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Luna

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So far Luna has created 64 blog entries.

Mercury is on the Main Stage Monday!

2019-11-08T17:47:08-07:00

There is going to be a special event this coming Monday.  The planet Mercury will be passing between the Sun and the Earth.  It's called a Mercury Transit, and it is a rare occurrence.  The next time such an event will be visible from the United States will be 2049.  There will be one in 2032 and another in 2039, but they won't be visible to anyone in North America. A Mercury Transit is when the planet Mercury passes between the Earth and the Sun.  Unlike an eclipse, which is visible to the human eye, anyone who wants to watch the [...]

Mercury is on the Main Stage Monday!2019-11-08T17:47:08-07:00

Art Magic With Markers

2019-10-04T12:10:07-06:00

I've had the opportunity lately to do something that I haven't been able to do in a very long time - ART! There are few things as much fun as taking brilliant colors mixing them on paper to create wonderful things.  It is important for children to have the opportunity to just play with color, and discover the the wonder of it while learning how color works and blends.  That is the very best way to learn color theory. These days there are a multitude of resources available with which to play with color.  I've come across some great ones recently, [...]

Art Magic With Markers2019-10-04T12:10:07-06:00

Robotics With Cubelets

2019-10-03T18:32:04-06:00

  Over the last year or so, I've done a number of programs using Cubelets.  For anyone unfamiliar with them, they are cube-shaped modules that connect to one another magnetically to create 'robots.'  Each module has a single function.  There's a power Cube, that contains the rechargeable battery, and the On/Off switch.  The rest are divided into ' Sense Cubes,' 'Think Cubes,' and 'Act Cubes.' The Sense Cubes in the kit I have access to are modules that have light sensors, and distance (proximity) sensors.  The Power Cube is also the processor for the robot.  The action cubes include cubes with [...]

Robotics With Cubelets2019-10-03T18:32:04-06:00

Thank you, NASA

2019-08-22T19:05:06-06:00

I want to begin today by apologizing for having disappeared for a while.  My disappearance wasn't by choice, but sharing my story does give me the opportunity to celebrate NASA, and everything it has accomplished over the last several decades. So, for any one who is curious, here's the story of my spring and summer... I was going about my day to day business, and enthusiastically planning my summer programs (which were going to be really great, by the way), when I woke up bright and early one day, sat up, put my feet on the floor to stand up, and [...]

Thank you, NASA2019-08-22T19:05:06-06:00

STAR Net + Infiniscope = Great Resources and Activities!!

2019-01-17T03:28:34-07:00

  Next Wednesday (January 23) two great resources will be coming together to help teachers and public librarians unite to create a wonderful summer experience for children all across the United States!  STAR_Net, a resource for librarians who provide STREAM programming, is uniting with Infiniscope, a resource used by teachers to teach science concepts, especially those related to space and astronomy.  This new alliance could really bring this summer's theme of "A Universe of Stories" to life for children and youth of all ages, and create a relationship between school and library that could serve to strengthen and reinforce student learning [...]

STAR Net + Infiniscope = Great Resources and Activities!!2019-01-17T03:28:34-07:00

Infiniscope Activity for the Super Blood Wolf Moon Lunar Eclipse

2019-01-05T15:42:01-07:00

Happy New Year everyone! For anyone interested in space, space exploration, astronomy, and NASA, this year has begun with a bang! Just after the new year began on the east coast, the New Horizons successfully passed within 2,200 miles of the Kuiper Belt object named Ultima Thule, collected data, including great pictures which have already solved some intense debates, sent the data back to earth, and is now headed onward through the Kuiper Belt toward the outer edge of our solar system.  Hopefully, it will get the opportunity to do a fly-by of another of the oldest objects in our solar [...]

Infiniscope Activity for the Super Blood Wolf Moon Lunar Eclipse2019-01-05T15:42:01-07:00

New Horizons will be Broadcasting It’s Fly-By of Ultima Thule on January 1, 2019

2018-12-31T23:33:53-07:00

  Many people are aware that New Horizons will be taking pictures, and collecting data as it passes close by the Kuiper Belt object commonly known as Ultima Thule (2014 MU6) on January 1, 2019.  It will be passing closer to Ultima Thule than it has come to any other object since it launched from Earth on January 19, 2006.  It will come within 2,200 miles of the surface of this mysterious and enigmatic Kuiper Belt object. John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory will be live streaming information and interviews about New Horizons for 24 hours straight!  Here's the youtube link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zzqOvJiSzE). The [...]

New Horizons will be Broadcasting It’s Fly-By of Ultima Thule on January 1, 20192018-12-31T23:33:53-07:00

A Visit With Master Artists and Teachers – Michael LaFosse and Richard Alexander

2018-11-23T19:14:08-07:00

A local museum is hosting an exhibit entitled "Origami in the Garden" until March of 2019.  It's a fantastic series of metal sculptures based on origami designs scattered throughout the gardens of the museum.    As part of the exhibit's kick-off activities, Michael LaFosse and Richard Alexander, master origamists, were invited to visit local schools and to teach workshops at the Botanic Garden.  I was fortunate enough to be able to attend one of their workshops.  It was great! Using giant squares of paper and the wall as their flat surface, Michael and Richard showed a group of about 25 how [...]

A Visit With Master Artists and Teachers – Michael LaFosse and Richard Alexander2018-11-23T19:14:08-07:00

Making Coding Fun and Easy

2018-10-26T12:25:00-06:00

This year I started adding something new to some of my programs - coding.  It has been a whole new adventure for me.  When I was in school, computers in education were a new concept.  There was a room with several desktop computers with large towers connected to them.  Those computers required 6 inch floppy disks, were programmed with DOS, and sat there quietly in the dark most of the time.  I only had one teacher brave enough to try teaching with them.  Over the course of one semester, we learned some very basic programming, which I thought was fun, but [...]

Making Coding Fun and Easy2018-10-26T12:25:00-06:00

Music, Music, Let’s Make Some Music!

2018-08-04T18:16:46-06:00

  To start off our Summer, which has the theme "Libraries Rock" this year, I decided to have a "make your own music" program.  I enjoy programs where participants learn to create using items they will most likely find around their own homes.  For this program, I decided that we would make our own kazoos and then play group tunes with some palm pipes. My first plan had included making Pan's Pipes, but a large group signed up, which changed the program dynamic a bit.  Plus, I suddenly knew that I didn't have enough supplies for everyone to be able to do that [...]

Music, Music, Let’s Make Some Music!2018-08-04T18:16:46-06:00
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