|
Website renovations:
Donations and encouragement keep this site going. Thank you for your kind words and generosity. ~Jodi Robertson This page last modified on 11 October 2007
|
Astronomy on a ShoestringMay 6, 2006 - Astronomy Day . International Astronomy Week is May 1 - 7, 2006. On Astronomy Day, thousands of people who have never looked through a telescope will have an opportunity to see first hand what has so many amateur and professional astronomers all excited. Astronomy clubs, science museums, observatories, universities, planetariums, laboratories, libraries, and nature centers host special events and activities to acquaint their population with local astronomical resources and facilities. Find out the upcoming events. Odyssey On-Line has lots of great astronomy features including: Stargazing with Jack Horkheimer scripts. March 29, 2006 - Sun-Earth Day THEME: Eclipse: In a Different Light. How eclipses have inspired people to observe and understand the Sun-Earth-Moon system. Join in an extraordinary journey of exploration, discovery and understanding as they prepare for a total solar eclipse on March 29, 2006. Astronomy Magazine Feature articles, news and kids' section. Earth and Moon Viewer See a map of the Earth showing the day and night regions at this moment, or view the Earth from the Sun, the Moon, the night side of the Earth, above any location on the planet specified by latitude, longitude and altitude, from a satellite in Earth orbit, or above various cities around the globe. Earth Observing System has educational publications as well as their EOS Science Poster Series. EOS will enable an improved understanding of the Earth as an integrated system. Lithographs, fact sheets and posters. Jack Horkheimer: Stargazer PBS's weekly television series on naked eye astronomy. Each weekly episode features selected objects for viewing for the following week. HubbleSite News Center All Hubble pictures and news, from the latest discoveries to the earliest images. Lakota Star Knowledge introduces Hills of Home in Night Sky. Star and Black Hills maps; table of constellation names, Western star names too for using current astronomy materials. Mars Exploration Rover Mission is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet. Mars is 170 million kilometers (106 million miles) away from Earth today, a distance that takes nearly 10 minutes for radio signals to cross at the speed of light. Mission to Mars has images, at-home experiments for kids and lesson plans to compliment details of mission goals and payload. Nine Planets is an overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets and moons in our solar system. Project Gallileo - September 21, 2003, the Galileo Space Probe, which had been orbiting Jupiter for nearly eight years, plummeted fatefully into the crushing pressures and searing heat of that planet's interior. In a mission spanning three decades, the Galileo space probe has answered many of humanity's questions about space and presented us with the knowledge to ask many more. Challenger Center for Space Science Education Imaginative activities to get your children excited about astronomy. Designed by the Challenger Center, they're free to download and use for educational purposes. Build and explore a 1:10 billion scale model of our solar system, create a space exploration timeline and more. Files are in PDF format. SpaceWander Roundtrip First Class. Cool video takes you to space from liftoff on! Star Child is a learning center for young astronomers with novice level 1 and intermediate level 2. Professor emeritus of Astronomy, Harvard University, Charles A. Whitney brings backyard projects, illustrated astronomy definitions and more at Whitney's Star Finder for the amateur astronomer, the student, and the casual observer of the sky.
ActivitiesLots of ideas and activities for learning about astronomy with paper plates! Connect the Dots: Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a reusable rocket that carries people and satellites into space. The Shuttle is launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Tour through Stanford Solar Center to find exciting activities such as make your own sundial, understanding solar music, build a spectroscope and more to let you research our special star - the Sun. AsteroidsAsteroids are made up of rock and iron like the four planets closest to our Sun. Juno, the third asteroid ever discovered, September 1, 1804, was first spotted by astronomers early in the 19th century. It orbits the Sun with thousands of other bits of space rock in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. One of the largest asteroids, at a size of 150 miles across, Juno essentially is a leftover building block of the solar system. Learn more about asteroids. AstronautLearn what it takes to be an Astronaut. Find images, biographies, and interesting information describing the intriguing explorations of space travelers. What do astronauts eat in space? Can they grow food? Try Astronaut Ice Cream. It's freeze-dried, ready to eat, neopolitan ice cream. We picked ours up last time we went to Cranbrook Science Center. The back of the package says it's similar to what the U.S. astronauts on past space missions dating back to the Apollo program enjoyed. We also tried the freeze-dried cheese pizza. One of my favorites as a kid which will be coming back soon is the Space Food Sticks. You can also make an astronaut costume with milk jugs, duct tape and other household items. Born July 18, 1921, John Glenn, Jr was the First U.S. Astronaut to orbit the Earth on February 20, 1962. Read about Glenn's return to space at the age of 77 on October 29, 1998. Learn more about John Glenn through a brief biography and chronology. The NASA Glenn Research Center defines and develops propulsion, electrical power, and communications technologies for NASA's aeronautics and space missions. July 20, 1969 - Armstrong & Aldrin step on the moon
May 26, 1951 - Sally Ride's Birthday. In 1983, Dr. Sally Ride became the first American woman in space June 18, 1983 on the shuttle Challenger (STS-7). Her next flight was an eight-day mission in 1984, again on Challenger (STS 41-G). Her cumulative hours of space flight are more than 343. Her most recent enterprise is Imaginary Lines, an organization founded to provide support for all the girls who are, or might become, interested in science, math and technology. May 5, 1961 - First American in Space Alan B. Shepard, Jr.. Shepard demonstrated that individuals can control a vehicle during weightlessness and high G stresses, and significant scientific biomedical data were acquired. He reached a speed of 5,100 miles per hour and his flight lasted 14.8 minutes. The Houston Chronicle has more about Shepard, the first American in space. AstronomersFebruary 19, 1473 - Astronomer Nicholas Copernicus' Birthday The Earth-centered Universe of Aristotle and Ptolemy held sway on Western thinking for almost 2000 years. Then, in the 16th century a new idea was proposed by the Polish astronomer Nicolai Copernicus (1473-1543). Written by Copernicus and printed in 1543, De Revolutionibus established, for the first time in history, the correct position of the sun among the planets. The book's findings not only formed the base for astronomers of the future, it inaugurated the great era of theoretical formulation. It is rightfully considered by some to have caused the greatest revolution in science and thought in the last two thousand years. The Polish American Journal has an article telling of his work, monuments named for him, and the man himself. Book Suggestions
Calendar of EventsDays of Air & Space Calendar searches by month or date. The Solar System Ambassador Program lists an event calendar. Check for events near you! For details about a specific event, contact the Ambassador directly. The Space Calendar covers space-related activities and anniversaries for the coming year. Included are over 1,200 links to related home pages. Computer Software Suggestions
CraftsBuild a Solar System Make a scale model of the Solar System. Fill in the diameter of the Sun you want your model to be scaled by and then the distances and sizes of the planets will automatically fill in. This requires a JavaScript capable browser. Build a styrofoam Solar System Make a scale model of the Solar System using styrofoam balls. This solar system set uses preset measurements. Make a paper model of the first lunar landing. The Space Place has Star Finder printables for each month, a balloon-powered Nanorover and more crafts to do. EclipseWhat is an eclipse of the Moon? What causes eclipses and why? How often do eclipses happen and when is the next eclipse of the Moon? You'll learn the answers to these questions and more in Lunar Eclipses for Beginners. For upcoming eclipses and planetary transits, see the Eclipse Home Page. Lunar eclipse information from Jack Horkheimer's website, JackStargazer. Do you need eye protection to see a lunar eclipse? No. Eye protection is needed for solar eclipses. ExperimentsGalileo was probably the first to look closely at the way objects fell down to Earth. He demonstrated, contrary to some ancient claims, that heavy and light objects fell at the same rate. Do your own experiment with gravity similar to that of Galileo's using fishing line and lead weights. FreeSign up for exciting distance-learning programs for grades 5-8. Riverdeep joins with NASA. NASA CONNECT is an annual series of FREE integrated mathematics, science, and technology instructional distance-learning programs for students in grades 5-8. Each program consists of three components: (1) a 30-minute video; (2) an interactive Web activity, which provides educators an opportunity to integrate technology into the classroom setting; and (3) a lesson guide including a hands-on activity. GamesThe Chandra X-ray Observatory has been NASA's flagship mission for X-ray astronomy. They have a few printable games including mazes, crosswords and a 24-page coloring and activity book with general information on X-ray astronomy, Chandra and the STS-93 mission. It also includes black holes, supernovas, galaxy clusters. Lesson PlansFree Monthly Astronomy Lessons. The lessons change monthly so check back. They also have a syllabus for the year you can see. Magic Schoolbus activity guides: Lands on Mars Guide and Explore the Solar System Guide. K-12 NASA’s Space Science Education Resource Directory is a one-stop-shopping site for free on-line educational products from NASA space science missions. Just select your grade level and area of interest and press search. K-12 The Center for Educational Resources (CERES) is a NASA-sponsored on-line library of science education materials for teaching astronomy. 9-12 The ESA/ESO Astronomy Exercise Series is a series of astronomical exercises for use in high school. Movie Suggestions
MusicHave you ever wondered what the Sun would sound like if you could hear it? Hear the Sun Sing. NewsHeadlines for 2006. View this year's headlining science news from NASA. PicturesPlanetsNew satellites of Jupiter were discovered April 5, 2003. The Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii describes the discovery, bringing the total of known Jupiter satellites to 60. Jupiter Irregular Satellite and Moon page lists the current count of satellites at all planets in our solar system. March 13, 1781 - Uranus Discovered. Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and is the third largest in the solar system. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1781. It has an equatorial diameter of 51,800 kilometers (32,190 miles) and orbits the Sun once every 84.01 Earth years. It has a mean distance from the Sun of 2.87 billion kilometers (1.78 billion miles). The length of a day on Uranus is 17 hours 14 minutes. Uranus has at least 22 moons. The two largest moons, Titania and Oberon, were discovered by William Herschel in 1787. February 18, 1930 - Planet Pluto Discovered. Nine Planets has facts about our ninth planet. Planet Advocate, Dr. Marc Buie at NASA has information about this planet. March 7, 1996, Hubble Space Telescope reveals surface of Pluto for the first time. The Pluto Home Page from Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences Department of the University of Colorado, Boulder is really nice. PoemsSpace Poems and songs. RecipesMake an Io Pizza with an English muffin and other ingredients. Space Pudding from KinderArt Littles. SongsScience @ Nasa Every story is available as an MP3 File! New story everyday, occasionally two! Singing Science Records Lots of materials get kids learning science through songs. Science Songs Use Caution some songs not appropriate for all students. Songs and Fingerplays Scroll near the bottom for these. Please note: Sponsor links come from the Google search engine. They do not reflect the views or opinions of this website. 
Homeschooling on a Shoestring
|
Useful ResourcesAdd Site to Favorites! Shop from chosen items Amazon Homeschooling Store  Blog Blogged: Astronomy Page SectionsActivitiesAsteroids Astronauts Astronomers Book Suggestions Calendar of Events Computer Software Suggestions Crafts Eclipses Experiments Free Games Lesson Plans Movie Suggestions Music News Pictures Planets Poems Recipes Songs  Download Space titles from CurrClick (aka Homeschool eStore) Homeschooling by SubjectArtAstronomy Aviation Bible Studies Birds Charlotte Mason Christian Homeschoolers Classical Education Crafts Deschooling English & Language Arts Foreign Language Geography Geosafari & Cards Halloween History Japan Lapbooks Lewis & Clark Unit MP3 Learning Tools Math Michigan Social Studies Money & Finance Music Native American Studies Notebooking / Journaling Paper Models Preschoolers Reference Materials Safety Science & Nature Sign Language Social Studies Software Sports TV Schooling Unit Studies Unschooling Waldorf Homeschooling Winter Holidays   |
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Neil Armstrong Apollo 11 was launched on July 16, 1969, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, manned by astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins. The spacecraft consisted of the Command Module and the Lunar Module. Once in lunar orbit, Armstrong and Aldrin transferred to the Lunar Module to descend to the moon's surface. Listen to Armstrong's first words and the famous quote "
