Events for March 12 - April 25, 2023

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.

Watch Recorded Webinar View Presentation Slides Cassini: The Grand Finale Join the STAR_Net team and Colin Mitchell, a Space Science Institute researcher on the Cassini mission, to learn more about Cassini’s Grand Finale and ways to integrate this event into your programming.

Watch Recorded Webinar View Presentation Slides Celebrate Afterschool Partnerships with the 18th Annual “Lights On Afterschool!” Libraries and afterschool programs make great partners. Every October, the afterschool field celebrates the important role these programs have in the lives of children, families, and communities. This year, on October 26, we want to make the celebration bigger and better than ever. Library-afterschool partnerships are an official theme of this year’s event—and we want to highlight the many ways libraries and afterschool programs are pairing up to provide engaging learning opportunities and critical supports to children and families across the country. Join [...]

Watch Recorded Webinar View Presentation Slides Out-of-This-World Activities Join STAR_Net and the Lunar and Planetary Institute to learn tips and tricks from LPI’s Explore program for engaging children, tweens, and families in space science with games, activities, and events.

Watch Recorded Webinar View Presentation Slides International Observe The Moon Night International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) is a worldwide, public celebration of lunar science and exploration held annually since 2010. On October 28, 2017, everyone on Earth is invited to observe and learn about the moon together, and to celebrate the cultural and personal connections we all have with Earth’s nearest neighbor. Want to learn more about this event and ways that your library can participate? Join STAR_Net and Brian Day, NASA’s Lead for Citizen Science and Community Development at the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, to [...]