DIGITAL FULLDOME VIDEO PROGRAMS:
Earth’s Wild Ride
Recommended for Grades 2 - 8
Length: Approx. 20 minutes
Transport to the future, 2081, where humans now live on the moon. In looking back at Earth learn about a solar eclipse, the ice age, volcanoes, dinosaurs, and the differences between the earth and the moon.
Resources (Ed Guides, Activities, etc.): http://earth.rice.edu/shows/EWR/activities.htm
Script: Click Here
Program trailer created with the help of Dylan Adler.
Dinosaur Prophecy
Recommended for Grades 3-8
Length: Approx. 21 minutes
Before their massive extinction many dinosaur species simply disappeared. Visit dinosaur graveyards, study their bones, and reconstruct how dinosaurs lived and died to solve four cold cases from the age of the dinosaurs.
Script: Click Here
Program trailer created with the help of Dylan Adler.
Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope
Recommended for Grades 3-12
Length: Approx. 23 minutes
Experience the power of the telescope as you’ll explore the basics of these astronomical tools while discovering the Galilean moons, Saturn’s rings, structure of galaxies, and learn about discoveries of astronomers from Galileo to Edwin Hubble.
Resources (Ed Guides, Activities, etc.): http://www.400years.org/planetarium_program/TSPOG_Teachers_Guide.pdf
Script: Click Here
Program trailer created with the help of Dylan Adler.
Saturn, The Ring World 2
Recommended for Grades 5-12
Length: Approx. 22 minutes
As Saturn currently shines in our evening sky, visit the true “Lord of the Rings.” Ring World 2 revisits the Cassini Mission to Saturn as the two-story Cassini-Huygens spacecraft continues to study the ringed planet in all its glory. From Saturn itself to its moons see the Saturnian system up close like never before as Cassini continues giving us a greater knowledge of this remarkable planet.
Resources (Ed Guides, Activities, etc.): http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/scitech/display.cfm?ST_ID=1610
Program trailer created with the help of Dylan Adler.
IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System
Recommended for Grades 5-12
Length: Approx. 28 minutes
Travel to the far reaches of our solar system along with NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) as it becomes the first to map the dynamic interactions within the boundary between our solar system and the rest of our galaxy.
Resources (Ed Guides, Activities, etc.): http://ibex.swri.edu/planetaria/index.shtml
Program trailer created with the help of Dylan Adler.
One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure
Recommended for Grades PreK-2
Length: Approx. 25 minutes
Join Sesame Street's Big Bird and Elmo as they explore the night sky with Hu Hu Zhu, a Muppet from the Chinese co-production of Sesame Street. Together, they take an imaginary trip from Sesame Street to the starry night sky of constellations and to the moon, where they discover how different it is from Earth.
Resources (Ed Guides, Activities, etc.): English Version Spanish Version
Program trailer created with the help of Dylan Adler.
The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
Recommended for Grades K - 4
Length: Approx. 40 minutes
Embark on a solar system adventure with two young explorers as their new friend "Book;" the talking astronomy book, provides interesting facts about each destination.
Resources: SCRIPT TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE
Program trailer created with the help of Dylan Adler.
Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity
Recommended for Grades 5 - 12
Length: Approx. 23 minutes
Journey into the depths of a black hole with narrator Academy-Award nominated actor Liam Neeson. You'll explore the formation of the early universe, star birth and death, the collision of giant galaxies, and a simulated flight to a super-massive black hole lurking at the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy. This cutting-edge production features high-resolution visualizations of cosmic phenomena, working with data generated by computer simulations, to bring the current science of black holes to the dome screen.
Resources: SCRIPT EDUCATOR GUIDE
Back to TEACHER INFORMATION Back to PROGRAM GUIDE
LIVE THEATRICAL PROGRAMS:
Planet Hunter
Recommended for Grades 3 - 6
Length: Approx. 30 minutes
Join the Planet Hunter as he searches for planets beyond our solar system. This live theatrical performance incorporates audience participation as your group will identify the planets in our solar system and help demonstrate the scaled distance between the sun and the earth. You'll also learn about how the challenges in looking for other planets as well as the current Kepler mission, which is searching for the first earth-like planet beyond our solar system, and how astronomers go about looking for those extrasolar planets. This theatrical performance was made possible through a National Science Foundation grant called STEPS.
Program trailer created with the help of Dylan Adler.
Also available as an outreach program at your location dependant on space requirements. Please call 291-4371 for more details.
TRADITIONAL SLIDE BASED PROGRAMS:
Astro-Tots
Recommended for ages 3 & 4 ( Grades Pre-K )
Length: 20 minutes
This short feature uses song and stuffed animals to explain how the rotation of the Earth causes night and day and introduces some of the major seasonal constellations. Astro-Tots is included with paid general Museum admission
The Super Sky Show
Recommended for ages 3-7 ( Grades PK-2 )
Length: 30 minutes
It’s the Super Sky Show! With your host Seymour Sky! With a Dave Letterman approach, Seymour interviews special guests, the Sun, the Moon, Queen Cassiopeia and Draco the Dragon. The audience will learn the differences between a star and a planet, the basic facts about Earth’s revolution and rotation, how to find the Big and Little Dippers, in addition to the myths behind Cassiopeia and Draco. The Super Sky Show is made possible our show sponsors – the Circle, Square, and Triangle.
Wilbear’s Adventure
Recommended for ages 4-7 ( Grades PK-2 )
Length: 22 minutes
Follow Wilbear on an adventure as this teddy bear has a dream to fly. From kites and gliders to today’s jet planes, Wilbear learns the tales of these inventions of flight while admiring his hero Wilbur Wright of the Wright Brothers. This delightful story also explores the constellations, mythological tales, and even the Wright Brother’s historic first airplane experience.
The Little Star That Could
Recommended for ages 4-9 ( Grades PK-4 )
Length: 36 minutes
It’s hard to be a little star in a big universe! Find out how an average, yellow star adventures into space to find out his role in the universe. On the way, he meets other stars, nebulae, galaxies, and more!
In My Backyard
Recommended for ages 5-6 ( Grades K-1 )
Length: 35 minutes
Enjoy a fun-filled scientific journey as Entertainer Fred Penner takes you from your backyard to the stars. While singing to Fred's clap-along songs, learn about the seasons, constellations, planets, and the moon.
Our Place In Space
Recommended for ages 6-8 ( Grades 1-3 )
Length: 35 minutes
Scarlett the parrot needs your help! While trying to solve a crossword puzzle about our place in space, Scarlett and her friends explore the cause of day and night, the importance of our star the Sun, the beauty of the constellations, and the variety of objects that make up the Universe.
Blown Away: The Wild World of Weather
Recommended for ages 9-14 ( Grades 4-12 )
Length: 40 minutes
Discover the awesome fury of a tornado. Become immersed in a category four hurricane and be swept into a thunderstorm. This virtual adventure provides an incredible look at the Earth’s weather and all it’s many forms. Along with spectacular weather footage, Blown Away: The Wild World of Weather features a journey into space to explore the Sun’s effect on weather conditions and on-screen appearances by news meteorologists to further uncover the science of our planet’s climate.
Bad Astronomy: Myths and Misconceptions
Recommended for ages 9-14 ( Grades 4-12 )
Length: 40 minutes
Was Apollo’s landing on the Moon a hoax? Have aliens visited Earth? Do the stars and planets off insight to our future? Based on the popular book and website, Bad Astronomy, this show offers a fun approach to demystifying all the rumors about pseudoscience and cosmic misconceptions. Join the "Bad Astronomer" Phil Plait as he answers these questions with science.
The Planets: A Voyage Across Our Solar System
Recommended for ages 10 & older ( Grades 5 & up)
Length: 40 minutes
Take an exciting tour of the solar system as narrator Kate Mulgrew (of Star Trek: Voyager) looks at each of the planets and their moons. From the formation of our solar system and extrasolar planets located within the spring constellations, this program will take you where no man has been before.
The StarGazer
Recommended for ages 12 & older ( Grades 7 & up)
Length: 33 minutes
Narrated by Nichelle Nichols, cast member of the original Star Trek ™ Series, you will experience the joys of stargazing as seen through the passionate eyes of astronomer Dr. James Kaler. While reminiscing about why he became an astronomer, Dr. Kaler covers everything astronomical from the solar system to stars and beyond.
SEASONAL SLIDE BASED PROGRAMS:
The Alien Who Stole Christmas
Recommended for ages 5-7 ( Grades K-2 )
Length: 25 minutes
Twas the Night Before Christmas that Santa was spotted…in a flying saucer? Will Christmas ever be the same? Come see Santa and his alien friend as they learn about the planets of our solar system.
‘tis The Season
Recommended for ages 10 & older ( Grades 5 & up )
Length: 35 minutes
Our holiday show is all about the coldest and darkest of seasons – winter. Learn about the historical, religious and cultural rituals practiced during the time of the winter solstice. We also will trace the development of holiday customs and how they involve lighting up the season, and explore the “Star of Bethlehem.