STAR Net News - June 28, 2023
STAR Net News - June 28, 2023
June 28, 2023
Four adults gathered around a wooden SunSpotter

Bilingual Spanish/English Solar Science Kits


This NASA@ My Library offering will provide 30 public libraries in areas with a large percentage of Spanish speakers (or patrons of hispanic/latinx descent) with a Solar Science kit meant to support the October 2023 and April 2024 eclipses, and other astronomy/solar science activities. The draft kit list is as follows:
  • 4.5" Dobsonian Telescope with solar filter and moon filter
  • 2 SunSpotters
  • Materials for "Moon Bear's Shadow" Activity
  • "Sorting Games" Activity
  • "Eclipse Soundscapes" Citizen Science Tools and Activities
  • "Globe Observer" Citizen Science Digital Talking Air Thermometers
  • Selection of eclipse books
All items will be bilingual Spanish and English. 

Applications are due July 30th. 

Apply Today!
Image of solar eclipse with the title Science through Shadows

Fiske Planetarium New Short Film Series: Science Through Shadows


Over the next three years, the Fiske Planetarium production team (in collaboration with the Chabot Science Center and the Michigan Science Center) will produce and distribute short 3-6 minute videos about eclipses, occultations, and transits. All videos will be provided FREE in both English and Spanish.
The second episode, Total Eclipse of the Sun, has just been released! This video highlights the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024 across North America. It teaches audience members what to expect on eclipse day, how to safely view the eclipse, and why it will be worth it to travel to the path of totality!
Watch 'Total Eclipse of the Sun'
Four young girls wearing protective eye masks doing a science experiement

Call for Proposals

Notice of Funding Opportunity for NASA Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II)

NASA is seeking proposals for the 2023 NASA TEAM II Community Anchor Awards and Full Awards.
Through TEAM II - a competitive, high-quality, national program that supports NASA-themed STEM education - NASA seeks to enhance the ability of informal education institutions and partners to deliver and participate in NASA-based activities, and to increase the capacity of institutions to utilize NASA resources and to provide students with the opportunity to contribute to NASA’s mission using innovative tools and platforms.
Eligible proposers include U.S. nonprofit science museums, planetariums, youth-serving organizations and libraries. Selected parties will offer inquiry- or experiential-based opportunities that include NASA education and research and directly align with space exploration, aeronautics, space science, earth science, or microgravity. 
Proposals are due August 15 (Community Anchor Awards) and September 12, 2023 (Full Awards).
Learn More
“The STAR Library Network (STAR Net) is a hands-on learning network for libraries and their communities across the country. STAR Net focuses on helping library professionals build their STEM skills by providing “science-technology activities and resources” (STAR) and training to use those resources.
STAR Net is built upon a strong network of collaborators and partners, led by the Space Science Institute’s (SSI) National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL).
Funding is provided by the National Science Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, NASA Office of STEM Engagement, and the NASA Science Mission Directorate.
STAR Net Blogs
Colorful LEGO building set
LEGO Challenge: SEL and STEAM at Skokie Library
by Caitlin Savage
One thing that will never cease to amaze me is kids' capacity for endless creative LEGO building. I love LEGO, but free building is not for me. I need instructions, and a clearly defined outcome. My son, however, can happily while away hours tinering with designs understood only by him...
Read The Blog
We are Water logo overlaying an image of a river and canyon
Summer Programming with We are Water
by Claire Ratcliffe Adams (SSI)
Get some last minute planning ideas connected to the 2023 Collaborative Summer Library Program theme, "All Together Now." 
Read The Blog
A DIY creation of a Mars Rover made out of a plastic bag, packing materials, and chop sticks.
Mars Rovers and Egg Drops - STEAM Engines at Skokie Library
A little while ago, I noticed Jasmine Warga's book A Rover's Story on display at our library. I love a book with an unconventional narrator, and this one - told from the perspective of a Mars rover - is one of the most unique I've ever read...
Read The Blog
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STAR Net's Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries Initiative!
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