Astronomy
30 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Our Progress, Schooling Tags: astronomy, real science 4 kids, Science
Well, we did it. We finished our astronomy curriculum for the year.
I have to say, it’s a little bittersweet for me. I’m really happy we’ve progressed and are ready to move on. And I’m thrilled that the kids got so much out it! I just love astronomy so much and I wish we could just study that forever. I know, it wouldn’t be a very well rounded science education…but it would be awesome! :)
Seriously, though, it’s been great. We’re using Real Science-4-Kids to do our science. I honestly have to say, it’s hands down the very best science program I’ve found out there for kids! They write the material in a way that presents “advanced” concepts in a way where kids can understand them, without dumbing them down. This year, my kids learned things that I never learned until I got to college. They learned things that most kids don’t learn at all. My five year old can tell you what and where the Kuiper is, and what it’s made of. She can tell you that Pluto isn’t a planet, but a dwarf planet located there. On the other end of the spectrum, but eleven year old can tell you what thermonuclear fusion is and why it’s important for a star. He can tell you what happens to stars when they run out of hydrogen, and about the life cycle of stars. They can all tell you about the different types of galaxies and about how scientists’ view of our own galaxy is changing. They can locate certain constellations in the night sky and can tell you how to know if you are looking at a star or a planet in the sky. They can explain to you why we have seasons and what that has to do with orbital obliquity. They have learned SO much, and enjoyed it too!
When I started out searching for a science curriculum, I never imagined I would find something so great. But, I’m sure grateful I did. It’s been a blessing for the kids to have this resource.
While we’ve officially finished our astronomy curriculum for this year, I do have one more thing in mind for the kids. We are going to have a guest speaker come in, who is an astronomy professor, and talk to the kids about astronomy and what it’s like to be an astronomer and teacher. I think it’s important for them to see that all this stuff that we’ve learned is used all the time and can be practically applied. Plus, they will love learning about some of the cool stuff he teaches.
Now, I believe I would be lax if I just let astronomy fall by the wayside while we move on to other subjects. You have to keep learning about things or you start to forget. So, I still plan on taking them to the planetarium and joining the Las Vegas Astronomical Society for their star parties. I still plan on sharing with them new news and discoveries having to do with astronomy.
And, I plan on cultivating their individual interests in science, whether that’s astronomy or not. See, science is everywhere! It’s all around us, every single day. When you know what to look for, the world and universe can become so much more amazing and wondrous!!
Hands On Astronomy
21 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Field Trips, Schooling Tags: astronomy, Field trips, Science
What better way is there to learn about astronomy than to experience it hands on?? Though we studied eclipses months ago, the event yesterday was just something we couldn’t pass up! The last time a solar eclipse was visible from North America was 18 years ago! This was an opportunity we just didn’t want to miss.
Just to review, a solar eclipse occurs when then Moon moves in between the Earth and the Sun, and blocks out some, or all, of the light from the sun. A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon and blocks out light on the moon. Both are fun to see.
Yesterday’s solar eclipse was an annular eclipse, which meant the Moon was too far away to cover the Sun completely, but the whole Moon moved in front of the Sun and it created a ring of sunlight around the Moon.
Even though we would be able to see most of the eclipse from where we live, we were unable to view the entire annular eclipse, so we opted to drive up to St. George, so we could see the whole thing. It was well worth the drive!
The whole eclipse was spectacular, but seeing the Ring of Fire was even more amazing! We were fortunate to be able to view it a few different ways. Before we left home, we made these super duper simple pinhole projectors out of plastic cups for everyone. They worked really well, and I was pleasantly surprised. When we got up to St. George, we were able to use some solar glasses, which a friend of mine saved for us. Hooray for great friends! They also had some telescopes set up with filters on them, so we were able to look through those a couple times, including during the four minutes the ring was visible! It was just amazing!!
Here is a picture we were able to get through the filtered telescope. This was just a few minutes before the Ring of Fire was able to be seen. I think it looks pretty awesome! And if you want to see some more pictures from around the globe, check them out here and here. 
What a terrific opportunity for the kids to see this, especially during the year we are studying astronomy for science! I’m grateful the skies were clear and the weather was beautiful and we were able to see it! I’m hopeful this will be something the kids will remember for a long time. And, I’m truly grateful for the wonders, such as this, that our Heavenly Father has set in place!
I’ve always been drawn to the heavens, even as a very young child. There is just something about the wonders in the skies that calls to me. The more I see them, the more I study them, the more I learn in every way about them, the more awe-inspired I am! I’ve always found that I don’t have words sufficient to adequately explain my thoughts and feelings about space and astronomy and the wonders to behold there. But, I can share these things with my children, and maybe, just maybe, they will have some of that same draw to the curiosity and wonder of the heavens.
The End of Homeschooling???
18 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Society Tags: Freedom, homeschooling, obamacare
I try to stay away from political things on this blog. I try to keep this focus on our homeschooling and the fun things we do. However, this time, I felt this was pertinent, and I wanted to post something from my other blog (which is all political) on here.
Check out Why Obamacare Means the End of Homeschooling.
Please read it. I think our freedom to homeschool our children is in terrible danger. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
The Orbits Awards
19 Apr 2012 2 Comments
in Schooling Tags: astronomy, events, planets, real science 4 kids, Science, solar system
Whew! What a busy, busy few weeks we’ve had. All of a sudden it’s the middle of April! How on earth did that happen so quickly?!
We’ve had some super fun things happening with the kids and our schooling.
For our science this year, we’ve been studying astronomy (my personal favorite), and the kids have done a great job. We are using the Real Science 4 Kids curriculum, which I really really love! We’ve spent a good deal of time on our Solar System. After all, you’ve got to know your own neighborhood before you can go exploring any farther, right? So, to conclude our Solar System studies, we decided to have an awards show, like the Oscars, for the planets. We called it the Orbits! We had different categories, and each planet received an award. For example, Mars received the Rusty, Crusty, Dusty Award. upiter received the Gassy Goliath Award. Uranus got the Topsy Turvy Award (it’s the only planet tipped totally on it’s side). Each was assigned one of the planets, and they became little experts on that planet. Since we figured it wasn’t likely any of the planets would come to accept their awards, we had the kids give the acceptance speech in behalf of their planet. A dear friend of ours was the host for the evening, and even wore a tux! He was also very hilarious! Turns out, astronomy can be very funny, and we only had one Uranus joke. The kids all dressed up really nice and we even asked our guests to do the same. We also had food that went with the name of each of the planets. For Venus (the goddess of love), for example, we had chocolate covered strawberries. For Neptune (the god of the seas), we had shrimp cocktail. It all worked out to be a ton of food and made a really nice dinner. The kids also made models of the planets, which we placed by their corresponding food. We set it all up in my backyard, and it turned out really nice. We even transformed my living room and dining room into a little science and art gallery, including a scale model of the Solar System, and a slide show about the planets on the television. What we wanted was a fancy evening where the kids could show what they have learned, and be celebrated. It was great!
We thought a black carpet would be more fitting than a red one, so we got 2 big rolls of black butcher paper and splatter painted them to look like they were covered with stars.
We wanted to give the kids some little goodies, so I made these bags and filled them up with all kinds of little astronomy fun things, like glow in the dark stars and space stickers. We also wanted to give our guests something, so everyone got a Milky Way, as it seemed fitting.
I made these curtains for my boys’ bedroom, but we borrowed them for the evening to block off the kitchen. The kitchen was ground zero for event preparation, so we really didn’t want people going in there. :)
The kids all made their own planet, and painted them on canvas. We wanted to display those for everyone to see, too. I think they did a great job!
All the walls of my living room and dining room had some sort of astronomy information on them. This is just one of them. We also had one that talked about each of the planets, one that had constellations, and one that talked about the GRAIL mission, which we are participating in, and showed pictures from it.
Here is part of our scale model of the Solar System. The terrestrial planets are there, but they are really small. Amazing to think the Sun is that big compared to the planets, and it’s actually just an average star. There are some stars out there that make the sun look as small as a dwarf planet!
Everyone enjoyed setting up all the tables and chairs! We are very grateful to have been able to borrow them from a friend.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get any pictured from that evening because the lighting was bad. It all turned out wonderfully, though. We had friends and family come to support the kids, and everyone enjoyed the evening. To top it all off, we had an absolutely amazing view of Jupiter and Venus in the western sky!
Solar System PowerPoint (properly viewed with the Planets symphony by Holst in the background)
When I Grow Up…
08 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Field Trips, Our Progress, Schooling Tags: careers, critical thinking, Field trips, History, Science
As always, life is very busy. We have so much going on, and I’m finally getting a minute to sit down here and catch up.
Field trips:
We’ve had two field trips this last month, both with the idea of teaching the kids about different careers they could have.
First, we went to visit a friend of mine who taught woodshop for something like 30 years. He’s an amazing carpenter and I thought it would be great if he could talk to the kids about carpentry. He was great with them. He talked to them about different tools and types of wood and their uses. He also talked to them about the importance of knowing math when you do carpentry. He actually stressed that quite a bit. Then, we were privileged to be able to go into his home and see all the amazing things he’s built over the years. While we were doing that, we were able to hear more about his life, which was very cool. He also talked to the kids about how he made certain things. The kids all enjoyed it, and so did the moms.
The second trip we took was to a firestation. We were toured around by a friend of Kelly’s, who was wonderful with the kids. He answered questions and demonstrated how some of the equipment worked. Of course the kids were all fascinated by all of the equipment and tools. He had my oldest daughter dress up in all their gear, minus the air tanks. She decided that was definitely too heavy to want to move around in. He also showed how a machine they use to monitor your heart works, but hooking it up to my youngest daughter. She wasn’t too sure about that, but we all thought it was pretty cool. They all got to go inside the giant fire truck and check that out, too. After we saw all the cool equipment on the truck, they hooked up a hose and all the kids were able to take a turn spraying it. Naturally, they loved that! When we were all done with that, we went inside and got to see how the firemen spend their down time and how they live at the station. That was pretty informative, too. However, I think the kids were much less impressed with the inside of the station than they were with all the fun things on the truck. He also took a little bit of time and spoke to them about what you have to do to become a firefighter. Becoming an EMT first was highly recommended. He also told us that they have continuing training and education they have to do. Everyone enjoyed that trip too! 
We have more things coming up for the kids, which should be quite a bit of fun. We are planning another trip to the planetarium and also a trip out of town to observe the skies, hopefully with the Las Vegas Astronomical Society. We have lined up a trip to speak to a nurse, too. We’ll also be taking a tour of our hometown dairy.
Academics:
The kids have been hard at work, learning all about colonial life and the things that led up to the Revolutionary War. We will be getting to the Revolutionary War within the next month, and I’m personally very excited about that! We’ve also had the kids pondering my question I wrote about in my previous post. Would we still have had the American Revolution if something would have been different?? I haven’t told the kids my thoughts on that yet, but I sure love watching their brains working and really thinking about it. I won’t even let them answer at all yet. I told them they really have to think about it hard and for a long time. Critical thinking!! Yeah!
As for science, we are planning a giant extravaganza! We are putting together an awards show for the solar system, like the Oscars. It’s going to be all formal and we are putting together a dinner where all the food has to do with the planets. The families have been making models of the Sun and the Moon this week and we’ll be doing the rest of the planets in the next two weeks. Each child is going to have the opportunity to learn in depth about one of the planets, and as we give the awards to the planets, one child will accept the award on behalf of the planet and share something about that planet with the audience. We’ve invited all sorts of friends and family and we’re all really looking forward to it. It seemed like a fun way to get the kids excited about learning about the solar system.
As for our family’s work outside of the co-op, we’ve been working away with math and reading. The kids are doing great. Although, I have to say, it’s been so nice outside that it’s hard to want to do any school work. But, at least we have the ability to work in the evenings, after the sun is down. One great thing about homeschooling is being able to create your own schedule.
Speaking of schedule, I finally finished putting together my lesson plans for the rest of the year for our co-op! Hooray for that!! We’ve decided we’ll work through July, then take off August and September, since I’m due the middle of August. That way, I have a little bit of time to adjust before getting back to school. Then, we’ll pick things right back up in October. It’s so nice to see it all laid out and written down. Makes it so much easier to plan ahead, especially the fun activities!
We Now Return to Our Regularly Scheduled School Time…
13 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Our Progress, Reflections, Schooling Tags: astronomy, careers, Field trips, History, Science
What a busy couple of months we’ve had. Thanksgiving, then one daughter’s birthday, then comes Christmas, followed by the birthdays of my two oldest boys. In the middle of all that, we had Thanksgiving parties and Christmas parties and field trips and family activities and Scouts. And, we found out I’m pregnant! Holy cow it has just been nuts! A good nuts, but still nuts.
Just to briefly follow up on my last post. Logan was able to achieve his goal and earned everything he wanted to. He did a great job!!
So, after all the activities, it’s time to get back to our regular schedule. It was nice to be able to take a break, but it’s also good to be back to it. I love the ability we have to not be constrained to the school district schedule, and be able to make our breaks as long or short as we want. I love being able to work at night or on Saturdays. I love having the ability to say, hey, let’s go over to the airport and watch airplanes for a little bit, right in the middle of the day. Or, to be able to do our school work outside on a beautiful day. I love that we can have pajama day any day we want to. Mostly, I love being able to teach my children and watch them light up when they figure something out or learn about something they really like. I love having that time with my children and being able to really watch them blossom.
Alright, back on track-
This month, the kids are going to be learning more about Colonial America. What was life like for the people in the seventeen and eighteenth centuries in America? My question for the kids to figure out with this: If it weren’t for EVERYTHING leading up to the Revolutionary War, would we still have declared our independence from Great Britain?? What I mean by that is this: The Dark Ages, full of disease, and war, and lack of learning, and stymied religion, led the way for the Reformation and Renaissance to happen. When people saw they could learn and read scripture themselves, they wanted more freedom. When people started making new scientific discoveries, it led to more and more. Then, we get the Age of Exploration, where people were sailing around the globe and discovering all kinds of new lands and people. As we are learning more with science and exploration and religion, we question the crown and the church and want more freedom. People come over to America for a number of reasons, religious freedom, economic opportunity, escape from debt, escape from the horrible conditions that plagued England at the time, and exploration. People started to forget about God, and that led to the Great Awakening. The Great Awakening, like the Reformation and Renaissance, caused people to question things in their daily lives, as well as the authority of others. People became keenly aware of scripture and the stories contained in the Bible. They learned, for example about Moses, and how under his leadership, people had real freedom. The people yearned for freedom and were able to awaken to the injustices they faced under British control. Eventually, this gave way to the American Revolution.
So, if you take one of those things out. If say, the Renaissance didn’t happen, or the Great Awakening didn’t happen. Any of those things. If you take out just one, do we still have the conditions in America for the American Revolution? If you change any one of those events, do we get the United States of America? I would submit to you the answer to that is no. But, I’ll keep that opinion to myself as I teach the kids. I really want them to be able to answer that question for themselves in the next few weeks. Critical thinking is very important here.
Now, on to science. The kids are going to be learning about the Moon, the Sun, and the planets in our Solar System. They are going to be tracking the moon on their own moon calendars. We have some fun nights of observation planned, and we also have an astronomy professor coming to speak to them. We will also be making some more trips to the planetarium. I’m also working on getting a speaker from the Las Vegas Astronomical Society to come speak to us. We will also be joining them for their public star party at the end of the month. Those are always awesome!
We will be continuing on with our phonics and language work. I’ve found the older kids are lacking some things that we thought they had learned, so I’m taking them backwards a little bit, but they sure are learning a lot – and really grasping it. Perhaps it’s better to hold off on some things until kids are a little older and can understand better. Just a thought. Anyway, it’s going really well and I’m very pleased. My little daughter read her first word the other day and just lit up. It was great!
One thing I’m really excited about is our plan to expose the kids to as many careers as possible. We really want them to see as much as we can and help broaden their horizons. Perhaps they will learn about something they never knew about before. I’m working to get us some activities with the firemen, a police officer, a carpenter, astronomer, air traffic controller, and genealogist. Still on the look out for more!
Anyway, things are going well and life is good!
Time to get to work!
Logan’s Article
21 Dec 2011 1 Comment
in Our Progress, Schooling Tags: Scouting, writing
My oldest is trying to earn all the compass points he can as a Webelo Scout. As part of doing this, he was supposed to write an article about a Cub Scout activity. He chose to write about his Arrow of Light. It’s very short, but it’s a big improvement from where he was just a short time ago with his writing. Anyhow, here is his article.
When I Got My Arrow of Light
When we got to pack meeting, there were a lot of tables and chairs set up. There was also a big table with food on it. When everyone got there, we sat down and started to eat dinner. We had Indian tacos; they were so delicious! Everyone seemed to like them. After dinner, all the scouts went by the stage and we started. Ethan, Weston and I were all receiving our Arrow of Light. As part of the Arrow of Light ceremony, we had to hold on to three different arrows, which symbolized different parts of the Cub Scout program. After we were done with the arrows, we each received our Arrow of Light awards. Ethan had a birthday and it was time for him to move on to Boy Scouts, so he went up on the stage and built a bridge to Boy Scouts, which represented everything he earned and learned to get to that position. It was a really fun night! I will remember it forever!
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
21 Dec 2011 1 Comment
in Field Trips, Our Progress, Schooling, Society Tags: Christmas, Field trips, History, Science, Scouting
Honestly, I’m not trying to go a month between posts. After all, the idea of this was to help document all the fun and craziness and ups and downs on our homeschooling journey. I’d really like to have that happen more often. I’ve been super busy with all the holidays and birthdays we have this time of year, and sadly, my little blog has fallen utterly behind. So, now to play catch up!
Let’s start with November.
My oldest received his Arrow of Light, the highest award a Cub Scout can receive. It was quite a journey getting to that point, but so incredibly worth it! He worked so hard to do everything which was required and he was so very excited when he finally earned the award. He was able to receive his Arrow of Light at the same time as two of the other Scouts in his Pack, so they had a ceremony for all three. It was very special!! And, of course, our whole little co-op came out to support him when he received the award. 
So, why mention a Cub Scout Award on a blog about homeschooling???
I truly believe Cub Scouting is an absolutely amazing way to teach kids. The Cub Scout program could almost be a curriculum all by itself! There is just so much to it and so many different areas of life and learning it touches. So much more than just tying knots. I have two boys in Cubs right now, and in January my oldest will move into Boy Scouts. (Dang!! When did that happen?? Wasn’t he just a baby like 5 minutes ago??) We incorporate their Scouting requirements into our schooling. There are things in there that can even be done with the girls. It’s just incredible! And, I really believe the Cub and Boy Scouting programs build character and strength in these boys, something many boys and men in our society desperately lack.
In November, in our co-op, we continued our studies of science and history. In science, we learned more about telescopes and about the Space Race. Next, we are going to be taking an in-depth look at our Solar System. For history, we’ve been talking about the colonizing of America and the original 13 colonies that would eventually make up the United States. It is absolutely amazing to me to see how the old traditions and culture of Europe carried over to the settling of the colonies! It makes perfect sense, but it is still incredible to me. And, you know what?? The kids picked up on that stuff on their own! Hooray! They are paying attention and listening and things are getting through to them!! It’s clicking! It’s really, really clicking! And, they are sure showing they are critical thinkers! I LOVE it!!!!
OK, now on to December.
We decided to take it a bit easy this month, since Christmas is coming. We’ve been going a little light on the academics, but fear not! They are indeed learning plenty of other things. A couple of weeks ago, we took the kids on a field trip to the Bellagio Conservatory. We were treated to a guided tour by one of our grandmas, who works there. It was amazing! We were also able to talk to Mr. Green Thumb, who told us all about how they do the plants and decorations, which are changed five times every year. Everyone loved it and we were all in total awe at the incredible creations and decorations which were on display. It was a great treat for the kids and adults!
We also decided to do a Christmas Dinner and gift exchange for the kids. Each child was given the name of another one to do a gift for. We put a limit of $5 or handmade things. Most of the kids decided to go for handmade, which was absolutely incredible! My oldest knitted a hat and scarf. My other big boy sewed and stuffed a pillow. My girls also wanted to do pillows, and did so with some help. Some of the other kids made bracelets and pillows too. It was incredible to see them get so wrapped up in making gifts for others! They all really stepped outside themselves and worked super hard for each other! Everyone loved it!
We also went caroling that day, which everyone enjoyed!
It’s been a great few weeks and we’ve been able to see the kids grow a great deal!
It’s always an adventure and we are completely loving the journey we are on! Looking forward to the new year and new adventures!!
GRAIL Naming
19 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Our Progress, Schooling Tags: astronomy, GRAIL, NASA, Science
Last Friday, I submitted the names for the GRAIL satellites that our children came up with. As you may recall, they were to decide on two names, one for each of the GRAIL satellites. All of the kids worked together and brainstormed different names, then they voted. The winners were….Tom and Jerry. Yup, just like the cartoon. After they decided what the names should be, they all worked together and wrote up a little explanation of why they chose those names. I thought I would include it here. We will find out if our names are selected sometime in December. Here is what we submitted:
We want to start by thanking you for allowing us to participate in this contest. We also want to thank you for sending the GRAIL satellites to study the moon so we can learn more about it. This year our homeschool co-op, the Explorers, is studying astronomy. We are very excited for the opportunity to explore with NASA and learn more about the moon, through the GRAIL mission.The names that we have chosen for the two GRAIL satellites are Tom and Jerry, just like the cartoon. We chose these names for several reasons. First, in the same way Tom and Jerry chase each other, the two GRAIL satellites will have to “chase” each other once they get into orbit around the moon. Second, after the GRAIL satellites “catch” each other, they will have to work together to study the moon and accomplish their mission. Tom and Jerry always end up working together to accomplish their goals. Third, Tom and Jerry run into problems, as do NASA scientists. It is important for both Tom and Jerry and the NASA scientists to help each other solve the problems, especially when communicating with satellites as far away as the moon. Next, just like Tom and Jerry are always up to something, NASA scientists are constantly coming up with new inventions and ideas. Last, in one episode Tom and Jerry went to the moon. That was only pretend, but this would be a chance for them to really go there.Thank you again for letting us be a part of this program. We have really enjoyed it and it was very cool. We hope that you will allow people to participate in naming missions in the future. Thank you for your consideration.
I Believe I Can Fly….
03 Nov 2011 1 Comment
in Curriculum, Our Progress, Schooling Tags: astronomy, GRAIL, History, MoonKAM, NASA, Science
I believe I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky. I think about it every night and day…
When I was a child, I wanted so very much to become an astronaut when I grew up! As far back as I can remember, I dreamed about the stars and heavens. At night, I would stare longingly up at the sky (something that has never changed). I’ve always been in absolute awe at the wonder and beauty of the heavens. As I grew, I studied all I could about astronomy and NASA and the history of space travel. For years, I took any story on astronomy or space travel out of the newspaper and put them up on my bedroom walls. One of the greatest birthday presents I ever received was when my mom wrote to dozens of former astronauts and asked them if they would just send me a picture or write a letter, and she gave me everything that they sent. I was part of the astronomy club in high school. My senior project in high school was on the Space Race, and once I got to college, the first classes I took were the astronomy classes.
I tell you all this so you can understand how much I truly LOVE all things space.
So, when we gave the kids the choice of what science they wanted to focus on this year, and they picked astronomy, I was pretty excited. I was hoping I could get the kids to be excited about it, too (maybe not as much as I am, but excited nonetheless.) I think astronomy is a great science to begin with, because it touches so many of the other sciences. It also inspires a lot of imagination and creativity.
In preparing for our lessons, I like to try to keep up to date on what is happening now in astronomy news. So, one day, I was going through my NASA app and found a story that really caught my eye. NASA is having a contest for kids to name two spacecraft. You have to admit, it would be pretty awesome to name a NASA spacecraft. 
Here’s the deal on the contest. In September, NASA launched to satellites into space; they are currently on their way to the moon. Once they get into orbit around the moon, in January, they will spend a bit of time getting synced up together and will begin orbiting the moon together. Then, beginning in March 2012, they will work together and start mapping the inside of the moon, by measuring the changes in gravity as they orbit. The mission, called GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory), is amazing. To think, we can know what is happening inside the moon, just from measuring shifts in gravity, just amazes me! Currently, the two satellites are called GRAIL 1 and GRAIL 2. However, NASA would like the kids to rename them. So, our children will be working on coming up with a name for each craft, and the reasoning behind the name. NASA is looking for something with substance and meaning. I think it’s a great opportunity for the kids! We even spent some time looking at the history of space travel, in particularly, going to the moon, in order to help them understand a little better, and maybe even come up with some ideas. We will be submitting our names next week.
Alright, that was cool enough, right? Yeah, I think so. But wait! There’s more!! Be prepared to have your mind completely blown!! 
So, on each of these two satellites, there is a camera that will be taking pictures of the moon. But, not just any pictures….pictures that kids will take! This part of the mission is called MoonKAM, which is Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students. Here’s the deal. Teachers can register their classrooms to be a part of the MoonKAM program. Then, the students in the class will be able to get online and tell the camera what to take pictures of on the moon. They will be able to have the cameras zoom in and out and then decide what they want to take pictures of. Now, hold on……WE’VE BEEN APPROVED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS!!!!!!!
That’s right, our little homeschool co-op is going to be part of a real live NASA mission!! Right from our very living rooms, we’ll be able to get online and communicate with satellites that are ORBITING THE MOON!!!
Mind=Blown!
I don’t even know how to convey the excitement I have over this! And when I told the kids, they were ecstatic! We were all pretty sure that it would just be for kids in “regular school.” But, I thought, it won’t hurt to try! And BAM, just like that, we are going to be part of something truly historic and monumental! I just can’t even tell you how amazing this is!! I’ve always wanted to be part of NASA, and now we’ll all get that opportunity. It’s just completely astonishing to me!!
I am truly grateful the kids will be able to experience all of this, especially during the year we are learning about astronomy! All the pieces just fell into place and it’s just perfect. This, I believe, is an experience they will always treasure.
