Science Dome - Information for Schools

SCIENCE DOME

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Information for Schools

Terms and Conditions

Click link for current issue of conditions

Booking Form

Click here for copy of the booking form

Programmes can be partial constructed by the school in advance of visit to reflect current classroom subjects. The above topic shows can be mixed during the day with different shows in the afternoon perhaps.

Secondary School programme available with full planetarium shows and film, see Spitz films section. click for details Secondary

Please ensure you plan your schools event early with us, as we can take booking 6 to 8 months in advance. Certain dates during a term can be very busy.

Shows can be typically 45 minutes in length but can be longer for older pupils. Rocks and Fossils programme is one hour and includes rock/fossils samples to hold. Infant Schools are recommended to have 30-35 minutes for Reception and Y1.

or sciencedome@ntlworld.com

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Scripts

• Light and Sound

• Earth and Beyond

• Solar System and Beyond/ Star Show

• Dinosaur-Show

• Fractal Show

• Space Exploration

• Rocks Fossils and Soils

• Nano Show (Biodiversity)

•Down To Earth (Fossil and Earths History)

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Modular Subjects

•Introduction talk

•Solar System Tour

•Space Exploration Guide

•Planet Parachute based on solar system

•Introduction talk- dinosaurs

•Fossils talk

•Walk through Dinosaur-land

•Water and Erosion

•Time Parachute based on geological time

• What is Soil

• Down to Earth

• Oasis in Space Guide

• What is a Fractal

Light and Sound modules

•Light in Fractal Packs

•Light/Dark and Space

•Light and Sound

Fractal Dome Workshops and Scripts

Workshop content are available on the following links. Please look at the details and prepare for the session, as some materials, such as paper, ruler and coloured pencils are required to be provided by the school.

Click for details of teachers pack

Fractal Workshop Details

Please download from the site by clicking the link. Further information is available from the US site link, if required. http://fractalfoundation.org/

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New Religious Studies Programme now available
This programme can form part of an RS programme for all ages, and was developed to illustrate the story of Creation as told in the Bible.
The 30 minute show includes a 10 minute video presentation, which can form part of an RS programme suitable for all ages from year 1, and illustrates the story of Creation in Genesis 1, including a zoom in through the Universe right down to the miniature structure of a leaf. If you've seen Google Earth, you get an idea of what this is like!

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Click on link for Powerpoint Presentation for Stars and Planets in the Science Dome

Click on link for Powerpoint Presentation for Dinosaurs in the Science Dome

Click on link for Powerpoint Presentation on RE/RS

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Public Liability Document for viewing-- The Science Dome is insured for 5 Million Document

Details of Travel Supplement and Hotel Supplement for Science Dome visit requiring travel from Bournemouth main office. Please be aware that we are based in the South West and will charge travel costs based around travel time. If you have a problem with the overall cost, please contact us to discuss.

£395 for Bournemouth/Poole/local Dorset & Hampshire (roughly up to 1 hour)

£445 for within M4/Farnborough/Chichester/Weymouth (1 to 2 hours)

£495 for 2 to 3 hours travel (includes hotel)

£545 for 3 to 4 hours travel (includes hotel)

£595 for 4 to 5 hours travel (includes hotel)

… prices for longer distances on application.

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Teachers Resources

The Science Dome is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. We however do recommend a panel of Websites to view (in order below):

Our main Website is Click here for additional Website http://www.sciencedome.co.uk/

A good public interest website at www.scienceprojectideas.co.uk focused on great ideas and advice for science projects.

Some key Websites based on SPACE suitable for children are:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/

http://www.space.com/

http://www.nasa.gov/

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/index.html

Below we have included references to useful websites for astronomy background information and activities, followed by a recommended reading list.

Background information

Constellations and astronomy of different cultures

Chinese

http://ecuip.lib.uchicago.edu/diglib/science/cultural_astronomy/cultures_china-4.html
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Space/Research/StarName/e_research_chinengstarzone_b.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_constellation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Chinese_astronomy
http://physics.gac.edu/~chuck/astro/archeo.html
http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/startales2a.htm

Ancient Egyptian

http://ecuip.lib.uchicago.edu/diglib/science/cultural_astronomy/cultures_egypt-1.html
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/home.html
http://www.egyptologyonline.com/astronomy.htm
http://www.hallofmaat.com/modules.php?name=Articles&file=article&sid=24
http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/d/r/drn116/egypt.html
http://stardate.org/egypt/resources.html

Recommended Reading

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Astronomy, Christopher G. De Pree. A thorough but gentle introduction to astronomy.

The Stars: A New Way to See Them, H. A. Rey. A different way to see the stars, from the creator of that mischievious monkey Curious George.

Deep Sky Companions: The Messier Objects, Stephen James O'Meara. Designed to be used with a telescope. Provides photographs of all Messier objects, as well as information on where to look for them.

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New Secondary School Shows beginning Spring 2010

Our shows are rooted in National Curriculum for Key Stages 3 and 4 (Science, History) and the Edexcel GCSE in Astronomy. We view science as a spark that ignites pupils’ curiosity about observable phenomena in everyday life. This curiosity will provide a lifelong sense of awe and wonder.

We encourage the safe exploration of science and encourage students to make positive contributions to their communities - perhaps by pursuing a career in science.

Our fully digital planetarium allows us to include scientific computer models (such as stellar formation, galaxy structure, planetary motion) that are not possible in a traditional “pin-hole” planetarium. Although our shows contain the latest immersive visual effects, they are live, interactive and encourage questions from participants.

History of Science and Culture of Astronomy

Beginning with Ancient times we will explore how cultures throughout the world used stellar mythology to explain their observations of phenomena in the Universe and we will explore the scientific explanations behind these observations.

* Polynesian myth of “the anchor that pulls the sky” (observation of daily motion)
* Mayan myth of the “Jaguar god who takes souls to and from the underworld” (stellar navigation)
* Appearance and disappearance of Inkokua (Pleiades formation) help the Maasai predict the rain (using the stars as a seasonal calendar)

We will explore contributions that cultures have made to the scientific understanding of astronomy including the Egyptians, Arabs, Chinese, and Western culture including Kepler, Copernicus, Galileo, and Herschel.

Finally, we will explore the future of space exploration as a world-wide collaboration. Students will understand that they are living in the most exciting time in the history of human understanding of the Universe and that they can play an important role in the understanding of the Universe for future generations.

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ASTRO BIOLOGY- Life as we understand it, and as we don’t

Living things are interdependent with each other and their environments. Environments on Earth are products of chemical and geological processes greatly influenced by our place in space. Could life exist some place other than Earth? Based on our understanding of life, what conditions would it need in order to survive?

We will compare various bodies within our solar system including Mars; Saturn’s hydro-carbon rich moon Titan; worlds with possible liquid oceans such as Enceladus; and Europa. Students will begin to understand the scale of our solar system as we talk about how little we actually understand about our closest neighbours in space. We will then explore the possibility of worlds around other stars, in our galaxy and in the Universe. As part of our exploration, we will screen the immersive, full-dome Spitz film “Oasis in Space”.

Although we will discuss the possibility of other types of life in the universe, students will gain an understanding of the fragile and special nature of our little world and recognize the importance of sustainability in scientific and technological developments.

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GRAVITY to the Max

The old concept of gravity is, “What goes up, must come down.” However, in space, there is no “up.” And, if an object gains enough velocity (on Earth’s surface this is 7 miles per second), it can escape the gravity of another object. It doesn’t “come down”.

We explore gravity’s role in the formation of stars and solar systems. Further, we explore how the crush of gravity within stars forms heavier elements out of lighter ones including Carbon, Iron and Oxygen - the actual atoms in our bodies - during supernova explosions.

Then, we explore gravity to the max. What happens when the mass and density of an object is so great that its escape velocity is more than the speed of light? By viewing the immersive, full-dome Spitz film “Black Holes - The Other Side of Infinity” we will explore models of extreme gravity and how scientists are currently investigating this phenomena.