February is Black History Month—let’s celebrate now (and throughout the year), by learning about some Black leaders, visionaries, and innovators in the STEM fields, as well as some organizations that are working to help historically underrepresented groups achieve their academic and career goals in science!

This Saturday—June 20, 2020—marks the official beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, with the occurrence of the June solstice. In celebration, we’re focusing this week’s Distance Learning offerings on seasons. Today we’ll revisit a previous lesson about what causes the Earth’s seasons—with bonus content added to focus on the solstices!

You may think of outer space as a vast, empty void—but space is full of objects! Both within and beyond the bounds of our solar system, there are countless stars, nebulae, asteroids, comets—and, of course, planets. But what IS a planet, anyway? Why was Pluto “demoted” from a true planet to a dwarf planet, and what makes a planet different from other objects in space?

In this module, we’ll look at the official definition of what makes a planet, and put the current criteria into historical context by reviewing some of the ways that astronomical understanding has evolved throughout history. This content is most appropriate for middle- and high-schoolers, based on reading level.

This week’s Distance Learning theme is optics, light, and the electromagnetic spectrum. In this module, geared toward middle school-level learners, we learn more about spectroscopy—the study of how matter interacts with electromagnetic radiation—and how astronomers apply this science to better understand the composition of our universe.

In honor of National Wildflower Week, this week’s Distance Learning offerings are focusing on the plant world.

Plants use their roots to absorb nutrients from the soil in which they are growing. The process of nutrient cycling captures elements such as nitrogen from the atmosphere, converts them into a usable form for plant nutrition, and returns those elements back to the atmosphere when the plant dies and decomposes. Learn more about the “how” and “why” of nutrient cycling here!

This week’s Distance Learning theme is aquatics. For today’s lesson, we’re making connections between deep sea and deep space by exploring the “how” and “why” of underwater astronaut training. Let’s “dive in” and get started!

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our very first Facebook Live event, in celebration of the Hubble Space Telescope’s 30th birthday! Faithe and Sarah had a blast presenting on live video feed about the history and significance of the Hubble Space Telescope. (Hubble launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990.)

In this post, we share additional Hubble resources, to keep the learning coming all weekend. In particular, there are plenty of opportunities to dive deeper into the Cosmic Reef—which we are able to visit via the special Hubble image “Tapestry of Blazing Starbirth” that was publicly revealed for the first time on April 24, 2020.

Rock and soil samples reveal a lot about the chemistry, physical structure, and ability to support life on a planet, moon, or asteroid.

Can you complete this engineering challenge to design a device that takes core samples of a potato “asteroid”? This activity is geared toward upper-elementary and middle-school students.

Weather: it’s more than just a conversation-starter.

What causes weather, how do we study it, and what is the weather like on other planets? Learn all about it in today’s lesson, geared toward middle-school learners! Part 2 of 2.

Weather: it’s more than just a conversation-starter.

What causes weather, how do we study it, and what is the weather like on other planets? Learn all about it in today’s lesson, geared toward middle-school learners!

In this introduction to coding, learn how computers store information in numerical format and test your skills at reading & writing in binary!

Geared toward upper elementary through middle school learners.

Learn how clouds form—and see it in action!—with this at-home science lesson and video demonstration.

Bid “happy retirement” to the Spitzer Space Telescope in this lesson all about an underappreciated substance in space (and our homes): DUST!

Includes activities appropriate for grade levels K-2 and 3-5

Hone your hands-on science skills by recording astronomical data from home

Need an enriching activity for the whole family? This ongoing project can be completed as a group! Build skills in observation, astronomical understanding, writing, sketching/fine motor skills, and more by creating a Night Sky Journal of observational fieldnotes.

Can be modified to incorporate various age/grade/skill levels.

As NASA and others talk about more, longer trips to the Moon and plans for a mission to Mars, we have to consider the hostile environments we’ll encounter and the limits on our equipment. What qualities and technological capabilities will astronauts need in order to make those journeys?

In this lesson, adapted from our 2020 Term 3 Homeschool Workshop, we practice critical thinking, analysis, and discussion skills, and ask ourselves: what does it mean to do something not in spite of it being hard, but because it is hard?

Geared toward grades 6-8.

Get to know the stars…including one very special star in particular!

Geared toward pre-K and lower-elementary level students.

In this timely multimedia lesson, we explore what causes Earth’s seasons, and what it means to experience an equinox.

Geared toward upper elementary-level students.