in.

"Continue to have fun. Enjoy your studying and I hope you enjoy learning about space and remember to just do what you really enjoy doing."

Erin Ireland, eight, from Southborough Primary School in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, who had asked if food in space tasted strong, said it had been a day she will not forget.

She added: "I really wanted to speak to a real life astronaut because not many people get to."

But she said she would not like to go into space herself because she is "afraid of heights".

Her class teacher Jonathan Kersey added: "As a teacher that was one of the most overwhelming and amazing things I have done in my 27 years of teaching. It was a great privilege to be involved."

Blaenymaes Primary School in Swansea was another school which made the trip to the North West.

After tweeting Major Peake on route saying: "We are off @astro_timpeake @World_Museum @esaoperations," the 26 pupils were lucky enough to receive a message back.

Major Peake told them: "Have a good trip, speak to you soon for #CosmicClassroom."

Year 4 and 5 teacher Amy Smith said the youngsters had been very excited to speak to the astronaut having studied space as one of their topics.

She said: "We watched Tim Peake on TV doing his spacewalk and the children were very interested in it.

"One little boy was so excited he was very tearful and another little boy asked 'are we going to space miss?'

"I think the fact that Tim Peake is a British astronaut has really captured the children's imagination. You only usually hear about astronauts being American.

"There's a lot of budding astronauts now in my class. This event will be a day they will remember for the rest of their lives."

Footage of the event will be available at tes.com/cosmicclassroom.