Using Explore! for Next Year's Summer Reading Program

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As you may know, the Collaborative Summer Library Program's themes for 2012 are related to dreams and the night. Have you considered incorporating explorations of space science into your 2012 summer programs? If so, please post here to exchange ideas and plans with the 600+ members of our Explore! community!

We hope you will find everything you need to get started on the Explore! website (http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/)! (If not, please let us know!) We have complete modules of hands-on activities, resource lists, and facilitator background information on the following topics:

Marvel Moon
Jupiter's Family Secrets
Explore! Ice Worlds!
Mars: Inside and Out!
Health in Space
To the Moon and Beyond!
Beyond Earth
Comets

Keep in mind that your institution can be part of NASA's Year of the Solar System. You will be able to find out-of-classroom activities listed under "Organizations and Clubs." Download materials and logos to advertise your event at http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/yss/downloads.cfm. The themes are:

Jun/Jul 2012 Got Life?
August 2012 Discovering New Worlds

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Our calendar has been updated with NASA events and links to hands-on children's activities!

Your institution can be part of NASA's Year of the Solar System. You will be able to find out-of-classroom activities listed under "Organizations and Clubs." Download materials and logos to advertise your event at http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/yss/downloads.cfm. This summer's themes are:

June 2012 Discovering New Worlds
July/August 2012 Got Life?

NASA's Curiosity rover will arrive at Mars on August 5, 2012 -- have you considered offering a "landing party"? Use the module Mars: Inside and Out to engage children ages 8-13 in Mars science! Visit http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/mars/ to download hands-on activities and more.

Find more ideas at http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/events/!

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Are you interested in activities related to constellations to support this year's Collaborative Summer Library Programs themes? Sky Tellers: Constellations offers hands-on science activities supporting the audio recording of Why Coyote Howls: A Star Story, a blend of tales found in Native American oral narratives retold by Lynn Moroney. Listen to the story and view the activity guides and resource lists at http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/skyte ... ellations/. Activities include

Star Darts
By creating and naming their own constellations using “star darts,” children ages 8–12 will learn how constellations were named and how stars can appear so close together, yet be light years apart .

Zodiac Track
Children ages 8–14 illustrate the zodiac and explore the apparent progression of the stars across our night sky.

Celestial Circles
Children ages 8–14 model Earth’s movement around the Sun to understand why we see different constellations of the zodiac at different times of the year.