Mars Colony
SOL: 6.6g, 6.8i, 6.9b, LS.4, LS.12e, ES.4c, ES.7

Identify, compare and contrast conditions and needs on the red planet and Earth. Learn a little about the Apollo program - what vehicle could future explorers use to reach Mars? Acting as long duration explorers, students work in cooperative teams to plan for their outpost’s survival. Consideration must be given to meeting social structure needs, power supply, physical demands for food, water and warmth as well as exploration.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the IMAX films Space Station 3D and Hubble 3D, the demonstration Space Freeze III.

Spaceship Earth
Science SOL - 6.8 d, e, f, g, h, ES.4

Explore unique characteristics of the Earth and why life exists here. Students will model and describe day and night, and how the Earth’s tilt causes the seasons. The students will model and observe why and how the phases of the moon occur, and discuss the relationship between the moon’s gravitational pull and the cycle of the tides. Students will gather information to be used in school to create and interpret a time line highlighting advancements in space exploration over the past half century.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the IMAX films Space Station 3D and Hubble 3D, the demonstration Energy U.

Kitchen Chemistry (for grades 6-8 only)
SOL: 6.1, 6.4, 6.5, PS.1, PS.2, PS.4, PS.5

Students will describe matter and identify chemical elements from the periodic table. Students will distinguish between physical and chemical reactions, and will identify the chemicals contained in simple compounds. Working in groups, students will analyze many different compounds and perform scientific experiments to determine the identity of the unknowns. Logical and critical reasoning, accurate lab technique, precise results and conclusion reporting are a large part of this lab.

May the Force be With You
Science SOL: 6.1, 6.2, PS.6a, PS.10, PH.6

Experiment with forces to observe Newton’s Laws of Motion in action. Find out why we wear seat belts. Apply equal force to objects if different mass and observe the difference in their motion. Experiment with the force of friction to discover how it resists movement as we do work. Teams of students will design, build, and test roller coasters to demonstrate their knowledge of energy, friction, inertia, acceleration and gravity.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the demonstrations Zap: Electrons on the Move & Energy U.

“Phat” Physics
Science SOL: 6.6b, PS.10, PH.4, PH.5d, e

Students will participate in interactive demonstrations on the physics of flying. Students will attempt to create enough thrust to drive a pencil through a block of wood. Teams will put Bernoulli’s principle to the test and discover that higher velocity air creates lower pressure areas and has the capability to move objects. They will investigate the four forces of flight and have fun developing ideas about gravity (and weight), lift, thrust and drag. Teams will demonstrate Newton’s third law of motion (action-reaction) to each other, and discuss how airplanes and rockets fly.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the new IMAX film Legends of Flight 3D.

Zap: Electrons on the Move
SOL: 6.2, PS.6, PS.11

Students will observe and identify the transformation of electrical
energy into other forms of energy, including heat, light and mechanical. They will identify a battery as a source of chemical potential energy. Students will compare and contrast series and parallel circuits. The Van de Graaff generator will be used to show students how electrostatic charges will be generated, and how such force attracts or repels objects. Additionally, they will discover how a generator transforms mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Energy U
SOL: 6.2, PS.6

Students will compare and contrast potential and kinetic energy through demonstrations and from examples taken from nature. Using ramps and balls, students will conduct experiments to convert potential energy into kinetic energy. Students will also compare and contrast transfers of the same form of energy between objects, and transformation of energy into new forms. Observing common tools and equipment, students will identify the energy transformations that take place, including the transformation of light into other forms of energy.

Space Freeze III: A Cryogenics Demo
SOL: 6.1, PS.2, PS.7

Students will predict and observe physical changes (volume) as the state of matter changes when temperature is decreased or
increased, with related changes in molecular motion. They will learn the temperature for nitrogen phase change between liquid and
gaseous states, and that this physical property is characteristic for nitrogen. Students will compare and contrast the boiling point of nitrogen on the Celsius and Kelvin temperature scales.

Scheduling Tip! Goes well with the IMAX films Space Station 3D and Hubble 3D, the program Mars Colony.