Astronomers are one of the most popular visitors for outreach. They’re regularly invited to talk to school students, retired groups, amateur astronomy groups and more.
Instead of simply using a slide show, and perhaps a movie or two, consider having your audience tackle an activity.
Here is a suggested list of six activities which formed an Education and Outreach Challenge at the ASTRO 3D Retreat in December 2023. A PDF of this list can be downloaded here.
1. MYSTERY TUBE
WHY: Mathematical skill is reasoning – making deductions based on logical
analysis of available information. Logical reasoning.
Activity: Make a replica and draw how the strings are threaded. Sheet to draw on provided.
Materials:
- 1 tube made up for demonstration
- Tube for the challenge, with holes for strings
- 2 pieces of string per tube (each twice as long as tubes) or shoelaces
- Sticky tape
- Answer sheet
- Pen
2. MYSTERY BOXES
https://learning.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SMG-Academy-Mystery-Boxes.pdf
WHY: ‘Working scientifically’ and how a variety of skills and processes are used to generate scientific theories based on evidence.
Activity: Collaborate, log your observations and make a conclusion on what you think is in the tins.
Materials:
- 4 boxes/tins
- shells, key, toy car, straw or similar
3. INQUIRY CUBES
https://passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com/blog/patterns-in-science-inquiry-cubes
WHY: Science is all about finding patterns.
Sometimes, those patterns are very clear.
Sometimes, there are several patterns that all describe the same thing
Sometimes, there don’t seem to be any patterns at all
Sometimes, we find patterns that trick us into thinking unrelated data sets are connected
Activity: Decode the missing sides of four cubes.
Materials:
- Cubes printed out and assembled (scissors and sticky tape or glue to a wooden cube of the appropriate dimensions)
- Sheet for answers
4. PHYSICS QUESTIONS
E.g., https://www.wtamu.edu/~cbaird/sq/category/physics/
WHY: Answering questions for a particular audience is important.
Activity: Groups come up with an answer for a series of questions that could be asked by a member of the public or school students at an outreach/education event.
Materials:
- List of questions
- Rubric
- Paper/pens
Rubrik: plain language, analogies (if possible), no or limited maths, 100 words or so, age-appropriate.
Supply 10 questions and age group. Freedom to choose which ones to answer.
| Question | Audience |
|---|---|
| Can one bit of light bounce off another bit of light? | adult audience |
| Do flames contain plasma? | 12 year old |
| Does a source of electricity ever run out of electrons? | upper high school student |
| Does an atom have a colour? | lower primary school student |
| Does time go faster at the top of a building compared to the bottom? | first year physics student |
| Is the reason that nothing can go faster than light because we have not tried hard enough? | 12 year old |
| Since gravity is unlimited, can we use it as an infinite energy resource? | politician |
| What is the Universe expanding INTO? | retiree |
| How do you know that the Universe is really that old? | climate change denier |
| How do you know the stars are really that far away? | conspiracy theorist |
5. FACTORY BALLS FOREVER
https://www.engineering.com/GamesPuzzles/FactoryBallsForever.aspx
WHY: Trial and error. Problem solving. Improves logical and computational thinking.
Activity: Logic puzzle game: custom craft each ball to a specific order.
Materials:
- Computers/tablet/smartphone
- Internet connection
6. 3D YOUR SCIENCE
WHY: For fun. Representing your science differently using a material you wouldn’t normally use.
Activity: Build your science in playdough.
Groups put their finished creations on a sheet of paper (to reduce mess).
Materials:
Playdough – 4 colours – reducing the number of colours forces creativity in the shapes
Zip-loc bags
A4 paper (to put finished creation onto)
Optional: matchsticks, paddlepop sticks, pom poms, sequins, shaping tools