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A Guest Post by Melissa Ballard (Afterschool Alliance) The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with STAR Net, has a new report showing how afterschool programs and libraries are working together to support youth and families in their communities. In early 2017, we surveyed 365 afterschool programs to learn if and how they are working with their local public libraries, and what challenges they face. What did we find? Nearly three-quarters of afterschool programs had partnered with their local library in the past, and close to 100 percent of programs said that they saw a benefit in partnering with their local library. Most afterschool [...]

Topic:   Universe of Learning - Beyond the Solar System: Cosmic Disks Date:  September 7, 2017, Thursday Time:  12:30pm PT (3:30pm ET) Leader: Jeffrey Nee Overview: On September 15, 2017, the Cassini spacecraft will undergo a controlled descent into Saturn’s atmosphere, thus ending nearly 20 years of dedicated observations of the Saturnian system. Since the time of Galileo, Saturn’s rings have been a source of wonder and beauty. Astronomers now know that these celestial disks appear in many environments, from the relatively small scale (around planets) to scales of galaxies. In honor of Cassini’s mission, this Universe of Learning Science Briefing will [...]

For the last week of our Depot Days programs in the park, I wanted to do some astronomy related things. This gave me an excellent opportunity to distribute Moore Foundation eclipse glasses to those in attendance, with instructions for proper use. But these programs took place at 10:30 am, outside. So, how to address the eclipse and other astronomy topics with a large group of elementary-age and younger kids, with the distractions of the playground and frequently passing trains? On Tuesday, it was sunny and perfect weather for outdoor events. Thursday was gloomy and threatening rain, but we still had a [...]

Challenge-based programming is well received by multiple age groups at Skokie Public Library. These programs support 21st century learning skills like creative thinking, problem solving, and collaboration, all skills we’re eager to promote in activities for youth of a variety of ages. In various programs, we have facilitated watercraft design challenges where patrons are presented with a prompt, use limited materials to design and build their watercrafts, and then test them using a small water table. We’ve run this activity several ways, with several age ranges, and in several spaces; here’s a recap of them all, the better to give you [...]

Whether you received eclipse glasses through Space Science Institute (thanks to the generosity and support of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Google, NASA, and Research Corporation) or purchased them yourself, now is the time to get outside and try them out! You will feel much more confident in answering the "are you sure these glasses work?" question with a resounding "YES!" when you have already viewed the Sun with them. While viewing the Sun, be on the lookout for sunspots - there was a great pair today! Afterwards, you can use the Solar Vision app to get a close-up, real-time view of what you just saw. With solar viewing, safety [...]

STAR_Net was in full force at the 2017 American Library Association Annual Conference (June 22-27), promoting #STEMinLib and #Eclipse2017, presenting conference sessions on STEM partnerships and daytime astronomy, and joining NASA for Hyperwall talks. (What is a Hyperwall, you ask? More on that later!) Did you attend one of our presentations or stop by the booth? If so, leave a comment and let us know what you thought. If you were unable to attend, we’ve got you covered with resources and other helpful information! Daytime Astronomy at Your Library A participant of the Daytime Astronomy session displays their Eclipse Chalk [...]

Earth is an interacting system of Air, Water, Ice, Rock, and Life. These five things link together to make our planet hum. They’re a team. Scientists call them systems or spheres. Each system plays an important role, and they all depend on each other. The video below shows what happened to the ecosystem structure in Yellowstone National Park after the introduction of wolves in 1995. [youtube id="ysa5OBhXz-Q" width="800" height="450" autoplay="no" api_params="" class=""]   Wolves and other top predators are keystone species - they prevent overpopulation of prey species, encouraging a balance in nature. One of the most exciting scientific findings of [...]