By Ted Beyer
There are certain days in history that pretty much anyone who was alive at the time can remember as though it was yesterday. Times of trial and triumph. Heart-wrenching times like September 11th, or the day Kennedy was shot, or the Challenger. And then there is the day that we landed on the Moon.
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astronomy, College level, Earth Science, Elementary level, High School level, Middle School level | Tagged: apollo 11, astronaut, Educational Innovations, homeschool, nasa, parent friendly, science, space | 
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
by Priscilla Robinson
Science teachers aren’t the only ones energized about the eclipse of the Sun. People everywhere are anticipated to take time on Monday to view this cosmic phenomenon. All of North America will be in its path, with a huge swath of the United States witnessing a total solar eclipse. From Salem, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina, twelve states are in the path of totality. So whether you are a teacher just back to school or a parent trying to make some final summer memories, check it out. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for you and the kids.
Leave a Comment » | astronomy, Earth Science, Elementary level, High School level, Middle School level | Tagged: DIY, eclipse, Educational Innovations, fun experiments, hands-on activity, homeschool, parent friendly, science | Permalink
Posted by Donna Giachetti
by Ted Beyer
The sun is, on average, about 93,000,000 miles (149,668,992 kilometers) away from us. That’s pretty darn far. In fact, if the sun went out right now, we would not know about it for about eight minutes. Not to worry, that’s not going to be a thing to fret about for quite a while—a couple of billion years last time I checked.
That huge (try 109 times as big as Earth) ball of fusion reactor up in our sky is arguably responsible for all of the energy we use on Earth. Not just solar power, but all of it. Fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) were created from ancient plant and animal matter—which all lived because of the sun.
Image source: Stanford Solar Center
Hydropower is only possible because of the water cycle (best look that one up on your own, they won’t let me make these posts too long). Wind power relies on, well, wind—and that is a byproduct of the warming and cooling of the atmosphere—and that’s the sun doing that warming too. Atomic power uses heavy elements like Uranium, which was created in the hearts of suns.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.
4 Comments | astronomy, College level, Earth Science, Elementary level, High School level, Middle School level | Tagged: DIY, Educational Innovations, energy, green science, hands-on activity, homeschool, light, parent friendly, science, thermal energy, ultraviolet | Permalink
Posted by Donna Giachetti
by Ted Beyer
Ever since I was a kid, I have been fascinated with space. I would look up at the stars, and I just knew that other people were up there somewhere, looking back at our little point of light, and thinking the same kind of thoughts. On the day I turned seven, Neil and Buzz landed on the moon and I was sure that—somehow—when I grew up, I would get there, too.
Incidentally, that’s me in the red on the right in the picture below. And on the left? Well, that’s Buzz Aldrin!
5 Comments | astronomy, Earth Science, Elementary level, High School level, life science, Middle School level | Tagged: apollo 11, astronomy, Buzz Aldrin, Campo del Cielo, chondrule, Ghubra meteorite, meteorites, parent friendly, PBL, restoring meteorites, Seymchan Pallasite, space, Tucson Gem and Mineral Show | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
