This is a make-it-yourself planisphere designed to show where Kepler is pointing. Learners can use it to locate exoplanets around stars in the night sky. It comes with two wheels: one with coordinate grid for plotting additional exoplanet stars and... (View More) one without grid that is easier to read; and two holders for varying latitudes (one for 30°-50° and one for 50°-70°). The product is updated approximately annually to incorporate improvements and any newly discovered planets orbiting naked eye stars. (View Less)

This is a game about the formation of the solar system. Learners dynamically engage in modeling the growth of asteroids from specks of matter. Similar to tag, the children run around, have fun, and burn off energy. Different from tag, there is... (View More) science involved! The end of activity debriefing discusses strengths and limits of the model. Note the setting for this activity should be large and open where students can run. (View Less)

This is an activity about the planet Mars. Learners will create cratered surface models illustrating different lengths of time. Then, they will compare their models with three different surface images of Mars, placing these images in order from... (View More) youngest to oldest based on the evidence. Learners will discover that the oldest surface has the most craters, while also discussing what events could make a surface on a planet both half-craters and half-smooth. (View Less)

This is an activity about the position of the Moon and the Sun in the sky. Learners will use styrofoam balls to model the interactions between the Earth, Sun, and phases of the Moon. This is Activity A-5 of Universe at Your Fingertips 2.0: A... (View More) Collection of Activities and Resources for Teaching Astronomy DVD-ROM, which is available for purchase. (View Less)

This is a lesson about using craters to indicate the age of a planetary surface. Learners will simulate the process of cratering by using falling water drops to make craters in fine silica sand. Then, they will compare the cratered surfaces they... (View More) produce with pictures of the surface of Mars. As an extension, learners will examine a more complex Mars image and apply what they have learned about Mars to the analysis of the surfaces of other worlds. This is Actividad 3.7 as part of El Universo a Sus Pies, a Spanish-language curriculum available for purchase. (View Less)

This is an activity about size and scale. Learners will construct accurate size models of the Earth and Moon out of clay and use them to model the Earth-Moon distance. This is Actividad 4.1 as part of El Universo a Sus Pies, a Spanish-language... (View More) curriculum, available for purchase. (View Less)

This is an activity about comets. Depending on the grade level of learners, either the instructor or the learners will construct a model comet using dry ice, ammonia, dirt, corn syrup, and water. This is Actividad 5.3 as part of El Universo a Sus... (View More) Pies, a Spanish-language curriculum, available for purchase. (View Less)