The Best of ClickSchooling!® Space and Aviation Science

By Diane Flynn Keith

ClickSchooling is a free e-newsletter that provides a daily review of an educational website that parents and teachers can use to help children and students learn every subject imaginable. Diane Flynn Keith has been publishing ClickSchooling since 2000.

Space and Aviation Science

The Nasa Quest website
Grades K-12
This is a remarkable site where you can learn about many facets of space science. NASA provides live webcasts with men and women scientists from various space programs. The website offers several on-going activities with a guide to appropriate grade range from K-12. Here are some descriptions of projects available at the site:

• Space Exploration:
  Join the men and women who make the Shuttle and Space Station fly. Learn about their diverse and exciting careers. Peak behind the scenes of astronaut training and preparing the shuttle for flight and landing. Learn about the adventures of the International Space Station. Through on-going webcast lessons and assignments students use math and science to explore space.



• Aerospace Technology:
  Learn about the elements of flight and the incredible tools and scientific research used for flight-testing. Giant wind tunnels are used to test flight characteristics of full-size aircraft and smaller models. The world’s best flight simulators help pilots feel how airplanes will fly even before they are built. Research projects deliver major improvements in air traffic control systems. State-of-the-art supercomputers help solve a variety of aerospace puzzles.

There are some grade-specific programs as well:

• Virtual Skies for grades 9-12, explores careers in aviation.
• Astro Adventure for grades 5-8, searches for a habitable planet.
• Robin Whirlybird for grades K-4, a story of a young girl’s adventure with rotorcraft.

Other programs available through the menu and archives at the website include Astrobiology and Women of NASA.

NASA Space Science Education Resources
Grades K-12
Do you need a science project or curriculum ideas? At this site, you can find NASA space science curriculum, activities, and products to use in the classroom or in a homeschool learning environment. The search engines here allow you to browse by grade level and/or subject area with information for all elementary, junior high, and high school grades. It contains information on space science, physical science, earth science, and life science.

As an example of how this site works, let's say you select "Elementary School" and "Physical Science" on the browser at the site. Up pops a screen with topics for studying physical science at the elementary grade level. Some of the titles in this category include: electricity; gravity; and orbits. Choose one of those topics - let's say electricity. Another screen appears with activities for studying electricity. There is a brief description of the science experiments that include lesson plans. In some cases you download the information, and in others you click on a website to get the information. The instructions are clearly written, and include photographs or pictures to illustrate the lesson. NASA has taken special care to make sure these lessons can be implemented easily with inexpensive materials. They provide explanations of the science demonstrated in the lesson or activity too, along with resources for further exploration.

It is worthwhile to browse the subjects in "All Grades" in order to get an overview of what is available in every grade level - and then tailor the lessons to your child's or student's skill, interest, and ability.

Another cool aspect of this site is that it offers "Featured Resources" - like a coloring book on x-ray astronomy that you can print out. It also has a "Topics of the Day" that features a lesson plan for each grade level for example, "volcanoes"for Middle School, and "erosion"for High School. (When you're really strapped for science ideas, this is a nice resource to rely upon.)

Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
Grades: 6 and up
This site, Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, not only archives Hubble telescope images of space, but it offers virtual tours of space including our own solar system. You can read all about the exploration of the moon and mars too. The photos are remarkable, and the information is comprehensive with the latest scientific findings and theories included. You can also find out about constellations, view astro maps, learn about SETI (extra-terrestrial life), and keep track of shuttle launches.

There are recommendations for Rocketry enthusiasts, and a special newsletter about space exploration that you can read online, or subscribe to by email. In addition, there is a wonderful resource guide that gives advice on everything from astronomy software to buying telescopes. Links to other great space and astronomy websites abound. This is one of the best sites on astronomy and space we've seen. While the photos and images are something all ages will enjoy, the textual content is geared toward older students and space enthusiasts - middle school age and up. The site is maintained by students from the University of Arizona.

SpaceKids
Grades: All
What a fun site about space for kids! Take a virtual multi-media tour of the solar system. There are beautiful photographs, interesting diagrams, and readable text. After touring the solar system you can choose from among a variety of items on the menu to continue exploring space and space-related subjects. You will also find links in each section that will further the study of that particular subject in a more sophisticated way - so this site will appeal to a wide age range of students. There are interactive games to enhance learning about space at this site as well.

The Space Place
Grades: K-8
The Space Place is a site designed completely for kids with animation, games, and activities to help kids learn about space science. The site menu includes:

• Make Spacey Things - Nine different activities to choose from, making a galactic mobile to a recipe for asteroid potatoes.



• Spacey Things To Do - This page offers 6 ideas from drawing a dot-to-dot spacecraft to playing the infrared matching game!



• Space Science In Action - A choice of 9 science experiments that you can do at home with common or inexpensive materials, from seeing ions in action to making a topographical map of an unknown object.



• Dr. Marc's Amazing Facts - Get answers to mysterious questions like: What do you get when you cross an earthquake with a tidal wave? (Jupiter’s moon, Io, offers one answer.)



• Space Place - Here you will find a map pinpointing the locations of Space Museums throughout the U.S.A., a recipe for no-bake moon cookies, kids artwork, and an exercise in goal setting and motivation.

EduSpace
Grades: K-12
This site uses incredible images from the Hubble Space Telescope to enhance education about every aspect of the galaxy. I don't think you'll find a more comprehensive site that discusses solar systems, space, planetary formations, brown dwarfs, black holes, comets, and all of the other incredible discoveries that have been made thanks to the Hubble. Aside from the amazing images, the text is easy to read and understand, there are links for further research, and even educational activities and projects for grades K-12.

If you find a dead link, please notify us by sending an email to ClickSchooling@Homefires.com.