Events for October 4, 2017 - May 17, 2018

Watch Recorded Webinar View Presentation Slides Is Your Library Ready for the Astronomical Event of the Decade? On August 21, 2017, we will be treated to the first total eclipse of the Sun visible in the continental U.S. in almost 40 years. The spectacular total eclipse will only be visible in a narrow band about 60 miles across, stretching diagonally across the country from a beach in Oregon to a beach in South Carolina. However, everyone in North America will see a partial solar eclipse, where a big “bite” will be taken out of the Sun. This will be the [...]

Watch Recorded Webinar View Presentation Slides Dream Big to Build a Better World Engineers use their skills to solve problems and make the world a better place. Join Jeannine Finton from the American Society of Civil Engineers as she shares a variety of hands-on engineering resources, activities, presentation tips and techniques designed to make engineering fun for all ages. Find out how to connect with local engineers who may be able to assist with a program.

Watch Recorded Webinar View Presentation Slides Eclipse 2017: The Outreach Event of the Decade Join us for exciting updates to our last eclipse webinar in October. This webinar will repeat some of the information provided previously, plus offer eclipse programming and partner suggestions. In addition, you will learn more about the enhanced opportunities to participate made available by our new Moore Foundation funding.

Watch Recorded Webinar View Presentation Slides Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA NASA’s Universe of Learning astronomy education program is celebrating National Women’s History Month with the Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA project, which partners libraries with NASA scientists and educators to empower girls and their families in STEM! During the webinar, we will introduce Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA, discuss how to build girl-engagement into your programming, and demonstrate hands-on coding activity that uses real astronomical observations in the ways real astronomers do. We’ll also connect you to a suite of support materials, such as exhibits, activities, and even some posters inspired [...]

Watch Recorded Webinar Playful Building Librarians, camp programmers, and other out-of-school time facilitators are invited to join STAR_Net and the Lunar and Planetary Institute for two free professional development webinars on the Playful Building activities. Watch one or both webinars and receive connection information & directions to help you better participate in the activities during the webinar(s). Playful Building: Simple Machines This 30 minute webinar will model Team Machine, Water Wedges, and Levers at Play, as examples of simple machines that the children can plan, design, test, and revise. Elements of the engineering design process will be explored in each. Playful [...]

Watch Recorded Webinar View Presentation Slides Celebrate Earth Day with NASA’s GLOBE Observer Learn how your library can celebrate our planet on Earth Day and beyond through NASA’s GLOBE Observer (GO) citizen science project.  Library patrons can contribute to NASA Earth science by downloading the free GO app, observing the sky, and contributing their observations to this international program.  GO cloud observations are helping NASA scientists understand clouds from below (the ground) and above (from space). Clouds play an important role in transferring energy from the Sun to different parts of the Earth system. Because clouds can change rapidly, scientists need [...]

Watch Recorded Webinar Earth Science for a Better World Librarians, camp programmers, and other out-of-school time facilitators are invited to join STAR_Net and the Lunar and Planetary Institute for two free professional development webinars on the STAR_Net Earth science activities. Earth Science for a Better World, Part 1 Looking for fun activities related to your local environment? This 30-minute session will model and include discussions of these activities: Fastest Dresser (http://clearinghouse.starnetlibraries.org/collections/DiscoverEarth/FastestDresser.pdf) Race to dress in clothing and gear appropriate for a specific type of weather. Nurturing Life (http://clearinghouse.starnetlibraries.org/collections/DiscoverEarth/NurturingLife.pdf) Explore what living things need to survive and thrive by creating and caring for a garden. Recipe for [...]

Watch Recorded Webinar View Presentation Slides Crowd-Pleasing Hands-on Activities for Your Eclipse Programs Learn how to facilitate activities that will have your patrons asking, “Really!?!,” and exclaiming “That’s so cool!” Sun Cookies are a sure crowd-pleaser — watch this webinar to see how these tasty treats can help young learners explore the Sun. Engage both youth and adults in out-of-this-world explorations of how our small Moon can eclipse the huge Sun. Experiment with integrating technology into your eclipse programs using online games as well as equipment you may already have on hand.

Watch Recorded Webinar NASA Partnerships in Your Own Backyard Join us to learn more about two NASA supported volunteer networks who are eager to partner with local public libraries! The Night Sky Network and Solar System Ambassadors are volunteer organizations who can provide free or low cost programming to libraries in their region. Members of these networks include current and former NASA employees, industry retirees (Ball, Lockheed, etc), science teachers, and other general science enthusiasts! Participants in this webinar will learn more about these networks, hear success stories from existing library partnerships, and even learn how they can join these [...]

Watch Recorded Webinar View Presentation Slides Eclipse Cultural Connections Join Isabel Hawkins, astronomer and educator with the Exploratorium of San Francisco, CA, to learn about cultural connections for the 2017 Great American Eclipse.

Watch Recorded Webinar View Presentation Slides Safe Eclipse Viewing Join NCIL Staff and Doug Duncan, Director of the Fiske Planetarium at UC Boulder, to learn about ways to safely view the 2017 Great American Eclipse. Note: Please be advised that there is a very small amount of adult language in one of the videos shared during the webinar (at the 34:00 mark). The language is from the reaction of people viewing a total eclipse for the first time. While it is important to show their genuine reaction to this amazing event, the language may not be suitable for children.