HANDS-ON SCIENCE ACTIVITIES
Activity 3
Icebreaker Activities
For use with participants
ages 5 to 7, 8 to 9, and 10 to 13
Choose from these four 15-minute activities to open any Discover Earth activity!
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Contents
Discover Earth Themes and Overview of Activities ......................................................... 4
How to Use These Activities in Your Programs ..................................................................... 6
Correlations to National Standards ................................................................................. 7
Catch!...the World’s Oceans Activity Procedure ............................................................. 8
Overview ...................................................................................................................... 8
What’s the Point? ......................................................................................................... 8
Materials ...................................................................................................................... 8
Preparation .................................................................................................................. 9
Activity ......................................................................................................................... 9
Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 10
Ice-y Experiences Activity Procedure ............................................................................ 12
Overview .................................................................................................................... 12
What’s the Point? ....................................................................................................... 12
Materials .................................................................................................................... 12
Preparation ................................................................................................................ 13
Activity ....................................................................................................................... 13
Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 15
Share the Air Activity Procedure ................................................................................... 16
Overview .................................................................................................................... 16
What’s the Point? ....................................................................................................... 16
Materials .................................................................................................................... 16
Preparation ................................................................................................................ 17
Activity ....................................................................................................................... 17
Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 18
Web of Life Activity Procedure ...................................................................................... 19
Overview .................................................................................................................... 19
What’s the Point? ....................................................................................................... 19
Materials .................................................................................................................... 19
Preparation ................................................................................................................ 20
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Activity ....................................................................................................................... 20
Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 21
Contact Information ....................................................................................................... 22
STAR_Net Project Overview ......................................................................................... 22
Online Community ..................................................................................................... 23
Credits and Acknowledgements .................................................................................... 24
Appendix: Activity Materials to Print ............................................................................ 26
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Discover Earth
Themes and
Overview of Activities
The Discover Earth activities focus on Earth science topics close to home – such as
local weather and the plants, animals, crops, and environmental features particular to
your region – as well as a global view of our changing planet. Through hands-on
investigations and discussions, young audiences discover that Earth’s global
environment changes – and is changed by – the local environment. The activities
explore three key messages relating to this overall theme: A. We belong to Earth; B.
Each region is unique; and C. Your home is changing. These messages all relate to the
overall theme: Earth’s global environment changes – and is changed by – the local
environment. The activities were developed with guidelines set forth by the National
Science Education Standards and American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS) benchmarks, and they were designed for audiences in the following
four age ranges: 5 to 7, 8 to 9, 10 to 13, and teens.
Overall Theme
Earth’s global environment changes – and is changed by – the local environment.
A. We Belong to Earth
We belong to a complex system of interacting water, ice, air, and life.
Community Activities
The community contributes to two exhibits: In Century of Change Display, the
community gathers and compares photos and/or illustrations of the local areas
taken a century and more ago with more contemporary photos of the same
areas. In Weather Wall, children track the local weather over a period of two
months or more, plotting weather data on a kid-friendly sticker chart.
Icebreaker Activities
Children ages 5 and up are introduced to Earth’s major characteristics (or parts
or systems) -- water, ice, air, and life – through the brief icebreaker activities
Catch!...the World’s Ocean, Ice-y Experience, Share the Air, and Web of Life.
Discover Earth through Reading
I Belong to Earth can serve either as part of a kick-off celebration or as an
outreach program to area schools. Children and teens discover Earth science
questions and answers using the library’s resources and participate in reading
games — customized for ages 5 to 9, 10 to 13, and teens — that combine book
lists and reading logs into take-home adventures! After this activity, the reading
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games continue to connect patrons with the Discover Earth activities and
resources. Participants advance by reading, engaging in suggested at-home
activities, attending Discover Earth library programs, or investigating Earth and
the environment through a variety of citizen science programs. Completed game
boards may be submitted to the library for display, and if desired, entry into
promotional drawings. Participants earn a decal upon completion.
B. Each Region Is Unique
Changes to distant oceans, air moving freely around our globe, and all living things
have an influence on our regional environment, now and in the past and future.
Weather Explorations
Children ages 5 to 7 explore various aspects of weather through a series of
stations featuring games, crafts, and weather observations in Weather: The
Many Faces of Mother Nature. Children ages 8 to 9 and 10 to 13 undertake more
advanced investigations of rain, wind, clouds, and weather instruments and
consider how locally collected weather data relate to the broader Earth systems
of water, ice, air, and life in Weather Stations.
Regional Explorations
In Climate Tour, children ages 10 to 13 celebrate their region of the United States
by creating a regionally-inspired postcard and recipe. Finally, they use a set of
What if… cards about their region to reconsider their postcards and recipes in
light of future climate change. In Polar Bears or Penguins?, children ages 10 to
13 use a fast-action matching game to demonstrate how each of Earth’s polar
regions is distinct and special.
C. Your Home Is Changing
Earth’s water, ice, air, and life will continue to interact over long-term scales, shaping
the particular features of that place we each call home.
Environmental Stewardship
In teams, children ages 11 to 13 build an understanding of how human actions
impact global change by playing a board game, Polar Bears Go with the Floes, in
which chance and choice determine the fate of a lone polar bear on an ice floe.
Teens, ages 14 to 18, engage their communities in science through art in Earth:
Artistically Balanced. The teens first interact with a climate scientist to unravel, on
a very basic level, the complexities of Earth’s climate system, and then they
create a three-dimensional artistic representation of Earth’s climate. The art may
be created on a large scale and displayed at the library or made on a smaller
scale to take home.
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How to Use These Activities in Your Programs
You may design your own program of one or more of these flexible activities, or you
may choose to build the story of Earth and its changing environment through the
complete series of activities! Background information and facilitator resources are
provided to help you prepare to lead the activities. Encourage further exploration with
the books, websites, and videos listed in the Facilitator’s Resources packet.
Programming ideas for all ages, infant to adult, are also provided.
Reading games, geared toward different age levels, support this module and connect
the activities and resources. The games combine the traditional reading log and book
list into a board game, where participants advance by reading, engaging in suggested
at-home activities, attending library programs, or investigating Earth and the
environment through a variety of citizen science programs. These games are introduced
in Activity 4: I Belong to Earth. The game boards may be customized with your
institutions’ address, and if desired, an additional step in the instructions for winning
prizes. Matching decals may be printed and awarded as prizes. Read Me bookmarks
are available as a way for children to read, review, and recommend titles to others.
These materials (shown below), including the supporting book lists, are available free
for educational use at www.lpi.usra.edu/explore/discoverEarth.
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Correlations to National Standards
National Science Education Standards
Grades K-4
Life Science - Content Standard C
The Characteristics of Organisms
Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need air, water, and food;
plants require air, water, nutrients, and light
Earth and Space Science - Content Standard D
Properties of earth materials
Earth materials are solid rocks and soils, water (and ice), and the gases of the
atmosphere. Earth materials provide many of the resources that humans use.
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives - Content Standard F
Types of Resources
Some resources are basic materials, such as air, water, and soil.
Grades 5-8
Life Science - Content Standard C
Populations and Ecosystems
Populations of organisms can be categorized by the function they serve in an
ecosystem. Plants and some microorganisms are producers—they make their
own food. All animals, including humans, are consumers, which obtain food by
eating other organisms. Decomposers, primarily bacteria and fungi, are
consumers that use waste materials and dead organisms for food. Food webs
identify the relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in an
ecosystem.
Earth and Space Science - Content Standard D
Structure of the Earth System
Global patterns of atmospheric movement influence local weather.
Water, which covers the majority of the earth's surface, circulates through the
crust, oceans, and atmosphere (and cryosphere) in what is known as the "water
cycle."
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Catch!...the World’s Oceans
Activity Procedure
Adapted from Water Cycle Lesson, http://inside.mines.edu/~lgallagh/Water_Cycle_Lesson_Plan_
2010%5B1%5D.pdf and used with permission.
Overview
Children get to know each other through an icebreaker activity that introduces the
importance of water on Earth. They stand in a circle and toss a soft Earth globe (such
as an inflatable or stuffed globe), noting with each catch that his or her (left or
right)index finger usually touches an ocean rather than land. The percentage of Earth
covered by oceans — roughly three quarters, or 71% — can be tallied by keeping track
of the number of “land” and “ocean” contacts during the game.
What’s the Point?
Water is an important characteristic or part of Earth.
Oceans cover most (roughly three quarters, or 71%) of the Earth’s surface.
Oceans play an important role in weather and climate all over the world, even in
locations far from the coast.
Materials
Facility Needs
☐ An area large enough for the children to be able to comfortably mingle and where
a ball can be safely tossed
☐ Optional: Writing space viewable by the entire group, such as white board or
poster paper and markers, or a black board and chalk
For Each Group of 15 Children
☐ 1 inflatable Earth globe, or a Hugg-a-Planet Earth, purchased from a retailer such
as http://www.peacetoys.com/Hugg-A-Planet-Collection/
Hugg-A-Planet-Earth.html
☐ Optional: 1 calculator
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For the Facilitator
☐ Facilitator’s Resources packet (available at www.lpi.usra.edu/explore
/discoverEarth), which includes:
☐ Background information
☐ Be a Science Guide!
☐ Resource lists
☐ Shopping list
Preparation
Review the background information and Be a Science Guide.
Advertise the program separately to ages 5 to 7 and 8 to 13, and keep the ages
separate, if possible. If mixed ages attend the program, separate into two groups
guided by separate facilitators.
Prepare an area large enough for the children to be able to comfortably mingle.
Activity
1. Ask the children what they know about water.
How do you use water in your daily life? It is a drink; it’s used for cooking,
cleaning, and washing; the grass that we play on and plants that we eat use it to
grow; etc.
Where is water found on Earth (at or below the surface)? In our oceans, lakes,
rivers, and groundwater (and frozen as snow and ice — such as in glaciers, ice
caps, and sea ice). Plants and animals — including people — have water inside
them.
Where is water found in the air? Water is also rain, the tiny droplets that make up
clouds, and frozen as snow, hail, and ice. Water is also a gas in our atmosphere
(water vapor).
2. Have everyone stand in a circle and toss the inflatable Earth globe back and
forth. Start by introducing yourself and then tossing the ball to someone across from
you. Invite each member of the circle to point downward toward the “real” land, and
then instruct the children to keep track of where that finger lands on the globe. (Note
that some children will point with their right index fingers, others will point with their
left, or some other variation depending on the child and his or her physical abilities.
The children can use any single point on their bodies to keep track during the
game…as long as they are consistent!) Tell them that they will each shout “ocean”
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or “land,” thank the previous circle member by name, and state his or her own name.
Each individual then tosses the ball to someone who has not yet had a turn.
a. For children ages 5 to 7, begin by discussing what the different colors on the ball
mean (i.e. land or ocean). After each child has a turn, he or she will move outside of
the circle to join one of two lines. Designate the area immediately behind one side of
the circle as “ocean” and the other side as “land.” After each child catches the globe
and sees where his or her finger lands, he or she moves to one side or the other of
the circle. Two lines will form as the game progresses. The game ends after each
child has had a turn.
a. Which line is longer? The “ocean” line.
b. For children ages 8 to 13, have one of the children also serve as record
keeper. Tally the number of “land” and the number of “ocean” contacts. If
possible, repeat the game three or more times to gather more data. If desired,
challenge the children to remember the order in which the ball is tossed — as
well as the names of the circle members they each receive from and toss the
ball to. Finally, calculate the percentage of “ocean” contacts (using a
calculator, if desired).
What is the percentage of “ocean” contacts for our group?
How much of Earth’s surface do you think is actually covered by water?
Accept all answers.
How does that compare to what we calculated during the game?
3. Summarize that the children’s index fingers usually contacted ocean; and,
indeed, 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by ocean!
4. Guide a discussion about how the oceans influence the local region’s weather
— even if your region is far from the ocean. With children ages 8 to 13, elaborate
that oceans influence winds, evaporate into the air (providing much of the moisture
distributed across the globe by clouds), and absorb energy from the Sun — creating
our local weather and providing warmth. Oceans help control what kinds of weather
an area usually gets (i.e. its climate), such as whether rain, snow, or dry conditions
are typical.
Conclusion
Water is an important characteristic or part of our planet! Explain that the children
will have the chance to explore water on Earth through Discover Earth activities, and for
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those libraries hosting the Discover Earth: A Century of Change exhibit, through a
weather station and the exhibit displays and interactives.
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Ice-y Experiences
Activity Procedure
Overview
Children get to know each other through an icebreaker activity that introduces the
importance of ice on Earth. Children ages 5 to 7 play “Walls of Ice,” where the facilitator
reads personal, ice-related statements to two lines (“walls”) of children and the
participants run to the opposite line if the statement is true. Children ages 8 to 9 and 10
to 13 play “Ice Bingo” using cards that contain squares with different types of ice
experiences — like getting their tongues stuck on ice! — interspersed with ice facts and
information about ice on Earth. Children have 5 minutes to find as many participants as
they can who have had experiences described on the card.
What’s the Point?
Ice is an important characteristic or part of Earth.
Although we do not often think about it, ice plays a role in all of our lives.
Some areas on Earth have ice all of the time; some areas sometimes have ice;
and other areas almost never have ice outside.
Materials
Facility Needs
☐ An area large enough for the children to be able to comfortably mingle
For Each Group of 15 Children
☐ Optional: 1-2 globes
For Each Child Between the Ages of 8 and 13
☐ Ice Bingo card, printed on heavy paper or cardstock and preferably in color
☐ 1 pen or pencil
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For the Facilitator
☐ Facilitator’s Resources packet (available at www.lpi.usra.edu/explore
/discoverEarth), which includes:
☐ Background information
☐ Be a Science Guide!
☐ Resource lists
☐ Shopping list
☐ Walls of Ice Facilitator’s Guide (for use with an audience of children ages 5 to 7)
Preparation
Review the Facilitator’s Resources packet.
Advertise the program separately to ages 5 to 7 and 8 to 13, and keep the ages
separate, if possible. If mixed ages attend the program, separate into two groups
guided by separate facilitators. For family programs, you may wish to invite
parents to guide young children in the use of the game cards.
Prepare an area large enough for the children to be able to comfortably mingle.
For an audience of children ages 5 to 7, print out one copy of Walls of Ice
Facilitator’s Guide for each facilitator to use. For children ages 8 to 13, make
enough copies of Ice Bingo cards for each child to have one. (If clipboards or
tables are available for the children to use to write on, it is not necessary to print
the Ice Bingo cards on heavy paper or cardstock.)
Activity
1. Ask the children what they know about ice.
Where do you find ice in your daily life? We use ice cubes and some freezers are
coated with ice on the inside. In some locations, winter weather brings ice
outside.
Where is ice found on Earth? At the tops of mountains, in Earth’s polar regions,
and — depending on the location — on streets, sidewalks, and hanging from
buildings in the winter.
2. Play a classic icebreaker game — with a science twist!
a. Children ages 5 to 7 play “Walls of Ice,” a modified version of the “Ice Bingo”
game. Explain that the children are to form two even lines — “walls” — (of
about the same lengths) and run to the opposite line every time they hear
something that is true about themselves. The facilitator reads one fact, joke,
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or personal statement from the Walls of Ice Facilitator’s Guide aloud. The
children learn who else has had similar experiences with ice by seeing who
runs at the same time as they do.
b. Children ages 8 to 13 play “Ice Bingo.” Distribute Ice Bingo cards and pens or
pencils to the children. Ask the children to look at the white colored squares
on their Ice Bingo cards. These represent experiences with ice that some of
them here may have had. Their task will be to find participants who have had
any of these experiences. They will have five minutes to find the largest
number of people with different experiences. Each participant initials the
square that represents the experience they have had.
3. After five minutes, stop the game and reassemble the group. Ask the older
children if anyone was able to get initials in all 12 squares. Chances are that the
farther north a child has lived, the more experiences he/she has had! Follow the
game with a discussion of their experiences.
Do you find ice or snow in your region?
Do you see ice and snow during a particular season?
Have you ever visited a region with lots of ice and snow? What was it like? Were
you on a mountain or far up north (or way down south)?
Facilitator’s Note: In our everyday experiences, we encounter water typically in its
liquid state. Most of our fresh water, however, exists in its frozen form. About three-
quarters of it is found in snow, sea ice, icebergs, ice shelves, glaciers, ice caps, and
inside ground that has remained frozen for two or more years (permafrost). Snow and
ice may appear only seasonally at mid-latitudes, but at high altitudes and in the polar
regions, frozen water persists year-round as glaciers and very large ice caps, called ice
sheets. Glaciers form in regions where more snow accumulates than melts, such as in
high mountain valleys. In the extremely cold polar regions, the glaciers grow to form
continent-sized ice sheets. The largest ice sheets cover Antarctica, and smaller ice
sheets cover Greenland. Some of the ice in the Antarctic ice sheet represents the build-
up of nearly a million years of snow.
4. Optional: Have the children point out areas on the globe where there is always
ice and snow. Find areas that only have ice and snow in the winter. Find areas that
almost never have ice and snow.
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Conclusion
Ice is an important characteristic or part of our planet! Explain that the children will
have the chance to explore ice on Earth through Discover Earth activities, and for those
libraries hosting the Discover Earth: A Century of Change exhibit, through a weather
station and the exhibit displays and interactives.
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Share the Air
Activity Procedure
Overview
Children get to know each other through an icebreaker activity that introduces the
importance of air on Earth. As they stand in a circle, each child introduces him- or
herself and then tosses a beanbag across the circle to another child. Each child must
remember the name of the child who catches the beanbag. After circulating the
beanbag to each member of the circle, the pattern is set and the challenge begins! The
entire pattern is repeated multiple times, with each child tossing the beanbag to the
same member of the circle and saying that child’s name. The group must work together
— rearranging themselves, if necessary — to complete the entire pattern as quickly as
possible. Finally, the children consider how air is continually cycled across the globe in
the same way that the beanbag was passed between people.
What’s the Point?
Air is an important characteristic or part of Earth.
The air we breathe isn’t “used up,” but cycles continuously across the globe.
Materials
Facility Needs
☐ An area large enough for the children to be able to comfortably mingle
☐ Optional: Writing space viewable by the entire group, such as white board or
poster paper and markers, or a black board and chalk
For Each Group of 15 Children
☐ 1 bean bag (or other small, soft object)
☐ 1 stopwatch
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For the Facilitator
☐ Facilitator’s Resources packet (available at www.lpi.usra.edu/explore
/discoverEarth), which includes:
☐ Background information
☐ Be a Science Guide!
☐ Resource lists
☐ Shopping list
Preparation
Review the Facilitator’s Resources packet.
Advertise the program separately to ages 5 to 7 and 8 to 13, and keep the ages
separate, if possible. If mixed ages might attend the program, plan to separate
into two groups guided by two or more facilitators.
Prepare an area large enough for the children to be able to comfortably mingle.
Activity
1. Have everyone stand in a circle and toss the beanbag back and forth. Start by
introducing yourself and then tossing the beanbag to someone across from you. (If
desired, invite each member of the circle to recite the names of those who have
already passed the bean bag — in order.) Then, he or she passes the beanbag to a
new person (preferably someone who is not sitting next to him or her). Each child
must remember the name of the child who catches the beanbag. After circulating the
beanbag to each member of the circle, the pattern is set and the challenge begins!
2. Challenge the children to pass the beanbag as quickly as possible, saying the
name of the receiving person as they toss it. The entire pattern is repeated
multiple times, with each child tossing the beanbag to the same member of the circle
and saying that child’s name. Time each successive round, and invite the children to
work together to increase their speed. The bean bag must pass to each member, but
they may rearrange themselves and stand or sit.
Facilitator’s Note: The children may discover a speedy method: Stand in order, in a
tight circle, with one arm outstretched. The hands are arranged to form a descending
spiral, and the bean bag is rolled down this “ramp” as the children chant their neighbor’s
name.
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3. Congratulate the children on working together to solve the challenge! Tell them
their “winning” time.
4. Discuss how the air we breathe is also passed from person to person and
across the globe. The air in your lungs can be thought of like the beanbag; it is
something that can be passed on. Air isn’t “used up” by our bodies when we breathe
it, but is recycled. While the gases in the air undergo changes as they interact with
each other, life (including us!), and the environment, the “stuff” that makes up the air
(atoms) has been around for a long time. We are breathing the same “air stuff” that
the dinosaurs did!
How is air important to life on Earth? In addition to food and water, animals need
to breathe air in order to survive. Plants convert water and a gas in the air —
carbon dioxide — into sugars using the energy in light.
Besides breathing, how do you experience air in your daily life? Air is always all
around us. Air moves around the globe, influencing our weather.
For children ages 8 to 13, note we experience the weight of air above and around us as
pressure. Add that air pressure is an important part of weather: In areas where there is
high pressure, the weather is fair. In areas where there is low pressure, there are
storms.
Conclusion
Air is an important characteristic or part of our planet! Explain that the children will
have the chance to explore air on Earth through Discover Earth activities, and for those
libraries hosting the Discover Earth: A Century of Change exhibit, through a weather
station and the exhibit displays and interactives.
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Web of Life
Activity Procedure
Overview
Children get to know each other through an icebreaker activity that introduces the
importance of life on Earth. As they sit in a circle, each child introduces him- or herself
and then tosses a ball of yarn — while keeping a hold on his or her own end of the
string — to another child. In a science twist for ages 5 to 7 on this classic “spider web”
icebreaker game, each child names a favorite natural food (e.g. an apple) that they
would catch if he or she were an imaginary spider at the center of the group’s “web.” For
ages 8 to 13, the first child also states a favorite animal. All subsequent players state a
plant or animal that the first animal eats.
What’s the Point?
Life is an important characteristic (or part) of Earth.
All life depends on other forms of life in order to survive.
Materials
Facility Needs
☐ An area large enough for the children to be able to comfortably mingle
For Each Group of 15 Children
☐ 1 ball of yarn, any color
For the Facilitator
☐ Facilitator’s Resources packet (available at www.lpi.usra.edu/explore
/discoverEarth), which includes:
☐ Background information
☐ Be a Science Guide!
☐ Resource lists
☐ Shopping list
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Preparation
Review the Facilitator’s Resources packet.
Advertise the program separately to ages 5 to 7 and 8 to 13, and keep the ages
separate, if possible. If mixed ages attend the program, separate into two groups
guided by separate facilitators.
Prepare an area large enough for the children to be able to comfortably mingle.
Activity
1. Ask the children what they know about life.
What do we need in order to live? Accept all answers, which may include family,
love, shelter, knowledge, air, water, and food.
Focus the discussion on the basic necessities of our bodies: air, food, and water.
Where does our food come from? Accept all answers and prompt the children to
think beyond the grocery store as the source of their food. Answers might include
farms, ranches, streams and oceans (for fish,) and forests (for game).
2. Explain to the children that they will be creating a “web of life.” Have them sit in
a circle and explain the game: Each child will introduce him- or herself and help
make a web by tossing a ball of yarn — while keeping a hold on his or her own end
of the string — to another child.
a. Children ages 5 to 7 each also name a favorite natural food (e.g. an apple)
that they would catch if he or she were an imaginary spider at the center of
the group’s “web.” Explain that the children do not need to name foods that
real spiders eat, but rather their own personal — and natural — favorites.
b. Children ages 8 to 9 and 10 to 13 build a web based on the first child’s
favorite animal. Challenge the children to create a web that allows that animal
to live. For example, if the first child states her name and then “bear,” the
second child might say his name and “salmon.” The third child would continue
the life web with “smaller fish” then “water plants,” at which point a child might
mention “snails” as another type of animal that eats water plants. Once the
food chain is complete, invite a child to begin another food chain, beginning
with his or her own favorite animal.
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3. After all children have introduced themselves, untangle the “web” — without
letting go of the yarn! — to form a circle. Congratulate the children on building the
“circle of life”!
Conclusion
Life is an important characteristic or part of our planet! Explain that the children will
have the chance to explore life on Earth through Discover Earth activities, and for those
libraries hosting the Discover Earth: A Century of Change exhibit, through the exhibit
displays and interactives.
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Contact Information
Your questions and comments about the Discover Earth: Hands-on Science Activities
are welcome!
Explore Program Team
Department of Education and Public Outreach
The Lunar and Planetary Institute
3600 Bay Area Boulevard
Houston, Texas 77058
STAR_Net
Project Overview
The STAR Library Education Network project (STAR_Net for short) is part of a national
initiative to support libraries that are already providing informal STEM learning, or want
to provide it. The STAR_Net project has a number of components, including:
Two traveling exhibits for libraries: Discover Earth: A Century of Change, and
Discover Tech: Engineers Make a World of Difference.
An Education Program, which includes developing exemplary hands-on activities
for libraries, as well as conducting training (both online and in-person) for library
staff.
An Outreach Program that helps libraries to develop STEM programming and
find local partners for collaborations on programming.
An online Community of Practice (CoP) (http://community.discoverexhibits.org)
for librarians (both hosts and non-hosts of the exhibits) and STEM professionals
who want to support STEM programming in public libraries.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) provided funding the STAR_Net project.
STAR_Net is led by the National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL) at the Space
Science Institute. Dr. Paul Dusenbery is the project director. STAR stands for “Science-
Technology Activities and Resources.” In addition to NCIL staff, the project team
includes:
The American Library Association (ALA), which is managing the exhibit tours and
helping to raise awareness among librarians of the many opportunities for
providing STEM programming
23 STAR_Net Project http://community.discoverexhibits.org
The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), which is leading the Education Program
component. For some years, LPI has led the Explore program for libraries, which
has been at the forefront of developing STEM programming and training for
librarians.
The National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP), which is leading the project’s
Outreach Program. As a project partner, this NSF-funded project is helping
libraries across the country partner with a variety of organizations to provide
STEM programming.
NCIL’s Kate Haley Goldman and staff from Evaluation and Research Associates
are conducting evaluations of the project’s components. The project also
includes a research component that explores how public libraries can serve as
STEM learning centers in rural, under-served communities. The evaluation and
research results will be shared with the informal science education community.
The activity described in this packet was developed for libraries to use in support of the
Discover Earth traveling exhibit, though it may be implemented independently.
Online Community
Librarians, scientists, engineers, educators, museum staff, and others are invited to join
the STAR_Net online community! The website fosters collaboration among
professionals who want to provide or support Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics (STEM) learning experiences in libraries. The STAR_Net project team
hopes you find the following activity useful. Please join the online community
(http://community.discoverexhibits.org) and share your experiences implementing it with
your colleagues.
For more information about the STAR_Net project, please contact:
Lisa Curtis
Projects and Exhibits Manager
National Center for Interactive Learning at the Space Science Institute
Boulder, CO
(720) 974-5821
Credits and Acknowledgements
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under
Grant No. DRL- 1010844. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations
expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the
views of the National Science Foundation.
Development Team (Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX)
Discover Earth: Hands-on Science Activities was developed by the Lunar and
Planetary Institute’s Explore program team in support of the Discover Earth travelling
exhibition by the Space Science Institute’s National Center for Interactive Learning
(www.DiscoverExhibits.org).
Module Development and Workshop Implementation
Keliann LaConte
Dr. Stephanie Shipp
Yolanda Ballard–Zimmermann
Web Development and Graphics
John Blackwell
Ronna Hurd
Resources
Linda Chappell
Thanks to Andrea Vaughn, coordinator of Central Library Youth Services at Brooklyn
(N.Y.) Public Library, and the Public Library Association Virtual Symposium for reading
game ideas.
Content and Education Review
Dr. Gil Compo, Research Scientist, Cooperative Institute for Research in
Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado , Boulder, CO
Dr. Sara Harris, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Canada
Dr. Walt Meier, National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado,
Boulder, CO
Beth Barrett, Louisville Public Library, Louisville, CO
Dr. Susan Buhr, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences,
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Tiffany Clendenin, Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library, Pagosa Springs, CO
Dr. Paul Dusenbery, National Center for Interactive Learning at the Space
Science Institute, Boulder, CO
Deborah Morrison, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Karen Peterson, National Girls Collaborative Project, Lynnwood, WA
25 STAR_Net Project http://community.discoverexhibits.org
Field Tests
Appreciation is extended to the librarians who field tested the materials in their
children’s, youth, and teen programs.
Justin Barkley, TLL Temple Memorial Library, Diboll, TX
Sally Blevins, Bitterroot Public Library, Hamilton, MT
Laura Goss, Adams County Library System, Gettysburg, PA
Evaluation Team
John Baek, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Vicky Ragan Coulon, Evaluation & Research Associates, Lynnwood, WA
Ginger Fitzhugh, Evaluation & Research Associates, Lynnwood, WA
Kate Haley Goldman, National Center for Interactive Learning at the Space
Science Institute
26 STAR_Net Project http://community.discoverexhibits.org
Appendix:
Activity Materials to Print
Walls of Ice
Facilitator’s Guide
Invite the children to form two even lines (of about the same lengths), and explain that
they are to run to the opposite line every time they hear something that is true about
themselves. Read each fact, joke, or personal statement listed below out loud. The
children learn who else has had similar experiences with ice by seeing who runs at the
same time as they do.
I have heard an ice cube crackle and pop!
What happens to ice when it hears a funny joke? It cracks up!
(Submitted by Eliza, age 8, to www.jokesbykids.com)
I have slipped on ice.
Melting and freezing ice at Earth’s poles helps make our ocean currents
flow.
I have been ice skating.
There is less sea ice in the north polar region than there was 40 years ago.
I have been snow skiing.
I have had a snowball fight!
In the U.S., many major weather patterns start out in the Arctic.
I have gotten my tongue stuck on ice.
Glaciers are found on mountains on all continents, except in Australia.
I have been ice fishing.
I have seen icicles hanging from a roof or tree.
If you live in an igloo, what's the worst thing about global warming? No
privacy!
Jokes from www.athropolis.com unless otherwise noted.
I have made a snowperson.
What do you call fifty penguins in the Arctic? Lost! REALLY lost! (Penguins
live in Antarctica.)
I have added ice cubes to water and seen the ice float
Antarctic ice is almost three miles thick in some places!
I save energy (e.g. turn off the lights when I’m not using them) and help the
polar bears.
I have seen wispy clouds high up in the sky, which are made of tiny ice
crystals.
Jokes from www.athropolis.com unless otherwise noted.
Ice Bingo
Put your name or initials on the line in the blocks for the ice experiences you have
had. Then find different people who have had other experiences and ask them to
initial that box.
I have heard an
ice cube crackle
and pop!
_______
(initials)
What happens to
ice when it hears
a funny joke?
It cracks up!
Submitted by Eliza,
age 8, to
www.jokesbykids.com
I have slipped on
ice.
_______
(initials)
Melting and
freezing ice at
Earth’s poles
helps make our
ocean currents
flow.
I have been ice
skating.
_______
(initials)
I have been
snow skiing.
_______
(initials)
I have had a
snowball fight!
_______
(initials)
In the U.S.,
many major
weather
patterns start
out in the
Arctic.
I have gotten my
tongue stuck on
ice.
_______
(initials)
Sea ice in the
north polar
region has
decreased by
40% in the last
40 years!
Glaciers are
found on
mountains on all
continents,
except
Australia.
I have been ice
fishing.
_______
(initials)
I have seen
icicles hanging
from a roof or
tree.
_______
(initials)
If you live in an
igloo, what's the
worst thing
about global
warming?
No privacy!
I have made a
snowperson.
_______
(initials)
What do you call
fifty penguins in
the Arctic?
Lost! REALLY
lost!
(Penguins live in
Antarctica.)
I have added ice
cubes to water
and seen the ice
float / sink
(circle one).
_______
(initials)
Antarctic ice is
almost three
miles thick in
some places!
I save energy
(e.g. turn off
the lights when
I’m not using
them) and help
the polar bears.
_______
(initials)
I have seen
wispy clouds high
up in the sky,
which are made
of tiny ice
crystals.
_______
(initials)
