Thanks for joining us at the National Association for Interpretation 2019 National Conference in Denver, Colorado! We hope that the activities and information that we shared will add hands-on astronomy engagement to your programming. Below are the resources and links from our session. As always, feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions!
Sarah Eyermann
Sara Mitchell
Connecting with the Cosmos - Day or Night!
Abstract: There's no place like the Milky Way! Hands-on activities about galaxies help connect visitors to their place in space. Depart with NASA resources for use in a variety of settings.
- All of the activities from this session are from a new pair of Afterschool Universe sessions about galaxies and our place in space. Please contact Sarah Eyermann for resources from this session before it is formally released on our website.
- Presentation Slides
Afterschool Universe: Astronomy for All
Abstract: Join us for fascinating hands-on astronomy activities that work in nearly any setting! You will also learn how to access free NASA resources for running these activities and more.
- The universe trail mix activity can be found in Session 8 of Afterschool Universe
- The spectroscope activity can be found in Session 5 of Afterschool Universe. There is a step-by-step video for building these available on YouTube.
- We recommend using paper towel tubes to build these spectroscopes, but you can also print the template we used during the session. You'll want to print on heavy cardstock, and build a sample in advance to make sure that the color and thickness of paper works well.
- The only specialized material for the spectroscope activity is single axis diffraction grating (not double axis or holographic) with 500 lines/mm. You should be able to find a number of sources for sheets or rolls of this material through a Google search.
- Presentation Slides
In our sessions, we highlighted activities from our freely-available informal education activity guides.
NASA Family Science Night
The NASA Family Science Night curriculum is a set of 2-hour sessions intended for middle- school-aged children and their families to explore the importance of science and technology in our daily lives by engaging as a family in activities that change their perception and understanding of science. We are currently working on a public website to share the resources for this program, but in the meantime please contact Sara Mitchell.
Afterschool Universe
Afterschool Universe is a curriculum for a hands-on astronomy program targeted at middle school children in out-of-school-time settings. It explores basic astronomy concepts through engaging hands-on activities, and focuses on what's in the universe and how we study it. The Resources section of the website includes various resources for facilitating the Afterschool Universe program with children, including a full PDF of the manual, printable copies of all the handouts, and additional background information.
There are also a total of 12 activity videos online. All of them are linked through the resources section of the website, but they can also be viewed directly from our YouTube channel.
For more NASA education resources, we recommend the following websites:
- Imagine the Universe!
The Imagine the Universe website explores distant galaxies, massive black holes, brilliant gamma-ray bursts, and the origin of the universe itself for interested astronomers ages 14 and up. The site also shares information about how scientists know what we know, what mysteries remain, and how we might one day find the answers to these questions. The Imagine the Universe Educators' Corner features lesson plans, posters, and educator guides aimed at middle and high school audiences. These standards-aligned materials highlight a variety of topics in astronomy from supernovae, the origin of the elements, galaxies, and black holes. - NASA Goddard's Astrophysics Science Division Education and Outreach Resources
On this page, we've collected a variety of astrophysics educational resources created by the Astrophysics Science Division's education team and its partners. - NASA Space Science Education Consortium (NSSEC)
The NASA Space Science Education Consortium (NSSEC) capitalizes on NASA's rich history of sharing research and technology through compelling and innovative education projects. The NSSEC links exciting science and missions directly to the American public, bringing an menu of products, programs, and tools to space science education. - NSSEC STEM Innovation Lab
The STEM Innovation Lab is a hybrid makerspace where we invite scientists, engineers, and educators to explore and develop new ideas related to the infusion of educational technology into STEM. - NASA Wavelength
NASA Wavelength is your pathway into a digital collection of Earth and space science resources for educators of all levels - from elementary to college, to out-of-school programs. These resources, developed through funding of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD), have undergone a peer-review process through which educators and scientists ensure the content is accurate and useful in an educational setting.