Home School Astronomy:
Exploring
the Solar System
Our Solar System - This introductory class will take students on a journey from the creation of our solar system to the present day. Learn how our sun and planets formed, how we measure outer space, and the structure of our solar system. Students will act out the Solar System to help them understand how immensely far apart the planets are.
Our Sun - What powers the Sun? This class will provide an introduction into nuclear fusion, properties of the fourth state of matter, as well as the structure and composition of the Sun. Also, learn about the many ways that our star affects our solar system.
The Rocky Inner Planets - Explore the four inner planets. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are four very different and interesting worlds. Learn about the formation and characteristics of rocky planets. We will visit each rocky planet in the planetarium and learn about its unique environment.
The Gas Giant Outer Planets - Discover the four outer planets. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are balls of gas hundreds of times the size of our Earth. Learn about the bizarre weather patterns that rage in their cold atmospheres. There is much to learn and much still to learn about these ever-changing worlds.
The Moons of Our Solar System - Our moon is the only place in space that humans have visited, so far. Learn about where our moon came from and what Earth would be like without it. Then we will explore some of the other planets’ moons. Discover frigid oceans, ice volcanoes, and more on the moons of the Gas Giants.
Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets - There has been a lot of buzz lately in the astronomy community about the smaller objects in our solar system. Learn about Pluto and what scientific discoveries lead to its reclassification as a Dwarf Planet. Explore the outer reaches of our solar system where comets come from.
Exploration of our Solar System - Learn about the past, present, and future space missions. See the planets through the eyes of the many orbiters and landers we have sent into space. Also learn about the history and future of human space flight.
Could We Terraform Mars or Venus? Terraforming is the idea of using science and technology to transform the landscape and atmosphere of an inhospitable planet to make it more like Earth. Right now, this idea is purely science fiction; however, there are some people who think it might be possible to transform our nearest neighbors, Mars or Venus. The students in this final class will work in groups and use what they learned about the planets, the sun, and the rest of the solar system to decide if some day we could transform these planets.
Telescope Night: Included in this class is a telescope evening. The date of this night is still to be determined and will be based on weather and student availability. Planetarium staff will show students how to set up and use a telescope. Students are welcome to bring their own ‘scopes if they have them or use ours.
Click for Pricing information and to Register Online!
Our Home School Astronomy Class is for students between the ages of 10 and 14. Parents are welcomed to audit the class for a fee. Younger children are not permitted in the planetarium during class time. Parents with younger children can tour The Children’s Museum free of charge during the class period. For more information about our Home School Astronomy Class please contact Assistant Planetarium Director, Kyra Elliott at 860.231.2824 x24 or kelliott@thechildrensmuseumct.org • One hour of lecture, accompanied by use of the planetarium dome/projector to illustrate concepts. • One hour lab/activity period where the students will see special science demonstrations and participate in hands-on activities relating to the topic of the lecture. • Key concepts and terminology used by astronomers, as well as applications of chemistry, physics, geology, and meteorology. • Take home information.
Where - The Travelers ScienceDome Planetarium (950 Trout Brook Drive West Hartford, CT)
When- Thursdays 1:00 - 3:00 PM starting February 1st (Skipping Feb. 23rd); 8 weeks.
Join us in Connecticut’s largest digital planetarium
for a special eight week class! Winter of 2012.
Home School Astronomy Classes
950 Trout Brook Dr
West Hartford CT
06119 See map
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q May 21, 2013 at 01:25 pm
"Minimal impact" means some. Retiring debts over the next few years is a good thing and…Read More doesn't mean you should borrow more. Perhaps when those debts are paid off there will be a little more money available to meet the basic needs of the schools and the town departments. As wonderful as the expansion sounds, it is not an immediate need - it is a "want". We know the potential benefits of the expansion. Please give specifics as to the cost per taxpayer per year and for how long to pay off this specific project. Thank you.
Betty-Lou Griffin May 21, 2013 at 11:48 am
The "complete reworking of the library" only included HVAC renovations being done on the…Read More whole building, repair of the leaking roof and skylight that was ruining the library, and replacement of the circulation desk. No space was added. I am glad to hear that you recognize the benefits of expanded library space.
Town Manager Steven Werbner has indicated that Tolland will be retiring several debts over the next several years, and this expansion would therefore have minimal impact on Tolland's debt burden or tax level. If we wait, multiple existing grant opportunities may disappear.
Let's NOT wait another decade to address this problem. Let's at least send it to public hearing and referendum so that we can have a sincere and wide-reaching community discussion on this important issue, and allow our citizens the OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE.
q May 21, 2013 at 09:33 am
Love the idea of an expanded library space, but is the time really now? We couldn't even afford to…Read More fully fund our school and town budgets for next year. We will be experiencing a lower quality of education and reduced town services and until we can bring that back up to par we should not be taking on new debt. Just a quick look at next year's budget shows we are still paying on the new High School, the Geothermal project, bonding for roads improvement, sewers, open space bonds, Cross Farms development, the new Library roof, and now the artificial turf/lights project at THS. Even if some grants are available to help with the cost, the Library Expansion Project will add more debt for the town (taxpayers). Is this really the time to do that?
q May 21, 2013 at 10:10 am
Love the idea of an expanded library, but we saw with this latest school/town budget that this town…Read More cannot afford to maintain the level of education and town services we now have. How much will this library extension cost per year per taxpayer? Perhaps we should pay off some of our existing debt (including all the new debt incurred in just the past 3 years) before taking on new.
Also, you mention the need for quiet tutoring rooms. Are these paid tutors you're referring to? If so, will they be charged rental fees for using the spaces paid for by the taxpayers? Aren't there spaces available at the new Rec Center at Parker? How about space at the schools? With fewer teachers and fewer students there are now empty classrooms.