Project ASTRO San Diego Local Resources 2003-2004

2007 Workshop Resources:

• Private Universe DVD order form - free of charge to educators!
• How High Can You Jump on other Worlds Java applet, shown at the workshop.
• Palomar Observatory public information. You can also contact the Public Affairs Coordinator, Scott Kardell, at wsk@astro.caltech.edu.
• Oceanside Photo & Telescope Astronomical Society - click on "Public Star Parties" to find out about their next event at San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park. Thanks to Curt Lawrence for advertising this and other excellent park programs.

• Project ASTRO San Diego: http://mintaka.sdsu.edu/projectastro/index.html
  Continually updated with FAQ, workshop information, application materials, links to sample activities and national program information. Coming soon - an electronic bulletin board for sharing experiences, ideas, places to shop for materials, etc.

• San Diego Astronomy Association (SDAA): www.sdaa.org
  One of the country's largest amateur astronomer groups. They have two programs of interest to educators:
  1. Stars in the Park - 7-9pm, first Wednesday of every month on the east end of the Prado (near the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. SDAA members set up their telescopes to show the wonders of the night sky.
  2. Star Parties - Amateur astronomers will visit your school in the evening with some amazing telescopes to show moon, planets, and nebulae. Free of charge, although refreshments such as pizza and hot chocolate are appreciated! Contact Project ASTRO astronomer Rich Bentley (rbentley@ucsd.edu) a few months in advance - dates fill up quickly!

• Mars Society - San Diego Chapter: http://chapters.marssociety.org/SanDiego/
  A very active local group committed to advancing the human exploration of Mars through mission simulations and public education. The San Diego chapter will visit your school with a spacesuit and remote Mars Rover demonstration.

• FYI ASTRO electronic newsletter:
  Our local JPL ambassador Earl Towson sends out a weekly e-mail newsletter with headlines and links to online news items in astronomy and space science from around the world. He does all the web-surfing for you! To subscribe to his "FYI ASTRO" e-mail list, send him an email: etowson@tmisnet.com.

• Planetaria:
  The following locations offer planetarium shows for schools:
  Southwestern College, Chula Vista. Contact Grant Miller at (619) 421-6700x5535.
  Palomar College, San Marcos. Contact Mark Lane (760) 471-9745
  Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Balboa Park: http://www.rhfleet.org, which also has an extensive education program.

• San Diego Science Alliance (SDSA): http://www.sdsa.org.

  Maintains a directory of educational resources (yes, Project ASTRO is in there) and keeps a mailing list of interested teachers. Contact Pat Winter: pat.winter@gat.com.

• AIAA Educator Associate Program: http://www.aiaa.org/education/index.hfm?edu=18

  Offers small grants ($200) to school education programs promoting the use of science and math in the classroom. Certainly worth applying for!

• Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP): http://www.astrosociety.org
  The parent of Project ASTRO. Maintains and online educational catalog, lists of useful websites, and publishes The Universe in the Classroom newsletter specifically for teachers of astronomy.

• The Space Place: http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov

  A one-stop child and teacher resource site at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena. Provides lesson guides online, and you may also order free NASA hardcopy materials (when available).

  If you are covering a specific topic (e.g. Sun, Mars, comets) and would like hardcopy materials (calendars, beautiful posters, activities, CD-ROMS etc), you may contact: Dr. Nancy Leon at (818) 354-1067 or email: nancy.j.leon@jpl.nasa.gov - and mention you are a Project ASTRO San Diego partner. (Be aware though that availability of specific NASA items changes rapidly).

• California Curriculum Standards: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/
  Listed by subject and grade in both printable (PDF) and online formats, these should give volunteers an idea of the proficiency levels and goals of their classroom students. It is often useful to look under both Math and Science standards guidance before you plan an activity. (Also remember that these standards are supposed to be met by the end of the school year).
• Calsky: http://www.calsky.com
  An online sky calculator, which provides night sky maps tailored to your location.

• Worlds in Comparison
: using Playdoh or clay to model the sizes of planets. At the 2009 workshop we used Crayola Air-Dry Clay (5lb, available from Michaels) and cut it with round dental floss. Baby wipes are also handy for clay-covered hands at the end of this activity.
• Scale Models of the Solar System: http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system:
  Scale model of the solar system. An online tool allowing you to quickly calculate distances for your customized scale model of the solar system. A simpler version of the same idea can be found at: http://patriot.net/~jlazio/scale_model.html, with the scale set by (1) the radius of the Earth's orbit (1 A.U.) and (2) the diameter of the Earth.

• The Nine Planets: http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/billa/tnp
  Your one-stop shop for facts, figures, and incredible pictures of our Solar System buddies!

  NASA also provides a comprehensive website for Solar System Exploration: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov, which has current news and information on NASA missions to the planets and their discoveries.

• "The Reasons for the Seasons" kinesthetic astronomy activity: http://www.spacescience.org/Education/ResourcesForEducators/CurriculumMaterials/Kin_Astro/1.html
  As demonstrated at the 2009 workshop. This site has detailed instructions and downloadable graphics. The activity enables kids to use their own body movements to understand: the rising and setting of the sun, the changing night sky throughout the year, and the reasons for the seasons - "length of days, angle of rays, nothing to do with how far aways"! (For accounting reasons, you will need to "register" with this site to download the activity, but they do not use the information for spam).

• Our place in the Universe:
  • Powers of Ten: http://www.wordwizz.com/pwrsof10.htm
  • Galactic Address: http://www.lowell.edu/Public/Starlab/GalacticAddress.pdf
  • Our Place in Space: http://ology.amnh.org/astronomy - a website designed for kids age 7-12 which introduces them to the whole field of astronomy, from the American Museum of natural History. Online information plus activities kids can try for themselves. (Similar in design and scope to NASA/JPL's Space Place listed above).

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