Individual Field Trip Options: $7/student

Note: For each field trip below, as a dramatic conclusion to your visit to the planetarium we will take a virtual tour through actual Milky Way data to ponder the age-old question of whether there may be other life out there. This exploration will focus on the several hundred exoplanets discovered so far, and our human radio signature we’ve been sending out into the galaxy ever since the 1930s.

Moon Phases (1.5 hours) – includes:

• Our Place in Space planetarium show
• Visual exploration of what causes night and day (using specialized software programs that allow viewers to feel they are floating in space)
• Demonstration of Moon phases and why the Moon appears to change shapes in a regular pattern using the dome as the physical model

Note: We recommend that the class complete a full month of moon observation prior to coming to the planetarium for this educational experience. Click here for a web-based moon-phase observation chart that can be printed.

Seasons (1.5 hours) – includes:

• Oasis in Space planetarium show
• Discussion of what makes Earth suited to support life (e.g. Goldilock’s principle: not too hot/not too cold)
• Visual exploration of Earth’s temperature patterns with seasonal regularities highlighted

   

Also available for elementary schools is a traditional planetarium show followed by a star talk: 1 hour/$5 per student.

Spend the day at the planetarium: $14/student 

Schedule a morning 1.5 hour experience, break for a brown bag lunch in the planetarium lobby or outside courtyard, and come back into the planetarium dome for a second 1.5 hour experience.

Below are some recommended combinations that may be of interest, but you may combine any of our field trip offerings to fit your needs.

Recommended Option #1

Seasons + Moon Phases

Combines explorations of Earth-Sun interactions (Seasons) with Earth-Moon-Sun interactions (Phases of Moon) to collectively encompass a thorough description of the interactions of these three most prominent astronomical objects.

Recommended Option #2

Either Seasons or Moon Phases + Your choice of show & star talk

Combines a pedagogically structured experience that is closely tied to many curricula with a flexible option of engaging shows from which to select.

Click here for a detailed handout on field trip offerings for Grades K-3.