Blue Sky Days Blog: Summer Homeschooling

SUMMER HOME SPACE CAMP -

In preparation for Space Camp, you can purchase a telescope (we found a cheap one on Amazon for about $25), or you can download the "Star Walk 2" app on Google Play or the Apple Store to show where the stars are in the sky at any given time. It also maps out the constellations for you. In addition, we purchased little astronaut suits for the kiddos from Amazon to make our astronaut training even more real and exciting.

NASA Online Resources

P.E.: Astronaut Health -

Exercises to work on throughout the week: 20 body weight squats, 20 push-ups, 20 walking lunges, 30 second plank, 10 burpees (Peak Liftoff), bear crawl, crab walk, running stairs, etc. Learn how to do a somersault. Work on endurance, such as running 1/2 mile, then progressing to 1 mile, 2 miles, etc. over time

Vocabulary - Gravity: Gravity is why our solar system (as well as space in general) is arranged the way it is. Gravity is the theory that all things with mass are attracted to each other. Gravity is what holds stars, planets, and people from just floating away. The Earth orbits around the Sun because of its gravity, the Moon orbits around the Earth because of its gravity, the Moon controls the ocean tides on Earth with its gravity, and we don't just float away from the Earth's surface because of gravity. Also, the larger something is, the more gravity it has. This is why a feather will fall slower than a bowling ball.

Monday: Our Solar System - NASA Interactive Website

Media: Watch "The Magic School Bus Gets Lost in Space" on Netflix or YouTube

The planets in our solar system formed from a solar nebula, which was the disc of gas left over by the formation of our Sun. The temperature was too high for gases to condense close to sun, so the rocky material formed into the solid, denser terrestrial planets that are closer to the sun, and the gaseous planets formed further back.

Media: Solar System 101 - while watching, pay close attention to which planet is your favorite and see if you can remember some of the facts about it

We are located in the Milky Way Galaxy. Why is it called the Milky Way? Because of the hazy band of light you can see in the night sky, which is made up of a vast number of faint stars that are not individually distinguishable to the naked eye. If you are in a place with no light pollution and little cloud cover, you can see the Milky Way at night.

Can you tell me the names of the planets of our solar system? Can you tell me in the order of which ones are closest to the Sun to the ones that are furthest away? Why is Pluto not considered a planet anymore?

Mnemonic for Memorization: "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Noodles"

Art: What is your favorite planet?

Draw the planet and write five facts about it
Based on their answers, you can order a "Celestial Buddy" as a souvenir for each of them to receive at the end of Space Camp. This is the same type of plush as "Little Earthy," whom the SpaceX Crew Dragon Team took with them to the ISS

Art/STEM: Solar System Project (we purchased a planetarium to paint via Amazon)
Literature/Reading: You can read The Big Book of Space, If You Decide to Go to the Moon, or the Faces of the Moon
The Moon:

There are many theories on how the Moon formed: Some believe the Moon was once part of Earth. They believe a meteor hit us, broke a piece of us off, and it got stuck in orbit around us while floating away. Some believe it was floating in space and was caught in the Earth's orbit. Some believe, like the video says, that we collided with another planet, and the debris from the collision formed into the Moon over time.
Why are there phases of the Moon?

The Moon revolves around the Earth, and it is illuminated by the Sun at different angles (half of the Moon is always illuminated by the Sun, but we can't always see that full half depending on the Moon's orbit). The phases of the Moon are the angles we can see throughout the Moon's orbit. When the Moon and the Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth, we see it as a Full Moon, and when the Sun and Moon are on the same side of the Earth, we call it a New Moon, and the side we can see is not illuminated by the Sun at all. This diagram is similar to the one I drew for the kids to better understand this.

The Moon is a satellite that orbits Earth. What other satellites are currently orbiting Earth?

Man-made satellites that assist with GPS, cell phone service, internet and TV service, military strategy and communication, etc.
The International Space Station (ISS) is also orbiting Earth

Science: Why are there craters on the Moon? Create Craters on the Moon Experiment - put sand or flour in a cake pan, place outside on the patio or driveway, and throw objects/rocks at it to form your own craters

Tuesday: The Rest of the Universe

The Big Bang Theory - This is the theory that the universe started at a single point, that the mass was all in one big ball, and one day, the massive heat and pressure of it made it explode. This created the universe as it is today, and the universe continues to get bigger and vaster every day.

Would you like to see a video to better explain?

All the stars you see in the night sky are different versions of our Sun in other far off solar systems. About 6,000 or so stars are visible to the naked eye and most are about 1,000 light years away. A light year is how far light can travel in one year. We measure space in light years because light travels faster than anything else in space. 1,000 light years away means that when you look up into the sky at night, you actually have time-traveling abilities. You are looking about 1,000 years into the past to see that star because that is how long it took light to bring the vision of that star to our eyes. It even takes about 8 minutes for the light from the Sun to get to Earth, so when you see the Sun, you are actually seeing what the Sun looked like 8 minutes ago.
Other Solar Systems
The universe is vaster than we can ever comprehend. The Milky Way Galaxy is projected to be about 150-200,000 light years long. Scientists believe that there are about 200-400 billion stars and about 100 billion planets (not all stars host planets) in our galaxy. And that's just one galaxy. Scientists believe there are about 100-200 billion galaxies in our universe, and it is continuously growing.
Stars 101 - Types of Stars; the Evolution of Stars

The brightest star in the night sky is Sirius. It is a Main Sequence star like our Sun
Polaris is probably the most important star system in the night sky. It is called the North Star because it is the closest star to the North Celestial Pole. It is located in the Little Dipper, and if you follow it, you will be heading North. Polaris is actually three stars: two Main Sequence stars orbiting a Yellow Super Giant
Red Super Giant star: Betelgeuse in the Orion constellation

Black Holes 101 - Black Holes are created by Supernovas (or stars imploding into themselves - gravity is constantly pulling a star together, but its fuel (hydrogen) pushes it out; eventually it runs out of hydrogen, so the gravity wins, and it folds in on itself)

Trip to a Black Hole - Interstellar Black Hole scene

Constellations - look like animals, people, and inanimate objects and have been used by people since prehistory to relate to their beliefs, experiences, creation stories, or mythology
Art: Create constellations using marshmallows and toothpicks. You will need constellation templates, black construction paper, and a white crayon or white colored pencil. You can use the Summer Constellation Map to find a constellation to make
Activity: I ordered removable stick-on stars that the kids could put on the ceilings of their rooms

Wednesday: Astronauts

Training to be an astronaut is hard work, but this is what we/they do it for:

Media: Moon Landing Scene from the First Man

Today we earn our Astronaut Badges!
ASTRONAUT TRAINING:

Job: What job do you pick? Do you want to be a pilot, an engineer, a scientist?
Physical:

Run in place (cannot run or walk around on ISS, so need to run the treadmill to keep your legs strong in space)
Crawl through tight spaces (the ISS can be tight sometimes) - you could use a pop-out tunnel or even crawl between the legs of chairs at the kitchen table for this one
Jump as high as you can 10 times (this will help you move around more easily during moon walks)
Spin around in circles 20 times without getting dizzy (the ISS will be constantly rotating while you're on there)
Stand on one foot, put your finger on your nose, and close your eyes for 10 counts on each foot, then walk a straight line on the ground (you could use a rope or something similar) to pass the balance test
Do a somersault or a cartwheel on a mat

Mental:

Following directions (we cut out colored pieces of paper and would give directions quickly, such as yellow, green, green, green, red, yellow, red, yellow, to simulate following the directions given by Mission Control)
Finding patterns (such as red, green, green, red, green, what comes next?)

Final Test: Space walk and build a rocket fort - use your fort building kit from Scandinavia Week to make a rocket. The catch is you have to be tethered to it at all times (we used a dog leash and "D" ring), and when you want to move around, you have to hold onto the rocket with one hand and reconnect your "D" ring to another part of the rocket with the other. If you're not connected to the rocket at any time, you will float away and fail the challenge
Once you pass, you will receive your Astronaut Badge!

Media: Watch A Beautiful Planet on Hulu. This movie was filmed by astronauts at the International Space Station

Thursday: Rocket Ships

Now that you're officially in Astronaut Training, we need to learn how to eat like an astronaut. This is a good opportunity to explain calories and how they are converted to energy, as well as explaining a well-balanced diet (food pyramid). Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. During this complex process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to focus. Fats supply the most energy at 9 calories per gram, and carbohydrates and protein provide 4 calories per gram. There are also superfoods! A low-fat diet is important to living in space because you're living in microgravity, and water is super important to give your organs and muscles the hydration they need to operate properly. The most important things to remember while living in space: Stay Strong, Stay Clean, and Stay Neat

Could you design an astronaut meal plan for tomorrow? Breakfast, lunch, and dinner? What are some super foods you could eat to get the most energy out of your calories?

How tall would you be in space? You can measure your height with a measuring tape, and you can expect a three percent growth in height while in space
Where can astronauts go after astronaut training? The International Space Station (ISS)!
The International Space Station is an in-space laboratory orbiting Earth. People from seven different countries use this laboratory to study human life in space, as well as complete experiments in space (for example: they are currently growing plants in the ISS and are attempting to grow meat in the ISS)

Media: SpaceX Launch

You can do these while watching the rocket launch:

Parts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Falcon 9 Rocket
Color you inside the rocket ship
It will take about 24 hours for the Dragon to reach the ISS, so we should be able to see them dock tomorrow about this time

What do astronauts need to live in the ISS?

Constant supply runs to get not only oxygen, water, and food, but also tools, scientific equipment to complete experiments, clothing, medicine, and personal hygiene items such as shampoo and toothpaste (you can't live in space for six months without brushing your teeth, yuck!)
If your toilet stops working on the ISS, you can't just call a plumber, you have to ask the next ship to bring the tools you need to fix it yourself while you're up there

What do Astronauts eat in space? Meats, fruit, nuts, peanut butter, liquid contained in pouches, and freeze-dried foods. You have to be very careful how you eat in space because, since there is no gravity, eating spaghetti on a plate will likely end up with all your noodles floating away and a meatball hitting another astronaut in the face

Try Astronaut Ice Cream - We found ours at Academy Sports, but they also have it at Cabela's and Bass Pro Shop

Media: Living in the ISS
Roundtable Discussion: Plan a trip to the ISS -

If our family were to go to the space station for six months, what would you pack? What would be most important to you to take with you? Clothes, books, games, tablet, toys, stuffed animals, family pictures?
What would you want to learn while you're up there? Would you want your teacher to send you homework? Would you want to search the internet for something new, read a book, learn something functional like how to cook?
What kind of exercises would you do there? Run the treadmill, jumping jacks, push ups?
What kind of pictures would you want to take pictures of while looking out the window at Earth below? How seasons change the Earth? How people and climate change are affecting the Earth? Storms?
How would you communicate with friends and family? Pictures, phone calls, videos, e-mails?
How would you make sure to stay healthy while at the ISS? Wash hands, hair, brush teeth?
What would you do for fun? Games, tablet, soccer on the ISS?
What would be on your supply ship? What would you want more of? Food, games, science experiments, tools?

What are some things that have been created by NASA astronauts: freeze-dried food, space blankets (usually found in first aid kits), camping trailers (design originally used for sleeping quarters on ISS), UV-reflecting sunglasses (originally used on the astronaut face shields), filtering water bottles, and digital cameras
We've only made it to the ISS and the Moon, but someone has made it all the way to Mars. That's the current Mars Rover, Perseverance:

There is a guy on Facebook named Hugh Hou who has built 360 degree Virtual Tours of Perseverance's views on Mars
If you can't view those, there's:

Perseverance Coloring Page

Mars Rover Games:

STEM: Make your own bottle rocket to blast off into space!

Friday: Aliens

SpaceX Launch Cont. -

Docking Crew Dragon at the International Space Station

Navy Aviator Footage of UFOs
What is a UFO? An "Unidentified Flying Object"
What does this look like to you? B2 Stealth Bomber

This may look like an alien space ship, but it's actual a plane used by the U.S. Air Force
We have a base in the middle of the desert lovingly dubbed "Area 51." It is a Top Secret base, and most people think that we're hiding our knowledge about aliens there, but most likely it's where we make new air craft like the B2 to fight our enemies. But who knows right?

Why do we believe in aliens?

With 200 billion galaxies, with 200-400 billion stars and 100 billion planets in each one, it's hard for people to believe that we are the only life that exists. Do you believe in aliens? Why or why not?
Roswell Incident - In 1947, a U.S. Air Force weather/recon balloon crashed in New Mexico; many people believe this was a cover up for aliens and many people believe it was a flying saucer. Here's a picture from the wreckage. What do you think it is? An alien space ship or a weather balloon?

The Very Large Array is a radio astronomy observatory in New Mexico. People have speculated that we have it to communicate or spy on aliens, but we use it to listen to any and all noises that come from space, such as stars, nebulas, black holes, etc.

Radio Decoder Project

What do we actually know about aliens?

They would have to be way more advanced than we are because they would have to somehow get here from a place we can't currently see with the Hubble telescope

Make Alien Slime

How slime reacts at ISS

Media: Watch Scooby Doo and the Alien Invaders
At the end of the lesson, I presented Certificates of Summer Home Space Camp Completion to the kiddos, along with the Celestial Buddies I had ordered based on what they chose as their favorites planets during their project on Monday