Homeschool Astronomy Class @ Travelers ScienceDome Planetarium

The Travelers ScienceDome Planetarium at The Children's Museum in West Hartford is pleased to announce its new Homeschool Astronomy Class. Join us in Connecticut 's largest digital planetarium for a special eight week class about the Solar System. Our class is designed for home-schooled children between the ages of 10 and 14. The class will meet once per week on Wednesday afternoons between 1:00 and 3:00 PM starting September 28th. Each class will consist of one hour of lecture inside the planetarium; lecture will be accompanied by use of the planetarium dome/projector to illustrate concepts. The second hour will consist of a lab/activity period where the students will see special science demonstrations and participate in hands-on activities relating to the topic of the lecture. The main focus of this class is Solar System Astronomy. Students will learn key concepts and terminology used by astronomers. Within each class the students will also learn applications of chemistry, physics, geology, and meteorology.

Week 1: 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.

Week 2: 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.

Week 3: 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.

Week 4: 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.

Week 5: 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.

Week 6: 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.

Week 7: 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.

Week 8: 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.

Cost for the whole course is $120 for the first student and $100 for additional students in each family. There is also a $20 per student materials fee. This cost includes all eight weeks plus the telescope night. There is no refund for missed classes. Parents are welcome to audit the class for a fee of $50. Parents with smaller children are welcome to tour the museum for free during the class time; however younger children are not allowed into the planetarium 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

To register for this class please call 860.231.2824 x44 or email Registration@TheChildrensMuseumCT.org

Kristie M. Mazzoni

Planetarium Director

Travelers Science Dome

The Children's Museum

950 Trout Brook Drive

West Hartford CT 06119

860-231-2830 x40

Lego Engineering classes

Passing this along from Karen Cupit, contact her if you are interested.

Lego Fundamentals is again offering classes! Levels 1 and/or 2 can be offered.

Please contact Karen Cupit ASAP if you are interested at 860-895-1134 or cupit_kj@sbcglobal.net. We will set up a class according to interest. Classes will start in mid to late September.

Location TBD, but I will try for Whiton Library in Manchester again.

For more information go to Play-Well’s web site: http://play-well.org/classes/

Used Curriculum Sale

Passing this along from Regina Sanchez ESTHERSOS@aol.com

USED CURRICULUM SALE

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13TH

11 AM - 3 PM

402 POND BRIDGE ROAD, WINDSOR

Come and make your last minute purchases as you begin to prepare for the next school year.

Books by Apologia, Abeka, Bob Jones, Saxon, and many reference books ... to name a few!

Come for some friendship, encouragement, guidance, suggestions and ice tea!

FIELD TRIP to the Massachusetts Tower Hill Botanical Gardens

Passing this along from Diane Connors.......

FIELD TRIP to the Massachusetts Tower Hill Botanical Gardens

11 French Drive

Boylston, Massachusetts

Thursday, September 29, 2011 (deadline is 9/14 for payment receipt & completed registration)
arrival meeting time: 10 – 10:10 AM


General Admission Fee: $7/adult, $3/child, 5 & under are free

Rain or shine? Yes. This trip is partially outdoors, mostly indoors.

Class Admission Fee: The rate for those children participating in a class program (1-2 hours) would be $7/child (includes admission). They are also welcome to tour
the inside/outside grounds, too. There are no refunds as monies are committed to paying for the given headcount.

Time: Please leave wiggle room for traveling time and plan to arrive before 10 AM.

Description: For this trip families have the option of registering for the general admission or the classes. The self-guided tour is quite impressive.
Scavenger hunts are available for children who are viewing the gardens, and there are maps for everyone to use for visiting.

There will be 3 classes that will be custom designed for the grade levels for the children, and size is limited to ten. DRESS FOR THE WEATHER as portions
of the class time will be spent outdoors. The first paid registrants will get the spaces and the fee will be committed to the organization so there will be no refunds.
I’ll be asking for one chaperone
for every ten children registered for a class, as well as an alternate in case one is needed. The person that actually is
the chaperone will have their adult admission refunded to them at the event.

The Gardens are inside and outside and include many acres
of floral beauty. You can see the varied gardens listed here to the right of the photo: http://www.towerhillbg.org/thwebgar.html
There is also a gourmet café and a Gift Shop. http://www.towerhillbg.org/thwebsvectwigs.html
Facts about Tower Hill here: http://www.towerhillbg.org/TH_SEVCstats11.pdf

Make & Take Worm Composting
CLASS 10:15 AM – 11:15
for children entering grades 3-5 (15 max)

Tree Identification
CLASS 10:15 AM – 12:15
for children entering grades 6-8

Plant Classification in the Systematic Garden
CLASS 10:15 AM – 12:15
for children entering grades 9 - 12 (10 max)

FOR REGISTRATION: Print out TWO copies of *this page* - one for you (so you remember you signed up!) and one for Diane, and follow mailing and payment directions.(cut and paste this portion of the post into a WORD document)
Incomplete registrations will be returned to the sender - please proofread. MARK YOUR CALENDAR, please !

PAYMENT & MAILING: On this date___________________ I sent a check made out to Diane Connors, to pay for
admission for ____________ paid adults and ____________________ paid children, and _________ free
children, to attend the above event. The amount of my check is _____________________________ and
the check number is __________________. I understand there are no refunds and monies are committed
to the above facility as part of the total trip headcount.

Register the following PAID children for the following classes (write out the info): _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mail a copy of this form & check, to: Diane Connors, P.O. Box 629, Columbia, CT 06237.

PAYMENT CONFIRMATION: Diane will confirm our paid space for this trip
by emailing this address (print neatly, I'm old =-)

_________________________________________________________________________________
If the trip is full, checks will be returned to their owner.
If there is a wait list appropriate for this trip, Diane will contact you. If you have questions, EMAIL me at: DrMomOfTen@hotmail.com & give me a few days to reply, though I'm usually more prompt.

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Just Between Friends Consigment sale Aug.19

Passing this along from Karen Cupit..........

Just Between Friends is the nation's leading children's and maternity consignment sales event, offering a Spring and Fall event each year. It is community-based and allows individuals the opportunity to participate as consignors, shoppers, volunteers - or all three. Consignors prepare their "gently-loved" kids clothing (sizes preemie - juniors), toys, equipment, baby items, maternity items and accessories, and price them for sale.

Participating consignors can earn 65-70% on their items. Shoppers get great deals on thousands of items and volunteers help with all aspects of running the sale...as well as get the chance to shop the presale.

Even better, each JBF sale gives back to the community by partnering with local charities to help neighbors in need. Our event will benefit My Sister's Place.

When and Where: The Fall event for the Hartford Area will be held at East Catholic High School in Manchester on August 19 - 20th, 2011. There will be a presale on August 18th for volunteers, consignors, first-time moms and teachers! We will be extending the presale to homeschool parents as well and hope it will be a great way to get ready for Back to School!

For more information contact Andrea DiSalvatore:

(203) 258-1209

adisalvatore@jbfsale.com

www.jbfsale.com (Select "Hartford")

www.facebook.com/jbfhartfordct

Homeschool Day at The Children’s Museum

Homeschool Day at
The Children’s Museum

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

950 Trout Brook Drive
West Hartford, Connecticut 06119 1437
860.231.2824

Welcome to the start of another great year for our popular Science Education Days dedicated to homeschool families. As supporters of your family’s choice for self-directed, home-based education, we invite children who are homeschooled to visit the Museum, tour our exhibits, and take part in classroom and planetarium programs. Our workshops and planetarium shows are appropriate for children from five to thirteen years old.

Because of the popularity of our Homeschool Days, this is just the first of three homeschool days for your family this fall. Be sure to watch for upcoming dates: October 25 and November 29. We also have planned an additional three days after the New Year.

 

View the program schedule to make the best choice for your family. It is our goal that your children receive the maximum learning enjoyment from our variety of programs. We have structured the schedule so you can select up to three different classes. For the September session, we have chosen a theme about “building” and each program will be held in one of our classrooms. The youngest students can be simple engineers, pack, design, and build for the future as they learn what it is like to live and work in space, and study and build habitats for animal survival. Children in the third through fifth grade-range create an eco-friendly habitat, and learn about aerodynamics as they design and build a rocket for future space travel. Older children design and build a lunar base, learn about the human impact on wild habitats and challenge themselves with their knowledge of energy, forces, and motion to make the best selection for your family.

For more info and to register please check out this link: http://www.thechildrensmuseumct.org/homeschool_day.php

Perseids Meteor Shower viewing on August 12, 2011

Join JPL/NASA Solar System Ambassador Bill Fournier and the Lazy Gazers at the Windsor Locks Library to view the Perseids Meteor Shower on

Friday, August 12, 2011 at 7:00 - 11:45 p.m.

Telescope use and general sky watching methods will be demonstrated.  Bring your telescope, binoculars, and a folding chair or blanket, and don't forget the insect repellent! Some telescopes and binoculars will be available if participants do not have their own. Come when you can, and leave when you want!

Parental supervision required for children under age 16.

In case of rain an indoor program will be held in the community room.

To register for this Free program please call the

Windsor Locks Library at 860-627-1495.