Earth Science Week - annual

2010 theme: “Exploring Energy”

AGI invites you to take part in Earth Science Week 2010! Being held October 10-16, Earth Science Week 2010 will encourage people everywhere to explore the natural world and learn about the geosciences.

Check out the latest edition of their e-newsletter, The Earth Science Week Update.

Selections from 2009:
# During Earth Science Week 2009, NASA released six short educational videos, all part of a series entitled “Tides of Change.” The videos are posted at http://climate.nasa.gov/esw. Navigating to NASA's ESW Webpage will also link you to many multimedia and K-12 educational resources
# Download a PDF of NOAA's Climate Literacy Guide.
# The Pulse of Earth Science: National Status of K-12 Earth Science Education website

Snoopy Soars with NASA

This interesting exhibit is part of the Schultz Traveling Exhibitions program sounds ...at the Morris Museum starting 1/27/2010, it examines the history of the Apollo 10 and Peanuts character's role in that flight and in the NASA safety program.

Everyone's favorite beagle, Snoopy, will take children and adults on a journey to the moon through creative play, humorous cartoon sketches and an enjoyable exhibit of images that includes interesting facts about the United States Apollo mission. Maybe you will even think of the phrase "to the moon" differently.

Morris Museum

6 Normandy Heights Rd
Morristown, New Jersey 07960 Get Directions

Regular Hours:
Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Thursdays: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (FREE admission on Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. )
Sundays: 1-5 p.m.

Admission
Members are admitted FREE of charge
$10 / Adults
$7 / Children
$7 / Seniors
Children under 3 years of age are FREE

Exhibit will be there until April 18, 2010.

Art Quilts from the Collection of John M. Walsh III

Main Gallery

January 13 – April 25, 2010

Drawn from the nationally recognized private collection, the exhibition will highlight the fascinating fusion of materials and techniques that are redefining the contemporary art quilt movement. These large and varied works transform the functional everyday quilt into an object of expressive design. Each quilt is as different as the artist who created it and every one has tremendous visual impact.

Snoopy Soars with NASA

Bickford & Bush Compton Galleries

January 27 – April 18, 2010

Everyone’s favorite beagle, Snoopy, will take children and adults on a journey to the moon through creative play, humorous cartoon sketches and an enjoyable exhibit of images that includes interesting facts about the United States Apollo mission.

The "Shoe" Must Go On!

Hedley and Main Galleries

May 9 - August 1, 2010

This exhibition will explore centuries of shoe design, as well as featuring shoes from many different 'walks' of life. The "Shoe" Must Go On! will redefine the way one views the shoe. Featuring a history of shoes, the show is organized into the following sections: shoes for work and play, elegant attire and fancy feet, extreme footwear, green shoes, what's hot now, and shoes of the future. A feature of the show will be shoes of special interest, including footwear of distinguished individuals who also share a connection to the great state of New Jersey.

Kennedy Space Center - Homeschool Days 2009

45 minutes from Orlando theme parks, but a world away. . . Homeschool students, families and teachers: be our honored guests for full-day access to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex shows and exhibits. You'll get the chance to take a bus tour of KSC, participate in special hands-on activities, learn about the latest NASA accomplishments, strap in to the NEW Shuttle Launch Experience and even come face-to-face with an actual astronaut. Homeschool teachers, pick up a packet of NASA education materials and help your students reach for the stars.

Florida Homeschool Field Trip 2009 Dates:

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Times: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

2009 Tuition: $31.50 per person (plus tax)

To plan your trip or request more information, click here or call 321-449-4400.

Thanks to Mary Lee for spotting this one!

NASA Educational Materials - update

The Educational Materials section of NASA's Web site offers classroom activities, educator guides, posters and other types of resources that are available for use in the classroom. Materials are listed by type, grade level and subject. The following items are now available for downloading.

1. Adventures in Rocket Science Educator Guide -- Informal Education
   This guide contains 25 activities designed for 4-H Clubs, Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, after-school programs, and other informal education venues. Participants learn about the history and principles of rocketry and NASA's newest rockets -- Ares I and Ares V. While doing these hands-on activities, participants also learn about Hero Engines, parachutes and surface area, altitude tracking, and Newton's Laws Of Motion. Learners can also build four types of rockets and two types of egg drops.
   http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Adventures_in_Rocket_Science.html
   
   
2. Environmental Control and Life Support Systems Water Filtration Challenge Educator Guide -- Grades 5-8
   Earth provides the air we breathe, the water we drink, and other conditions that support life. Earth is a natural life support system. On the International Space Station, the Environmental Control and Life Support System provides these needs. The functions of an ECLSS include atmosphere revitalization; atmosphere control and supply; temperature and humidity control; water recovery and management; waste management; and fire detection and suppression. The activities in this guide focus on water recovery and management.
   
   The challenge is to design and build a water filtration device using commonly available materials. To meet this challenge, students build, test and measure the performance of the filtration device, analyze the data collected, and use this information to work towards an improved filtration design.
   http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Water_Filtration_Challenge.html
   
   
3. Space Math I -- Grades 7-9
   
   These activities comprise a series of 20 practical mathematics applications in space science. This collection of activities is based on a weekly series of space science problems distributed to teachers during 2004-2005 school year. The problems in this booklet investigate space weather phenomena and math applications such as solar flares, satellite orbit decay, magnetism, the Pythagorean Theorem, order of operations and probability. The problems are authentic glimpses of modern engineering issues that arise in designing satellites to work in space. Each word problem has background information providing insight into the basic phenomena of the sun-Earth system, specifically space weather. The one-page assignments are accompanied by one-page teacher guides with answer keys.
   
   Note: This guide was formerly published as the Extra-Credit Problems in Space Science Educator Guide
   http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Space_Math_I.html
   
   
4. Space Math II -- Grades 7-9
   
   These activities comprise a series of 24 practical mathematics applications in space science. This collection of activities is based on a weekly series of space science problems distributed to teachers during 2005-2006 school year. The problems in this booklet investigate science and math concepts such as solar energy, stars, scientific notation, and distance, rate and time. The problems are authentic glimpses of modern engineering issues that arise in designing satellites to work in space. Each word problem has background information providing insight into the basic phenomena of the sun-Earth system, specifically space weather. The one-page assignments are accompanied by one-page teacher guides with answer keys.
   http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Space_Math_II.html
   
   
5. Space Math III -- Grades 9-12
   
   These activities comprise a series of 36 practical mathematics applications in space science. This collection of activities is based on a weekly series of space science problems distributed to teachers during 2005-2006 school year. The problems in this booklet investigate science and mathematics concepts such as radiation effects on humans and technology, solar science, algebra, trigonometry and calculus. The problems are authentic glimpses of modern engineering issues that arise in designing satellites to work in space. Each word problem has background information providing insight into the basic phenomena of the sun-Earth system, specifically space weather. The one-page assignments are accompanied by one-page teacher guides with answer keys.
   http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Space_Math_III.html

NASA Robotics Grants

NASA is pleased to announce the availability sponsorship for teams participating in the FIRST Robotics Competition. Two types of grants are available: Up to 70 Regional Challenge Grants and approximately 100 Program Growth Grants.

These sponsorships are not tied to any particular competition event. The grants will provide $6,000 funding to cover the registration costs for a team to attend one Regional Competition event and part of the cost of constructing the robot for the competition.

Applications for this grant opportunity are due Oct. 20, 2008.

To learn more about the NASA FIRST Robotics Regional Challenge Grants and Program Growth Grants, visit https://frc-grants.arc.nasa.gov/directions.php. Questions about this sponsorship should be directed to frc-grants@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

Thanks for the notice Lorna!

to the moon. . .

Lorna spotted these "pricey resources" at NASA, but the guides may be useful and less expensive. (Thanks Lorna!) NASA has lots of resources for homeschooling & Scouting.

After watching the Field Trip to the Moon DVD, students continue their lunar exploration with classroom activities that investigate the moon’s habitability and sustainable resources. These activities culminate with plans for the design and creation of a lunar station. The students are assigned to one of six teams, with four to six students in each team. The teams are each given one of six topics to investigate: ecosystem, geology, habitat, engineering, navigation or medical.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Field_Trip_to_the_Moon_Educator_Guide.html

Field Trip to the Moon Companion Guide -- Grades 5-8
Take a virtual journey to the moon with the Field Trip to the Moon DVD and use this guide to supplement the experience. The companion guide contains three classroom activities and explanations of the key concepts in the DVD. The activities are Observe the Moon, Investigate Craters, and Examine Human Exploration.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/FTM_Companion_Guide.html

Field Trip to the Moon Informal Educator's Guide -- Informal Education
After watching the Field Trip to the Moon DVD, participants continue their lunar exploration with workshop activities that investigate the moon’s habitability and sustainable resources. These activities culminate with plans for the design and creation of a lunar station. Working in groups, each team receives one of six topics to investigate: ecosystem, geology, habitat, engineering, navigation or medical.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/FTM_Informal_Educator_Guide.html

Online curriculum

Much of this is free:

Free Online MIT courseware - Right now I am looking at "Kitchen Chemistry".

Discovery Channel offers curriculum. Here's their literature units.

I am not sure who is sponsoring Kids' Health in the Classroom.

NASA Educational Materials

Individual homeschoolers often post their own plans:
Hestia Homeschool's Bird Unit Study, Identifying Human Emotions, and Aquatic Ecology: Just About Fish. Thank you!

And a Chemistry Book list that is not a course at all, but looks too good to lose.