Last class for the school year--we began with the kids sharing their satellites they had designed--on paper, out of Lego, or recycling. There were so many cool designs and some very creative missions and technology! It was great to see so many unique interpretations of the challenge. After seeing everyone's projects, we moved on to the today's topic. The older class did a virtual space escape room, reviewing some of the topics we've discussed and solving puzzles along the way. It was challenging, but 3 of the 4 groups escaped the dangers of the asteroid belt and made it back to earth, and the 4th group made a good effort :) I will link to the escape room below if any of the students want to challenge their family to try. The youngest class learned about man's first steps on the moon and did a chalk pastel painting of the footstep left in the moon dust. We followed that up with a few rounds of Hangman, which was a huge hit. Not everything is more difficult on Zoom. And with that, our study of space has ended, but it doesn't mean you can't keep learning at home! Additional ActivitiesVideos:
NASA 2020: Are You Ready? What's coming next in space travel. SpaceX & NASA Attempt First Manned Space Flight in a Decade From US Soil This is current space news--May 27th should be the day! Where is the Voyager Space Probe Now? Check in with one of the probes we've talked about in class. Activities: Make Astronaut Pudding: What better way to celebrate our space unit than watching a video about the food on the ISS and then making astronaut pudding to try. Your pudding may not be able to float away, but that is probably a good thing! Looking for more space art ideas? Try these Space "Stained Glass" Suncatchers or try a Chalk Pastel Art lesson with Nana of The Man on the Moon.
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Can you find the missing numbers so that the sum of the numbers in the circles on each side of a square equal the total in the square? Once you have those three numbers, it's just a matter or putting them in order.
Today, we took a look at how we explore space--from the early telescopes that allowed a closer look at the moon and planets and stars, to space probes that have left our solar system. We got a look at life in the International Space Station (ISS) and what it takes to be an astronaut. The youngest class listened to an astronaut read them Max Goes to the Space Station from inside the ISS. Additional ActivitiesVideos:
Story Time from Space Various astronauts read picture books about space from the ISS. Astronaut Chris Hadfield Debunks Space Myths What have you heard about traveling to space? Why Do We Go To Space? A short video on what space exploration accomplishes. Astronaut Chris Hadfield Makes a Space Burrito Watch how food works in space. Activities: When will the International Space Station fly over the Bay Area? Check out this link here, where you can see all the upcoming opportunities to see the ISS above us! Or check out this live stream of what they can see from the ISS right now. Space Exploration History Learning Cards This free printable card set will help with the dates and events that have occurred in the past 70 years of space exploration. Junior Rangers in Space Learn about space exploration and earn this Jr. Ranger badge from your own home! Or check out one of these other badges you can earn at home: 10 Junior Rangers Badges to Earn at Home. Challenge your family to see who can engineer a lander that can keep two "alien" marshmallows inside a cup when dropped. Check out the idea here. Or try one of these STEM challenges as a family. Can you work as a team to complete the Space Docking Challenge? Or create a Mars colony? Today was all about galaxies, stars, and constellations We began with a chalk pastel depiction of the three main types of galaxies--elliptical, spiral, and irregular, and discussed how they are different. Then, it was time to dive into the stars that we see in these galaxies. We looked at the ways that stars are classified--by size, color, temperature, luminosity, and composition, and then with the older kids, we mapped out the life cycles of different stars. The older class filled out this note taking guide. Finally, it was time to talk about constellations. This map shows how a constellation is actually not just the stars that we imagine with lines drawn to create a picture, but actually the whole block of the sky. Astronomers have broken the entire sky into 88 constellations, so they reference anything they find by which area it falls in. And the shapes or pictures within are actually called asterisms. We talked about the greek mythology behind Ursa Major, and then did a little project to create our own constellation or asterism viewers. Additional InformationVideos:
What's Inside a Black Hole? For everyone who wanted to go a little deeper into the black holes. Intro to Stars: Color and Temperature Song You can't help but remember the order of the Morgan-Keenen spectral system after watching this! How to Find Constellations A quick guide to 4 constellations that can be seen in our skies every night. Sci Show Kids: Constellations: Connect the Dots in the Sky! Learn about a few common constellations and a brief history of constellations. Activities: There are a lot of ways you can practice making constellations--using rocks and sidewalk chalk, sewing yarn or string through cardboard or fabric, toothpicks and marshmallows, or pipe cleaners and beads. Look up a few and try them out! Junior Ranger Badge: Night Sky Explorer The National Parks have a badge you can earn at home all about star gazing and the night sky! Spring Constellations These are some of the constellations that are in the north American sky right now. Quizlet: Star Systems and Galaxies Check out these flash cards to learn some vocabulary about stars and then take the quiz to see what you've learned. |
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May 2020
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