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Primary School Visits


Stardome is here to help give your students an out-of-this-world learning experience! Each primary school visit includes a Feature Show in our 360degree planetarium and an Education Session.
 



Choose one of the following Planetarium Feature Shows


Tycho to the Moon:  [Year 0-4]

Blast off on an amazing ride into space with Tycho to learn about night and day, space travel, the Moon and much more.

 
 

The Little Star that Could: [Year 1-4] 

Experience one star's search for planets to protect and warm. Learn about different stars and come along for the ride as he meets interesting characters like "Pearl", "Goldie", "Sapphire" and "Big Daddy", and makes other discoveries in the galaxy.
  

Secret of the Cardboard Rocket:  [Year 4-7]

Is a fun story following two children who build a cardboard rocket that takes them on an informative and very visual tour of the Solar System accompanied by a very helpful Astronomy book.

Wonders of the Universe:  [Year 5-13] 

Takes you on a journey from the far reaches of the cosmos encountering galaxies, stars, nebulae, clouds of gas and dust, and finally meeting each of the planets in the Solar System.

BIG:  [Year 6-9]

Journeys from our Solar System out past nearby stars, through the galaxy and beyond, revealing the scale of astronomical distances in a fun, thought-provoking presentation narrated by Richard Attenborough.

Chronicle of a Journey to Earth: [Year 6-9]

Travel to Earth from the depths of interstellar space and see our neighborhood from a new perspective. 

Astronaut: [Year 6-13]

Takes you on a roller-coaster ride into space, and a virtual tour of a space station. With some help from a test dummy named ‘Chad’, we are introduced to the dangers astronauts face in space, the effects that space has on the human body, and the training needed to become an astronaut.
 

Heart of the Sun: [Year 6-13]

Shows how important the Sun is to different cultures, and vividly demonstrates how our star is a dynamic and exciting object on which we depend for our existence.
 

The Birth of the Solar System: [Year 7-10]

This covers the origins of the Solar System, with discussion of smaller Solar System objects, including moons and impact craters, and an overall theme about collisions – both during formation of the Solar System and the threat to life on Earth.

Two Small Pieces of Glass: [Year 7-13]

Celebrates the 400 years since Galileo first turned his telescope towards the night sky. With the help of a teacher and her students, we learn about telescopes and many of the discoveries they made possible, the nature of light, and how Galileo’s discoveries changed the world.

We Are Astronomers: [Year 8-13]

Reveals the global collaboration, technology and dedication required to answer the unresolved questions of the Universe. See how technologies such as the Large Hadron Collider, the observatories of Chile and the Hubble Space Telescope work and how they are used by teams around the world.
 The feature show is accompanied by a brief night sky presentation. Duration of time in the planetarium is approximately 45 minutes.


 

Choose one of the following Education Sessions

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Day and Night  (Year 0-6)


We want students to understand that:
  • The Sun shines on the Earth, creating light on one side of the planet. 
  • Anything not facing the Sun is in shadow.
  • Anyone standing on the part of the Earth that faces the Sun sees daytime
  • Anyone standing on the part of the Earth that faces away from the Sun sees night time
  • We see different times of the day due to the rotation of the Earth and how we face the Sun. 
 
Advanced understanding:
  • Describe the different times of day seen by different locations on the world (ie. time of day that N.Z. sees compared to the time of day that the U.K. sees)
  • Define the terminator line (the line where the lit side and shadowed side of the Earth meet
  • Describe the day and night on other planets (ie. how does their rotation change things)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Earth, Moon and Sun Movement  (Year 0-6)


We want students to understand that:
  • The Sun is in the centre of our Solar System
  • The Earth rotates on its axis as it revolves around the Sun
  • The Moon revolves around the Earth while the Earth revolves around the Sun

Advanced understanding:

  • Describe how the Moon rotates so that the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth
  • Describe how gravity keeps the Earth and Moon in their orbits

Matariki Night Sky (year 0-13)

 

 

We want students to understand that:

  • Matariki is a group of stars that help signal the time of the Maori New Year
  • Matariki can be seen in the night sky during most of the year, rising and setting at different times


Advanced understanding:

  • Discuss why Matariki cannot be seen in the sky during the month of May
  • Discuss why the northern and southern hemispheres of the Earth see different constellations
  • Discuss why we see different constellations in the night sky on a yearly cycle.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Solar System  (Year 3-13)


We want students to understand that:
  • The Sun brings heat and light to the rest of the Solar System
  • There are major differences between the various planets in our Solar System
  • Earth has the right conditions needed for life to exist.
  • There are major attributes that help determine what kind of conditions are on a planet (ie. distance from Sun, type of atmosphere, type of planet, etc)

 Advanced understanding:

  • Describe the interiors of the gas giants (increasing density, pressure, and temperature with depth), and how Neptune and Uranus differ from Jupiter and Saturn
  • Describe how the atmosphere can change the conditions on the surface of a rocky planet (ie. the thick, mostly CO2 atmosphere of Venus creates a runaway greenhouse effect, while Mercury has no atmosphere and therefore no weather patterns to even out the temperatures of the planet).
  • Describe how the rotation and tilt of a planet can change the conditions on a planet (ie. Earth is slightly tilted and therefore has seasons, Jupiter’s fast rotation helps propel the clouds into bands and vortexes).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Moon Phases and Eclipses  (Year 4-8)


We want students to understand that:
  • The Sun shines on the Moon, causing half of the Moon to be lit, and the other half shadowed
  • The Moon does not shine on its own; it merely reflects light from the Sun
  • The Moon goes through phases due to the angle that we are viewing it from as the Moon orbits the Earth.

Advanced understanding:

  • Describe why different phases of the Moon appear different times of day (ie, the full moon rises at sunset and sets at sunrise; the first quarter moon rises at noon and sets at midnight, etc).
  • Describe how Mercury and Venus also appear to go through phases as seen from the Earth.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Seasons  (Year 4-8)


We want students to understand that::
  • The Earth sits on a tilt, causing the southern and northern hemispheres on the Earth to be pointed more toward or away from the Sun over the course of the year.
  • The northern and southern hemispheres experience opposite seasons (ie. in June, the northern hemisphere experiences summer, while the southern hemisphere experiences winter)
  • For a particular location on Earth (ie. New Zealand), the Sun’s apparent path across the sky changes over the course of the year, giving us longer days in summer, and shorter days in winter.

Advanced understanding:

  • The Sun’s apparent path across the sky changes according to the latitude that we are observing it from (ie. from the north pole in summer, the Sun always stays above the horizon, making a large circle in the sky. From mid-latitudes in summer, the Sun makes a large arc across the sky).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Time & Calendars (Year 4-8)


We want students to understand that:
  • The Sun has a daily motion across the sky
  • You can tell time by measuring the movement of shadows over the course of a day
  • You can find north using the Equatorial Sundial
  
Advanced understanding:
  • Discuss how the Sun’s path changes over the course of the year, moving through a larger arc in summer and smaller arc in winter.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Human Space Exploration  (Year 4-13) 


We want students to understand that:
  • It is important for humans to learn to adapt to different places (ie. Moon, Mars, etc)
  • Comparing our planet with other environments helps us learn more about the conditions needed for life.
  • The different features that we find (craters, rocks, etc) can tell us a lot about the history of a place.


    Advanced understanding:

    • Discuss different ways to adapt to conditions on the Moon and/or Mars
    • Discuss what types on environments on the Moon and/or Mars are best suited for us to live in.

     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Unmanned Space Exploration  (Year 4-13)


    We want students to understand that:
    • Machines are able to explore space more easily than humans.
    • Each machine is designed to learn certain information about the object it is studying.
    • The information the machines send backis very important for our understanding of the Solar System and our own planet.


    Advanced understanding:

    • Describe the decisions behind why certain instruments were chosen for various space probes
    • Describe the difference between fly-bys, landers, and orbiters
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Night Sky Watching  (Year 4-13)


    We want students to understand that:

    • When we look at our sky, we are seeing objects in our atmosphere as well as objects out in space.
    • We use constellations to help us find our way around the night sky.
    • The objects in the sky appear to rise and set (or circle around) due to the spinning of the Earth. 
     
    Advanced understanding:
    • Discuss why we see different constellations at different times of year.
    • Discuss why the planets, Sun, and Moon appear to follow a line (the ecliptic) in our sky.
      Our classroom sessions are led by a Stardome educator, and can cover a variety of topics. Duration of the classroom session is approximately 25 minutes (following time in the planetarium and foyer). 
       
       
       

      Extra Education Sessions:

       

      Rocket Launch


      Join us in the courtyard as we find out just how high our bottle rockets can go!

      **Please note that this activity is subject to favourable weather conditions. Your presenters will have alternative activities if the weather is not appropriate.
       
       
       
       
       

      To Make a Booking


      Step 1:   Contact our Education Manager Beth van der Loeff ph (09) 624 1246 ext 207, 
                           bethl@stardome.org.nz to arrange a session date and time.
       
      Step 2:    Fill out the booking forms we send you, and return them to us.
       
      Step 3:    Close to the time of your visit, your presenter will be in touch to confirm your             
                            session content. 
       
       

      Session Times


      Days:  Monday to Friday--90-minute sessions
      Daytime Times: 10.00 am 11.00 pm 12.00pm 1.00 pm  2.00 pm 
      Evening Times: Sessions available on request (subject to availability)
       

      Session Prices:

       
      LEOTC Schools and Providers: $5 per student (one adult will be admitted free of charge per 8 students)
       
      A minimum charge of $175 applies to groups of 35 students or less.
      Please call to discuss rates. For further enquiries please contact Stardome on: (09) 624 1246
       
       

      Transportation, Maps, and Floorplan  


      What do the programmes cover?


      Stardome's core curriculum area is astronomy, which is part of Planet Earth and Beyond in the NZ Science curriculum, and often includes concepts from the other sciences, such as geology, physics, biology and chemistry.  Astronomy also integrates well with other learning areas including maths, technology, and social sciences.
       
      If you have a request for a program that uses astronomy as a context for other learning areas, please contact us so that we can liase with you. With some negotiation, it may be possible to put something together for you. In the past, as an example, we have devised a program about Ancient Egyptian astronomy to complement a social sciences course, and an activity introducing orbital mechanics for an extension physics group.
       
       
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