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Informal Learning

Professional Development, Conferences and Resources

2023-06-29T22:37:35-06:00

(The author standing in the flame-trench of Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center. Directly behind me is the flame-deflector which diverts the exhaust from the SLS rocket's  four RS-25 engines and two solid-rocket boosters, equally to each side of the deflector. In the foreground on the left side of the image, stacked on the ground, are the steel panels that have been removed from the flame-deflector. These were damaged by the greater than anticipated energy from the November 2022 launch of Artemis 1. These will all be replaced with new and stronger panels before the launch of Artemis II, currently scheduled for the end [...]

Professional Development, Conferences and Resources2023-06-29T22:37:35-06:00

JWST Anniversary Activities

2023-06-19T19:27:57-06:00

(The primary mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope after being assembled at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Photo credit: NASA/Chris Gunn) An amazing space telescope, that is rewriting astronomy books, has a big anniversary coming up! July 12, 2023 will be the 1-year anniversary of the first images release from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). There are many ways for libraries to participate, and there will be another special image release on July 12 to commemorate the anniversary. To find out information about hosting your own event in partnership with the Space Telescope Science Institute (STSI) [...]

JWST Anniversary Activities2023-06-19T19:27:57-06:00

Bringing Space To Your Space

2023-05-31T15:12:23-06:00

(Patrons attending a NASA James Webb Space Telescope Community event in Hudson, WI. Photo by Christopher Mick)   It all started in 2014, with an idea to put together a STEM presentation for a local school that my son was attending at the time. The thinking was I would combine several interesting  STEM experiences I had had as a kid growing up in Northern California. I had been lucky enough to attend the United States Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama (www.rocketcenter.com/SpaceCamp) during back to back Summers in the mid-eighties. My father was a retired pilot and gave me occasional flying lessons when [...]

Bringing Space To Your Space2023-05-31T15:12:23-06:00

Look Up! Featured Activity – NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope

2022-05-20T10:39:50-06:00

Credit: NASA This content was written by Dillon Connelly from the Space Science Institute  Celebrate the first images of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope with this featured activity: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope  In this activity, you and your patrons will assemble a paper model of the James Webb Space Telescope. The model allows you to assemble the JWST from its three main elements. Facilitate as an in-person program at your library or a Take & Make activity.  Time to complete: 15-30 minutes  Ages: Upper Elementary, Middle, High School, Family  Modification and Preparation List   Total Cost: cost of printing and assembly [...]

Look Up! Featured Activity – NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope2022-05-20T10:39:50-06:00

Look Up! Featured Activity – Filtered Light 

2022-05-27T16:04:25-06:00

Credit: NISENET This content was written by Christine Shupla from the Lunar and Planetary Institute   Celebrate the first images of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope with this featured activity: Exploring the Universe: Filtered Light.   Filters allow us to block some types of light and isolate others; separating out these different colors or energy levels of light can give us new information. In "Filtered Light," participants discover how colored filters can help reveal more about an image. They can also make and study colorful images of their own.   Facilitate as an in-person program at your library, a Take & Make activity, [...]

Look Up! Featured Activity – Filtered Light 2022-05-27T16:04:25-06:00

NASA GLOBE Clouds 2022 Challenge: Clouds in a Changing Climate

2022-01-14T16:12:10-07:00

by Vivienne Byrd, Los Angeles Public Library, and Theresa Schwerin, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, GLOBE Observer Team Start the new year with the NASA GLOBE 2022 Cloud Challenge! The challenge is January 15 - February 15, 2022. The GLOBE campaign website has several resources to support your program. How to get started Vivienne Byrd at the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) Neighborhood Science (NeiSci) program recommends doing the following to get started: For fun family activities: Make some clouds in a jar! Follow along with LAPL Librarian Basya Samuels and her little assistant in this Cloud in a Jar [...]

NASA GLOBE Clouds 2022 Challenge: Clouds in a Changing Climate2022-01-14T16:12:10-07:00

Best Practices for Take & Make Activities

2021-11-23T16:41:19-07:00

Tips & Tricks for Take & Makes to Compliment Virtual Programming By Atlas Logan, Gwinnett Public Library Many libraries have turned to Take & Make activity kits as a fun, engaging way to still meet community needs while keeping things safe during the pandemic. While fairly straightforward, there are still a few things to keep in mind when planning, preparing, and distributing Take & Make kits, especially if you are hoping to use them as a compliment to your virtual programming. When coming up with your programming and kits ideas, it helps to be familiar with the resources available for activity [...]

Best Practices for Take & Make Activities2021-11-23T16:41:19-07:00

ViewSpace: Discover the Universe

2021-06-21T08:18:35-06:00

ViewSpace: Discover the Universe Carolyn Slivinski, Space Telescope Science Institute "YOU ARE WATCHING VIEWSPACE"—these words are the welcome message that lets you know you have been provided a window to explore our planet, solar system, galaxy, and universe. ViewSpace is a broadly accessible web-based collection of digital interactives and videos highlighting the latest developments in astronomy and Earth science. Supported by NASA as part of NASA's Universe of Learning, ViewSpace is developed by a team of scientists, educators and communication specialists who collaborate to ensure that content is accurate, up-to-date, engaging, relevant, and accessible to a wide audience; it helps learners explore fundamental [...]

ViewSpace: Discover the Universe2021-06-21T08:18:35-06:00

Creating a Perpetual Nature Journal: A Sketchbook With a Twist

2021-05-30T09:10:51-06:00

I've read about artists, especially botanical artists, that take years to finish a work of art, not because they were just super slow, but because they had to wait.  What did they have to wait for?  Nature. These artists would focus on a particular plant while it was in bloom or its fruit was ripe, or it was at some other particular stage in its yearly cycle that they wanted to portray.  Then, when the blooms faded, the fruit was gone, or the plant had moved on to another stage, that painting and its associated sketches were put away until the [...]

Creating a Perpetual Nature Journal: A Sketchbook With a Twist2021-05-30T09:10:51-06:00

STEAM Engines: Da Vinci Bridge

2021-07-20T13:00:34-06:00

A few years back, as the Youth Services department was thinking about programs and play opportunities for the library, I attended this talk about the benefits of nature play for children. Scholarly presentations on the benefits of forest schools, nature preschools, and the importance of nature play were in abundance as well as hands-on activities for practical application in a school or library setting. I love it, and I’m totally on board, but the point that stuck out the most for me was the educator who talked about kids’ play being their work - that they would naturally become builders, engineers, [...]

STEAM Engines: Da Vinci Bridge2021-07-20T13:00:34-06:00
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