Let Us Help You:

Spring 2013

The Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium is a place to learn about the wonders of our natural world. Our education programs for schools, families, and visiting groups are designed to inspire, engage and encourage students through curricula developed by Museum educators that meet Vermont State Framework of Standards.

Your class or group can come to the Museum for a field trip or for repeated learning experiences. Fees include 1 FREE chaperone for every 5 students.

Choose from the following program options:

• $5/student for a gallery tour

• $8/student for 1 program

• $10/student for 2 programs

• Minimum rates apply for groups of fewer than 10 students.

Welcome to the Cosmic Zoo Exploring the Structure of the Universe Perhaps you have heard of galaxies,nebulas, clusters, black holes and supernovae, but do you know what these words actually mean? How can we tell all of these from one another? How far away are these Deep Space Objects, and how big are they? In this planetarium-based lesson, we will explore the diverse array of celestial bodies that are seen with telescopes, and even with the naked eye, and we will discover how they tell us the story of the universe, and even abou the origins of our world. Vermont Standards: 7.2, 7.4, 7.11, 7.12, 7.15
	Community of Observers This is your chance to get outside (weather dependent) and practice all the skills and knowledge about citizen science we’ve built up to this point. We will practice some skills directly related to identifying species on the Community of Observers list before heading outside. Outside we will use pocket field guides, data recording sheets, and gather data on our environment. As a part of outside observation, this class will ask everyone to find something they cannot recognize and work on identifying it. Get to know the nature of your world! Vermont Standards: 3.10, 7.1
What’s In A Name? Just uttering the phrase “scientific classification” can elicit moans and groans from kids and adults alike. In this class we will take a playful approach to the concept of scientific classification, explore the naming of living things through history and how the practice itself helps scientists to explore the relationships between living things. Using creative and free-thinking methods to classify and name groups of “living things” and even creating new species, we’ll jazz up scientific classification and have a great time doing it! Vermont Standards: 7.2, 7.4, 7.11
	What IS Climate? With all the talk about climate change, it is very helpful to know what climate actually is. Taking advantage of our Omniglobe, and a computer-assisted explorer, we will investigate some of the basic pieces of the climate puzzle. This class depends on some basic concepts regarding geography and seasons. Best suited for grades 4 and up. Some questions to ponder: Why is the world’s driest desert next to the ocean? Why is it colder in Washington DC in the winter,than in Scotland, even though Scotland is 1000 miles closer to the North Pole? Here in the Northeast Kingdom, do we receive more precipitation in the summer or the winter? VT Standards: 7.11, 7.12, 7.15