This series of investigative activities for Cadette Girl Scouts begins with an overview of our inner solar system, emphasizes the planetary histories of Mars, Earth and Venus, then concludes with evidence for the greenhouse effect on Earth. The... (View More) activities introduce and reflect the scientific goals of NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN), which reached Mars on September 21, 2014, and began its study of the Martian atmosphere. Cadettes will simultaneously learn about new technologies and gain new knowledge as they explore career pathways and develop potential service projects linked to the Cadette leadership journey. (View Less)

This multi-phased learning package progresses from guided engineering to an open mission-design challenge. Each step is scaffolded and includes easy-to-implement teaching tools, lessons and art activities. Learners, working in collaborative teams,... (View More) build an O-Rex spacecraft model. The building process incorporates inventing, designing and engineering- leading to a deeper understanding of NASA mission work. A leader guide, instructions, templates and a YouTube video are included and accessed through the Related & Supplemental Resources. (View Less)

Using a plastic tray filled with sand to represent a planetary surface, learners simulate the effects of wind, water, and impacts. They will compare the surface effects they create with actual images of planetary surfaces- and determine the causes... (View More) of the features in the images. This activity was designed to be used in a library program. (View Less)

Explore lunar phases as viewed from Earth using paper plates. While standing in the appropriate spot in the moon's orbit, students hold paper plates that depict the Moon's phase. This activity can be used to assess understanding of lunar phases or... (View More) to continue to build a conceptual model of the phases through kinesthetic activity. Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are listed. (View Less)

Explore lunar phases as viewed from Earth using a golf ball and an ultraviolet light. With the student's head representing Earth, students hold and move the golf ball to demonstrate the cause of the Moon's phases in their correct order. Related Next... (View More) Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are listed. (View Less)

Students "observe" an imaginary new planet in our galaxy from the relative distances of a ground-based telescope, the Hubble Telescope, and a fly-by mission. After recording their observations and discussing the differences, they compare their... (View More) observations to actual images of Pluto taken from the New Horizons spacecraft during its July 2015 fly-by. (View Less)

Learners create scale models of Earth, the moon, and Mars out of playdough. Based on the size of the models, they must determine the relative distance between them and then display them at that scale. This activity was designed for use in a library... (View More) program. (View Less)