Our Sky

Our Sky is a series of Out-of-School Time and museum educational programs that inspire an appreciation and understanding of Earth and Space Science (ESS) in a diverse population of children ages 3-10 and their parents, caregivers and educators. All resources are developed through a partnership between Boston Children’s Museum and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The vision for Our Sky is that children ages 3-10 and their adult caregivers will gain an appreciation for celestial objects and phenomena as a foundation for understanding of Earth and Space Science. All resources and activities will be designed to realize this vision, and to: Serve a diverse range of audiences, with an emphasis on urban and low-income children and families; Increase appreciation among diverse adults and children of the sky as an accessible science learning resource; Share NASA resources with, and help develop foundational STEM skills in children; Encourage adults to engage in and guide ESS learning experiences with children; Inspire practical application of STEM skills by children and adults as they explore celestial objects together; and Expand the capacity of museum staff and afterschool educators to engage families in learning STEM skills through ESS exploration. Our Sky activities will result in: A series of museum-based programs that incorporate NASA resources and ESS activities across a range of content areas; and A series of new ESS-focused activities for the award-winning “Beyond the Chalkboard” afterschool curriculum that include NASA resources and will reach hundreds of thousands of children around the world.

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