I first learned about Space Camp from renting a VHS from Blockbuster The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley: The Case of U.S. Space Camp Mission. In college, I read A Smile as Big as the Moon: A Special Education Teacher, His Class and their Inspiring Journey Through U.S. Space Camp by: Mike Kersjes. This book has since become a Hallmark movie staring John Corbett. I was fascinated, but thought that as a college student, I was too old to attend. When I joined the SEEC Crew however,I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it wasn't the case. Many educators were raving about Space Camp for Teachers. I didn't even know this was a possibility, but in 2017, it definitely moved to the top of my list. Not sure how I forgot about the awesome Netflix documentary The Mars Generation about a group of teens at Space Camp. A couple years ago, I discovered the existence of the 1986 movie Space Camp. Needless to say, this made me want to go even more. After seeing the hilarious clip of Astronaut Training w/Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks & Will Arnett from the Late Late Night Show with James Corden, I was hooked. When I saw a facebook post looking for interested teachers, I responded without hesitation. I had the awesome opportunity thanks to a generous scholarship from Northrop Grummon to attend Space Academy for Educators! I travelled to Huntsville, Alabama, aka Rocket City, to the US Space and Rocket Center. The USSRC is a Smithsonian Affiliate and the official visitor center of NASA's Marshall Spaceflight Center and the site of the world famous Space Camp. Space Camp began in 1982 and is celebrating it's 40th anniversary. I'm sure that describing my experience at Space Camp won't quite do it justice but I'll try. I would highly encourage you to experience it yourself! On a MissionMission simulations were a big highlight of the week. Each person on our crew was assigned a role. Each role was unique and involve specific responsibilities to complete during the mission. Our first mission was based on the past. Our scenario was the Space Shuttle Endeavor traveling to the International Space Station and astronauts completing an EVA. I was thrilled to be assigned the role of a mission specialist completing a spacewalk with my crew mate from Singapore, Gillian. The mission was an absolute blast! Our task was to construct a structure using the struts (long metal poles) and nodes (spherical objects). We attached the pieces together to form triangles; the strongest structural shape. This was a simplified version of a spacewalk done by a Boilermaker astronaut, Jerry Ross. It's important to make those career connections to students that successful exploration involves many people with a variety of different skills and strengths. There are countless people behind the scenes making sure that the machinery, software, procedures works so that the most precious cargo - humans - not only stay alive, but are able to successfully complete dangerous spacewalks and a multitude of experiments to benefit life on Earth. It truly is a team effort! How We Got to the Moon: The People, Technology and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity's Greatest Adventure by: John Rocco is a fabulous book that beautifully illustrates this necessary collaboration. Our second mission was looking toward the future with Artemis. The Orion capsule traveled to the Moon. I was in Mission Control as the Flight Director. The job of CAPCOM went to my crew mate from England, Tom. He did an excellent job and communicated with the astronauts in his British accent! Astronaut TrainingIf you've seen the recent Netflix documentary Countdown: Inspiration 4 Mission to Space, you've gotten a small glimpse into training to prepare humans for spaceflight. Climbing up a snowy mountain is no easy feat. The early American astronauts were actually sent to the desert for survival training. Space is a harsh environment that doesn't make human exploration easy. Protecting astronauts from extreme temperatures and radiation while providing oxygen, food and water in a microgravity environment is challenging. The Multi-Axis trainer was definitely a challenge. There are giant metal circles that move in different directions. You're securely strapped in and your cage is rotating around the connecting point. Because of where and how you rotate, it isn't really sloshing your stomach or masking you feel nauseous. I think I only lasted about 20 seconds. You have to keep your eyes open and head back while you're spinning in all different directions. It felt like a roller coaster without the stomach sinking sensation. Walking on the moon was so fun! You got to try out different techniques including the bunny hop and long stride. It's a unique sensation. According to the USGS, about 71% of the Earth is covered in water! So, even training for spaceflight involves water. The Gemini, Mercury and Apollo capsules landed in the ocean. Astronauts had to egress the capsule after traveling in space. This will also be true for the Orion capsule. The best way to simulate a microgravity environment on Earth is underwater. Astronauts train at the Sonny Carter Training Facility: The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) as part of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. I was able to tour the NBL in 2017 as part of the SEEC Conference. I was extremely fortunate to return to the NBL and complete a survival training in 2018 as part of the SEEC Crew. NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) is a project where astronauts, engineers and scientists live in the underwater research station, Aquarius. Check out the book Astronaut-Aquanaut: How Space Science and Sea Science Interact by: Jennifer Swanson to learn more and share with your students. It's a great nonfiction text for comparing and contrasting. Learning water survival is also crucial to aviation. RocketsYou may have heard of the 1999 movie October Sky. Did you know that it was actually based on the book Rocket Boys by: Homer H. Hickam Jr.? This memoir tells the story of a group of boys from West Virginia who were inspired by Sputnik to build rockets. If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, add them to your list! I was really excited to hear Homer speak and get an autographed copy of his book!! We also got to assemble, decorate and launch Estes model rockets from the Homer H. Hickam Jr. Launchpad! ChallengesCreating a mission patch was a great way to represent everyone. Thanks to Robby for the initial idea and Gillian for the great execution! I've done this activity with students before and definitely want to bring it back. Students can create these on paper or digitally. You can get them made into a patch or a sticker. A great way to bond as a team and develop problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration and communication is by doing a breakout box. You can purchase from Breakout EDU, Teachers Pay Teachers or create your own. We learned about ablative heat shields that are used to protect spacecraft from the intense heat caused by friction upon re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere. Our eggstronaut arrived back to Earth unharmed. Unfortunately, our rover and lander weren't quite as successful. Getting to fly a Tello drone and have it land in my hand was pretty neat. Special GuestsDr. Lawrence DeLucas is an optometrist and Space Shuttle astronaut. He shared the importance of experiments on the ISS; including protein crystal growth in microgravity. David Hitt shared a lot of information about the lesser known Skylab missions. I'm looking forward to learning more in his autographed book, Homesteading Space: The Skylab Story. Not pictured: Trey Cate, Deputy Manager for Strategic Communication for NASA’s Space Launch System. It was really cool to hear all about the SLS and get a poster and stickers to inspire my students. The SLS is the most powerful rocket ever built. It was built for the Artemis program to take us back to the moon and on to Mars. The first launch is scheduled very soon!! In between all of the activities, we were able to see an amazing presentation at the Intuitive Planetarium. We got to check out the exhibits, countless artifacts and numerous planes, helicopters and spacecraft on display in The Davidson Center for Space Exploration, museum and on the grounds of the USSRC. I would highly recommend that you visit the US Space and Rocket Center. In addition to Space Camp, the USSRC is home to The Aviation Challenge, U.S Cyber Camp and Space Camp Robotics. You can attend as an educator, bring a group of students or come with your family. Be on the lookout for scholarships or look into grants. The building below set to open next year will be part of the U.S. Cyber Camp. You may notice that the exterior panels look familiar. Each of these was 3D printed and makes up part of the lunar surface!! If you can believe it, I didn't even include all of the pictures that I took! I could spend an entire post talking about Team Columbus. We earned the Outstanding Team Award and corresponding mission patch. I enjoyed learning, laughing and sweating in the Alabama heat with all of these people. I walked away from this experience with my very own FLIGHT SUIT, inspiration, excitement, ideas to incorporate in my classroom and a truly excellent group of friends! It would not have been possible without the hands down best crew trainer, Brittany. As a Space Camp alumni, I am thrilled to join a distinguished group of current and former astronauts as well as amazing educators! Check out the Hall of Fame! Peace, love and space exploration
- CAPCOM Conrad
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Around the New Year, I often see posts of resolutions, goals and the #oneword for the year. A word I particularly like, that aligns with teaching, long duration spaceflights and also happens to be the title of an awesome book is Endurance. The full title Endurance: My Year in Space and How I Got There, captures the essence of the book. I can't quite recall when I came across the Young Readers Edition, but it was published in 2018. One of the many things I love about the book is how relatable it is... I mean as relatable as an astronaut who accomplished the feat of the longest duration space flight can be. With the middle grade students I work with, the Young Readers Edition wass the best fit. If you're in search of a picture book version however, you're in luck. My Journey to the Stars also written by: Scott Kelly and beautifully illustrated by André Ceolin is great! The lifelong learner version has a slightly different title, Endurance: My Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discoveries, but is also worth exploring. I would also recommend checking out the two-part PBS documentary, A Year in Space. It was adapted from Time's original digital video series. It is available to stream on PBS.org, Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Google Play. Subscription fees differ depending on the platform. It would be great to show the trailer before reading and then watch different parts once you get to that point of the book or wait until after you finish as a celebration. It's whatever works best for you. I think kids often see people in careers that they aspire to have, but have a hard time grasping the steps to get there. As he writes, Scott describes his struggle with school. Unfortunately, school can be a difficulty for many students. While I can't change the system, I can share stories of many people who have endured to overcome difficulty and accomplish amazing things. I can also try to expose my students to a wide variety of STEM careers that will hopefully open their horizon and spark their interest along the way. I LOVE creating curriculum. Bringing resources together, finding the best format and sharing with others is my jam! If it involves space exploration, that just intensifies my excitement. My journey began with Hidden Figures. In fact, that is one of my first blog posts. I created a unit over Spring Break to use with my fifth graders. It was an absolute blast. Endurance is my second space exploration unit anchored with a Young Readers Edition novel. Not only is the book itself extremely interesting, but there is a springboard of topics mentioned that students can take a deeper dive. The goals of my units are to
Both of these units are available on my TPT store, CAPCOM Conrad's Creations. Check out this free unit overview to give you more information about all that it entails. WakeletI enjoy using Wakelet to curate resources. I like to think of it as a Hyperdoc 2.0. Wakelet helps keep things organized with titles, editing and the ease of rearranging links. It allows the user to see what the link that they're clicking on is. Plus, you to watch video clips within the platform so that you don't have to go to a separate site. It is easy to create an account, share with others or even search for existing Wakelets. Endurance is split into three parts. So, I created three Wakelets; one to accompany each part. These are all linked within the Unit Overview, but you can also access each one directly by clicking below. Part 1 - Learning to Fly Part 2 - Space Part 3 - My Year in Space LimitlessAnother word that relates to me this year is Limitless. I am excited to be a part of the inaugural group of Limitless Educators representing the Limitless Space Institute. I'm very thankful to Kaci Heins, Director of Education at LSI, and the rest of the team for recognizing the importance of education in making the limitless future possible. SEECIt's also the time of the year again for me to try to convince you to attend the best Professional Development ever... The Space Exploration Educators Conference #SEEC! This amazing three day event hosted by Space Center Houston is an absolute blast! Connecting with educators from around the world, taking behind the scenes tours, learning from experts in the space industry and being able to bring all of the passion, enthusiasm and photos back to inspire your students is priceless! In case I haven't quite persuaded you, check out my previous posts recapping my SEEC experiences. If it's not in the cards for you this year, definitely keep it in mind for the future! There are scholarships available and even a template letter to help communicate the importance to school administrators. Peace, love and space exploration,
- CAPCOM Conrad It's been way too long since my last post! With new jobs and graduate school, this passion project took a back seat. I'm happy to say that in December, I earned my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in STEM Education. I've been able to continue to learn about space exploration and teach bits and pieces to my students, but I haven't been sharing with others as much. This year, I was back in the classroom; extremely fortunate to teach STEM and Project Lead the Way (PLTW) to fifth and sixth graders. Like any new mission, it took some training, had its ups and down and at times was quite the ride. I would imagine that teachers across the world would probably identify with at least part of that previous statement, if not all of it. I enjoyed the new challenge and know that I could not have been successful with my supportive crew members, specifically my awesome teaching partner! Environment of ExplorationStudents work through the LAUNCH Cycle, which is a design thinking framework. It is adaptable and a great fit for engineering design challenges. It allows us to not only be consistent with structure, but terminology as well. I love the LAUNCH Cycle for many reasons. It's helpful to use because as an acronym each letter stands for a phase. It's no surprise that I'm a fan of the theme. There is a book to reference and printable resources. You can read more information in this blog post by John Spencer, one of the creators. I chose Martian explorers as my table groups. I designed these in Canva, laminated and attached to colorful yarn. My plan is to create QR codes for students to scan to learn more about their mission. The ISS Above was definitely the centerpiece! I am so thankful to CASIS for the 100 schools grant and Liam Kennedy for creating it. You can write a grant to get one for your classroom. There are so many learning opportunities including; locations on a world map, identifying landforms, determining cloud types, researching biographies of crew members, examining mission patches and watching extravehicular activities (EVAs aka space walks). I was able to get crafty to recreate the motto of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. JPL is the home of the Martian missions. Additional Decor:
NASA has a plethora of amazing photographs, video clips, infographics and mission posters that you can print for your classroom or enhance your lessons with visuals. Recently Updated Pages
Better World Books is a great resource to buy used books in great condition. Many are former library books. For every book you purchase, BWB donates a book to someone in need. Their grants fund literacy, educational nonprofits and libraries. You can donate books and if it is unable to be sold, it is recycled. Shipping is free. They frequently have sales and you can earn points for books you purchase
I'm also thrilled to announce that I'll be heading to Space Camp in a few days!! Peace, love and space exploration
- CAPCOM Conrad 2020 was a challenging year to say the least! When it all seemed to get too overwhelming, I thought of my grandpa's advice. 'Look up! That light that you see traveled billions of light years to get to you.' It's a great reminder that there is something bigger out there that connects us all. International Space StationContrary to popular belief; agreement and collaboration for the greater good are possible. In fact, last year marked the 20th Anniversary of continuous human presence on the International Space Station. That is a huge feat considering it's an effort of 5 space agencies and 15 countries. Not to mention the fact that it has been constructed and repaired by astronauts who speak different languages all while orbiting the Earth at 17,500 mph. Google Arts and Culture put together an amazing collection of resources to explore. Launch America2020 also marked the beginning of the Commercial Crew Program. We successfully launched two crews on SpaceX Dragon capsules to the International Space Station in May and November. ArtemisNASA also announced the Artemis team. The Artemis mission to land the first woman on the moon in 2024! Learn more about the eighteen men and women who are part of this incredible group of astronauts. Our students are the Artemis generation! There are numerous ways to incorporate the Artemis missions in your classroom with posters, design challenges, and activities. GEt STudents InvolvedRegardless of your grade level, content area or mode of instruction, space exploration is a great fit. It promotes crucial 21st century skills and helps prepare students for a future in STEM! Plant the Moon Challenge Participate in "a global science experiment, learning activity and inspirational project-based learning challenge to see who can grow the best crops using lunar regolith simulant." Register by January 15th!! NASA Moon 2 Mars Tynker partnered with NASA to create space-themed coding adventures from beginner to advanced levels.
Mark Your Calendars27th Annual SEEC Conference February 4 - 6, 2021 It's difficult to believe that this amazing event is only a month away! This year is 100% virtual. So, you won't have to worry about writing sub plans, booking flights or finding a hotel. It is definitely not something you want to miss! Even if you can't attend the sessions live, registration cost covers access to all sessions and virtual tours for a year! Perseverance Landing on Mars February 18, 2021 @NASAPersevere #CountdowntoMars @NASAJPL Better Late Than NEverFull disclosure: I meant to send the following links about a month ago. I still think they're worth sharing despite the timing. Maybe you like to get a head start on next year's shopping, have money saved up or are on the hunt for something special for friends, family members or even yourself, you should check out these collections. Every year, Purdue University's INSPIRE Research Institute for Pre-College Engineering creates an Engineering Gift Guide. This goal of the guide to recommend items for ages 10 months - 18 years that promote engineering practices like coding, spatial reasoning, problem solving and critical thinking. The guide includes toys, games, puzzles and books and you can search by category or age. If you're wanting more space exploration specific items including clothes, books, games and activities, check out my Wakelet collection. Peace, love and space exploration,
- CAPCOM Conrad Regardless of your setting (virtual, hybrid or in person), your class size or the age of your students' , space exploration is a great fit! There are so many opportunities to bring it into your classroom. Contests and ChallengesNASA App Development Challenge
Celebrate World Space Week ~ October 4th - 10th - Hosted by the Space Foundation Discovery Center Check out the schedule of daily virtual events for all ages! NASA Commercial Crew 2021 Children's Artwork Calendar Contest
For previous calendars, additional contest rules, themes, calendar template and submission information, click on the link above. Prompt " imagine leading a one-week expedition at the Moon’s South Pole – with the whole world cheering you on. Tell us about the types of skills, attributes, and/or personality traits that you would want your Moon Pod crew to have and why. How many would be in your pod? And of course you’ll need high tech gear and gadgets! In your essay, also describe one machine, robot, or technology that you would leave on the lunar surface to help future astronauts explore the Moon."
11th Annual International Student Art Contest sponsored by the Space Foundation and Firefly Aerospace Upcoming EventsWillow the Water Bear written by: Houston Kidd, illustrated by: Eric Bates
Bob and Doug were part of the first launch of the Commercial Crew program in May when their historic Demo-2 mission headed to the International Space Station. It was celebrated as a return to American soil as the first manned spacecraft since the Space Shuttle to launch from 39A at Kennedy Space Center. It was also significant as the program is a collaboration and the spacecraft was from a commercial company. Crew - 1 is the next Commercial Crew launch. Four astronauts (Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins and Soichi Noguchi) will be traveling to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket. This event is currently scheduled for October 23, 2020. However, like the previous mission, this date is fluid and can change based on numerous things including weather. This year, we celebrate 20 years of continuous human presence on the International Space Station! The goal is to connect space station research to K - 12 classrooms. Each month has a theme and includes related multimedia, infographics, videos and activities.
Opportunities for TeachersInternational STEAM Summit ~ October 12th - 23rd
Space Foundation Teacher Liaison Program
1) Community Outreach 2) Teacher Education 3) Space Foundation Connection 4) Student Engagement
AIAA Foundation Classroom Grant Program
Grants for Teachers This list has been curated by the Space Foundation and is updated on a quarterly basis. What to WatchWhether you're looking for comedy, drama, fiction or documentaries, there are several recently released or upcoming shows and movies available. Space Force - Netflix series Away - Netflix series Challenger: The Final Flight - Netflix documentary The Right Stuff - Disney + series available October 9th Read OnBooks below are listed in order of release date.
The other website tabs will also be updated with this information for future reference!
Peace, love and space exploration, CAPCOM Conrad
The idea that innovation is necessary was cemented for me this past spring. We, as teachers had to be flexible and adapt. This is definitely a strength of educators, but the situation was unexpected and to some degrees we weren't prepared. To prepare our students for an unknown future, innovation is crucial.
How are we going to help our students continue to move forward, regardless of the format of "school"?
Design challenges may be my favorite thing to create and teach! I love being able to have students more meaningfully connect with content in a hands on way. Their creativity continues to blows me away. Providing them with the structure (criteria and constraints) allows me to facilitate and students to be in the driver's seat. It gives them choice in how to show their learning. It also makes it a more memorable and fun experience. Provide students with criteria and constructs and a design challenge can be a quick 5 minute activity, class period performance assessment or even an entire unit.
​If you're wanting to start small, introduce this to your kiddos or get your feet wet, try the Challenge Generator. You can choose between a STEM Education or Design focus. There are three categories; Inventions, Build & Engineer or Create & Draw.
If you're a regular reader, the following may seem familiar. I've talked about these resources in previous blog posts. Science Learning thru Engineering Design (SLED) process before. There are many design challenges that target K - 6 science concepts and include books to read to support learning. I model all of the design challenges after this model as I have found it to be the best structure for design challenges in the classroom. ENGR Teams is another great one. It is targeted to 4th - 8th grades. Both were developed at Purdue University with NSF grants and can be adapted to better fit your standards and learners' needs.
If you're looking for additional tools or resources to promote design thinking in your classroom, try The LAUNCH Cycle and Innovators Compass. The best thing about both of these tools is their adaptability. The LAUNCH Cycle is an acronym so each letter represents a phase, so it's easier to remember. There is also a corresponding symbol for each phase to help visual learners. The last phase, LAUNCH to an Audience, is a great way to incorporate a speaking and listening component for presentations. It is detailed in the book, Launch: Using the Design Thinking Process to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student by: AJ Juliani & John Spencer. Not to mention, the book cover is a rocket! Check out the free printable resources.
The Innovators Compass is a great tool for students to look at a problem from many different viewpoints. The variety of graphic organizers allow for easy differentiation and scaffolding. ​
PBS Design Squad partnered with NASA to create Space Exploration themed design challenges too!
Below, I've put together a small list of design challenges mostly targeted around space exploration. Some are competitive during in the summer, while others extend or don't have deadlines. Regardless, you can incorporate these into your classroom.
Next Moon STep
This design challenge is brought to you by Future Engineers, the same group that led the Name the Rover contest.
K-12 students are tasked with creating an original "image of your footprint (photo or artwork) and tell us what you would say, in 20 words or less, if you were the next person to step foot on the Moon." Submission Deadline = July 21st @ 11:59 Eastern time Reinvent the Rover Wheel
Future Engineers are preparing for the upcoming launch of the Perseverance Rover to Mars with this challenge.
Submission Deadline = July 26th @ 11:59 PST Nasa's Lunar Loo ​Challenge
This one is more geared for older students (high school and college). As we look toward the future, astronauts "will need a toilet that has all the same capabilities as ones here on Earth. Therefore, NASA is calling on the global community for their novel design concepts for compact toilets that can operate in both microgravity AND lunar gravity. These designs may be adapted for use in the Artemis lunar landers that take us back to the Moon. Although space toilets already exist and are in use (at the International Space Station, for example), they are designed for microgravity only. NASA’s Human Landing System Program is looking for a next-generation device that is smaller, more efficient, and capable of working in both microgravity and lunar gravity. This challenge includes a Technical category and Junior category."
Submission Deadline = August 25th Home on the Moon
This interactive project led by the Aldrin Family Foundation is a great way to get your students, your family, friends or coworkers thinking about the future of space exploration . Create a team, choose the best location for a moon outpost and submit proposals informing and defending your choices.
​For additional information, resources and registration, click on the link below. Nasa Spotlite
NASA Spotlites are short (90 - 120 seconds) videos created by students to help debunk scientific misconceptions. So, NASA needs you to create videos to be a part of their eClips website.
"One of NASA’s goals is to improve scientific literacy, or our understanding of science. The goal of the video is to engage students in doing activities that can help change their misconceptions about a topic in science." Find more information; including necessary components of your video, things to research, tips and rubric. Be sure to register your team by clicking on the button below. Design Your Habitat
Activities from the SciArt exchange. Each week focuses on a related topic and flows through Think, Create, and Experience phases including videos from awesome guest speakers. ​
Bonus
This is a design challenge that I created for students while they were doing eLearning. The great thing about this is that you can adapt it to fit your classroom; students and content area. It can be done in person, but it can also be assigned virtually.
I hope that you'll consider how to incorporate design challenges into your classroom. Check out the Resources Tab to help support you in this Endeavor :) It truly is a game changer and helps students develop those "soft" skills like collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, deadlines, etc that will help them be successful in your classroom and beyond!
Peace, love and space exploration, CAPCOM Conrad
These colorful, crunchy, chocolate candies are even enjoyed by astronauts. However, like many things, there is a slight modification compared to Earth. These sweet treats are more accurately referred to as candy coated chocolates. They are vacuum sealed and labelled before being sent to space.
Now that you're hungry for a snack, I'm going to take this post in a different direction. It's not about candy, but it is about fun. M & M's actually stands for mission patches and moon shoes! These are two activities that are a sure to be a hit with many of your students!
Mission PatchesFun fact: While space exploration has made mission patches popular, it's not where they started. Mission patches were used in the military long before. They made their entrance to the space exploration world as many of the first NASA astronauts had military backgrounds. In fact, the first actual mission patch was for Gemini 5 designed by astronaut Gordon Cooper. Mission patches have been created to commemorate previous missions, but are not actually official patches. Can you imagine if your job was to design mission patches? How could would that be! It is an actual job by the way!​
There are many lesson plans written for mission patch creation this because there are numerous ways that you can incorporate this activity with your students, family or even colleagues. It would be a great beginning of the year activity to help get to know your students better, by allowing them to express themselves with a personal patch. It could even help build your classroom community by creating a collective patch. Each student or team could create their version and vote on the one that best represents the class. It's also an opportunity to incorporate art and creativity into your class or collaborate with your art teacher! You can lead a VTS discussion while exploring the variety of mission patches that exist.
There are so many options for the final product depending on your students and your purpose. I've done this with different groups and each iteration was slightly different. With my 5th graders, we had a Mission Patch design challenge as part of our Earth and Space Unit. We provided students with criteria and constraints, but encouraged creativity. We chose two students to have their patches 3D printed. The Robotics & Design teacher at our school traced their drawings, scanned and then 3D printed them.
When I was teaching at the GERI Super Saturday program at Purdue and working with our school extracurricular all-girls STEAM Team, kiddos created buttons.
- First they traced the circle on paper to make sure their design would fit. Depending on the age of your students or amount of time, you could give them a paper with the templates already there. * I encouraged them to trace a few circles, so that they had space to sketch out different options in pencil and practice. - Then, they created their final version that was cutout and put inside the button. Note: When purchasing, there were different options for the backs; a pin or a keychain. The kiddos could wear these or put them on their backpack or lunchbox, etc. They also come in a variety of sizes. ​​I bought a pack at Hobby Lobby, but you can find them on Amazon.
I also seem to have a lot of name tag lanyards with name tag pouches from conferences and professional developments I've attended. So, a few weeks ago, my niece and nephews designed mission patches with their names to fit in the plastic.
Your mission patch can be a drawing on paper or fabric, printed on a piece of cardstock, banner or fabric, purely a digital file, 3D printed or even become a sticker! Making a shrinky dink mission patch would be pretty awesome too! Paper versions could be laminated and become bag tags. If you have a Cricuit or Silhouette machine at your disposal, you could really expand your options.
Physical
Designing Digitally
Printing
I've found it's great to provide students with real examples. I like learning about the symbolism represented by each patch. I would recommend the Mission Patch Handbook. The handbook has Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle mission patches and information about the mission. There is also a corresponding poster that is a great reference. My poster is hanging up at school.
The book, poster and even physical patches are available from the Space Center Houston gift shop, SpaceTrader. ​
Below is a Wakelet collection of resources to support you as you teach your students more about mission patches including video clips, articles, a podcast, and printable options for the lesson. ​
Moon Shoes
Not quite what the astronauts are wearing on spacewalks, but a fun way to feel microgravity on Earth. I remember wearing these as a kid at camp or daycare and was happy to discover that they are still around! ​I ordered mine on Amazon. ​
I've used them as a station where students wear them and then describe what it was like by writing it down or recording a Flipgrid. Depending on the weight of the person, you may need to add or get rid of bands. You could even do an experiment to see if students notice a difference between having fewer or more bands. Challenge students to come up with a word that describes the experience without using a word that someone else has used. This could be done in a variety of formats; a collective graffiti wall, Word Cloud in Mentimeter or fill in a Jamboard (Google Product) or Padlet (virtual bulletin board).
I've also had students walk a specified distance and use unifix cubes to build a single 10 cube tall tower. Then, I had them repeat the process wearing moon shoes. Both were timed and students compared their results (with and without moon shoes). Students could even create a their own moon shoe print! Whatever you decide to do, they are an absolute blast!
Whether you're planning for the next school year, helping with summer events or want to do something fun with your kids, hope you can try these out. Mission patches can even be done as a virtual assignment, in case you're in need of those.
Peace, love and space exploration,
​- CAPCOM Conrad Wow, what an exciting time for space exploration! Next week is the planned launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on the Falcon 9 Rocket. This Demo-2 mission will take off from the famous launchpad 39A at Kennedy Space Center and head to the ISS. This is historic because it is the first time since 2011 where American astronauts will launch from America soil. This is part of the Commercial Crew Program, a partnership between NASA, SpaceX and Boeing. I'm excited to be participating in the virtual NASA social. Whether you're wrapping up the school year or looking for ways to stay connected this summer, the fun has already started! I've put together a timeline of virtual space related events; both professional development opportunities and student activities. Thursday May 21stSCIC SCIENCE IS COOLExploring business innovation to enhance science education. Virtual Unconference for Cool Teachers ~ 12 - 8pm Central Time KeyNote is StarTalk: Cosmic Queries with Neil deGrasse Tyson and his comic co-host Chuck Nice. The Curiosity Rover:A Day and Life on MarsZoom presentation at 3pm. If you're curious for more, I'd recommend the wonderful illustrated and informative book Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover by: Markus Motum. Fri May 22nd - Virtual Camp OutSpace Center Houston puts on this amazing event! Keep in mind * Houston is on Central Time, so it says 6-9pm. Register with the link below. It's FREE, but donations are accepted. Note: In person, this event is generally a $70/person! Hands-on activities from home and guest speaker, Apollo astronaut Fred Haise. Future dates are June 5th & 19th. Launch Day = Wednesday May 27th!There are so many ways that you, your families and your students can be involved in this amazing event! Read the Astro-Not-Yets ebook, practice piloting the SpaceX Dragon in the SpaceX simulator or even assemble, launch and dock your own Commercial Crew Program vehicle with the Rocket Science: Ride to Station app. Click to view the awesome book created by NASA Office of STEM Engagement that explains the process with beautiful photos. Be sure to tune into NASATV for the live broadcast starting at 12:15pm EDT and leading up to the launch, which is scheduled for 4:33pm and continuing to docking with the ISS. Take virtual tours of the NASA facilities including the Johnson and Kennedy Space Center as well as the Print the mission patch, mission poster, LAUNCH America poster, Crew Dragon bookmark and trading cards for the astronauts. Follow along on social media with #LAUNCHAmerica May 30th - 31stNasa Space Apps Covid-19 ChallengeUsing data from a variety of sources (NASA, ESA, JAXA, CSA, and CNES) , you will tackle COVID-19 in this global, virtual hackathon! Choose a region and learn more about the variety of exciting challenges! Innovation Gateway ChallengeTask: Design astronaut meals for the space station. **Be sure to turn in your submissions by 6pm on May 31st. Two levels of competition. Click the button below to access criteria, constraints, resources and additional information. June 18th - Blast Off with STEMHosted by Depauw University Development and Alumni Engagement, in collaboration with the Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana A STEM adventure with special guest co-host, Commander Valerie Hunter from the Challenger Learning Center. She will teach us all about NASA space travel, the Moon, and much more! You won't want to miss our STEM experiment: a hands-on, real-life look into astronaut work! 3-4pm EDT ~ All ages welcome Register for free at the link below. June 22nd - 24th = STEM Teachers Summit$39 before June 22nd, $59 after June 22nd 18 hours of Professional Development Able to access to all content and sessions for up to a year, if you miss or want to go back! 3rd Annual Dr. Rochelle Abrams Space Across the Curriculum Teacher Professional DevelopmentApplication DUE: June 26th - Open to ALL formal and informal educators! - $25 processing fee, if selected to attend **Scholarships are also available. Session 1 = July 20th - 24th *8am - 4pm MDT (intro session on July 17th) - OR - Session 2 = July 27th - 31st *8am - 4pm MDT (intro session on July 24th) Focus This Year = Mission Asteria: Creating a Lunar Outpost We are entering a new era in space exploration, an era in which we will be headed “Back to the Moon, and on to Mars,” with an expected industry boom from a current $350 billion to an anticipated $1.1 TRILLION by the 2040’s! This kind of staggering growth will bring with it a slew of new jobs . . . jobs that have yet to be imagined! This Lunar Outpost Project will equip you to train the NEXT generation of scientists, engineers, and space explorers, sitting right in your classroom, for positions within the aerospace community! Through an immersive, project-based learning, educational experience, participants will embark on a journey to develop the very first Human Lunar Outpost, culminating in a presentation, shark-tank style, which will need to include ALL THINGS REQUIRED for a new space civilization! · Tuition for the class, minus a $25 non-refundable processing fee · The Buck Institute’s “Project-Based Learning in Elementary Grades” OR “Project-Based Learning Starter Kit for Middle or High School” (You will be prompted to choose the appropriate book for the grade level you teach during the application process.) · A One Year Subscription to Teamworks - an added value of $1,640.00 (https://www.teamwork.com/) · $300 stipend (This will be mailed in the form of a check after the completion of the final survey.) · 30 Professional Development Hours (Certificate will be provided after the completion of the final survey.) I attended the inaugural Space Across the Curriculum Workshop in person at the Space Foundation Discovery Center three years ago and it was awesome! Check out the blog post about my experience. June 29th - SciAcess 2020FREE day-long virtual conference for all ages Led by The Ohio State University's Department of Astronomy and Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics, in partnership with NASA and SciAccess Initiative. The event is dedicated to promoting diversity and disability inclusion in STEM. Keynote presentation is by Astronaut Soyeon Yi, the first and only South Korean Astronaut. Attendees will also learn from an international group of experts in accessible science, including Dr. Nic Bonne, a vision impaired astronomer, Dr. Sarmistha Talukdar, a molecular biologist and Autistic self-advocate, and Julia Velasquez, who aspires to become the first Deaf space explorer. July 20th - 24thTeachers - ICE CONFERENCEThis year, Indiana Connected Educators (ICE) Conference is all digital and FREE! So, get ready for "5 Days. 80 + EdTech Leaders. 40 + Authors. 90 + Hours of Big Ideas, Resources, Connections and Inspiration. Delivered to Your Laptop. " @IndConnectED #INConnectED #ICEIndiana #stayhome From the Solar System to the CosmosA virtual astronomy workshop for teachers and middle school through college students led by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and presented by the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA). ~ 3 hours/ day
~ Events with Multiple Dates ~June 1st - August 7th |
Mission Control - Record step-by-step directions to describe how to draw an icon to the astronauts | Astronaut - Draw based on directions - Update progress and clarify information given |
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Apollo 13 fan. Educator. Lifelong Learner. Third generation Boilermaker. Space Exploration Enthusiast. Collaborator.
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