Story Time From Space
storytimefromspace.com
At Story Time From Space, our goal is to use the magic and
wonder of space to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and
literacy learning in K-12 education programs all over the world. We
are raising $55,000 to fund science demonstration equipment that will be sent
to the International Space Station early this summer. We will use the hardware
to produce nine fun videos showcasing the role of gravity in basic science
principles. Once edited these demonstrations will join the story book readings read on orbit and then integrated with accompanying curriculum. All these
videos the story book readings and science demonstrations will be available at little or no cost to schools, science centers and families everywhere.
With real astronauts performing this accurate science in an orbiting laboratory 240 miles above Earth, the Story Time From Space team hopes to bring compelling, meaningful lessons in STEM to students and educators everywhere. Together, we can turn the space station into the world's coolest classroom to improve STEM learning and inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, inventors and explorers!
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The Story Time Mission: The Story Time
From Space Program
uses stories and experiments that are read and conducted by astronauts onboard
the International Space Station to engage and
inspire educators and school children in STEM and Literacy learning programs.
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“What
you cannot imagine, you cannot do.” -Astronaut Alvin Drew
When
astronaut Alvin Drew first read Max Goes to the Moon on the Space
Shuttle Discovery’s final mission in 2011, he and Story Time founder Patricia
Tribe chose the book because it combined the magic of space adventure with
scientifically accurate lessons. Not long after that first reading, Drew and Tribe
paired up with astrophysicist, author and educator Jeffrey Bennett, with the
goal of combining reading and space science to inspire students to explore
literacy and STEM education.
Videos: Based on real footage of astronauts conducting these science
demonstrations and reading STEM-themed storybooks from the Earth-facing
Cupola of the ISS, our educational videos will include classroom-ready
explanations and interactive exercises. , all integrated into a program
designed to complement and strengthen existing lessons. Books to be read on orbit to date are:
Max Goes to the Space Station, Max Goes to the Moon, Max Goes to Mars, Max Goes to Jupiter, The Wizard Who Saved the World, Rosie Revere, Engineer, Endeavours Long Journey, Mousetronaut, Mousetronaut Goes to Mars, I, Humanity, There's No Place Like Space and The Rhino Who Swallowed A Storm.Curriculum: Our space-based STEM lessons are designed to
complement and strengthen existing elementary school curriculum, and also to
serve as individual modules designed for libraries, science centers and
after-school programs.
Companion Kits: Each
program will include science experiment kits for students that mimic the demonstrations
from the videos – a real hands-on experience!
Educators: Educators
will participate in training workshops using the videos and companion kits to
deepen their own understanding of the science concepts.
“The inspirational value of the space program is probably of far greater importance to education than any input of dollars....A whole generation is growing up which has been attracted to the hard disciplines of science and engineering by the romance of space.” Sir Arthur C. Clarke, First
on the Moon (1970)
The Next Giant Leap: Educational Science Demonstrations
$55,000
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Can you measure mass with
a balance in space?
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Why do you get taller in free fall?
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Does gravity affect buoyancy and
sedimentation?
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What role does gravity play
in the space station’s orbit?
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What does surface tension mean
for liquid droplets in free fall?
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In
the summer of 2015,
nine science demonstrations answering these questions and more will be shot
up to the International Space Station on a powerful rocket. Targeted at
elementary and middle school students,
these experiments have been designed to illustrate basic scientific principles
that complement the science kids will hear about in the
Max Space Adventures books. The final product will be a series
of videos that integrate the astronaut recordings with lesson materials and
activities.
The Equipment
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Stand (including instrumentation) $7,000
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Balance Beams $4,500
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Meniscus Vessel $8,500
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Buoyancy Vessel $8,500
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Data Unit $3,500
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Thorlab Camera $1,700
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Hero2 (including modifications) $500
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Materials/Kit Bag $4,700
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Camera Mount $1,200
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Engineering Design/CAD drawings $4,500
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Cables $400
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Integration and Safety
administrative costs $10,000 =$55,000
Stretch Goals
Help us Shoot for the Stars
A made-for-space Spectrometer to unlock the
secrets of light (The
final piece of hardware)…………………………...………………………..........…...................... $25,000
Edited Story
Story Books and Science Videos
available at no cost through an Interactive Web Portal (This pays for the editing of 12 readings and 9 demonstration
videos at about $2,000 each, and for a face-lift to our website to create a
functional access portal for videos and curriculum materials, about
$8,000.) …………………………...………………………………………………………………………………….……..............…$50,000
Curriculum Design for School & Teacher
program (This pays for professional curriculum
design for our School program—Story Time lessons incorporated into existing
Science and cross content curriculum; and also for our Teacher Development program—workshops and
mentoring relationships to develop teacher confidence and competence in science
teaching.) ….…….......................................…………………………………………………………………………………………………..….$90,000
More Books and Science in Space (These costs cover the staffing,
travel, outreach and hardware development necessary to send the next set of 7 books to space and to design and fly another set of science demonstrations to
complement these readings.) ………………......................……….……………………….…….…$150,000
Year-Long Pilot of School & Teacher
Program (In addition to the hardware described
above, this would cover the costs of the additional hardware, editing and
website design, curriculum development, staffing, and outreach for a full pilot
of our School Curriculum and Teacher Development Program.)..............................................................………………………………$450,000
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Equipped
with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the
adventure science. -Edwin
Hubble
The
Story Time Team
Patricia Tribe, Educator. ![]()
Patricia is passionate about education and space exploration.
As the Director of Education at Space Center Houston for thirteen years, she
worked with corporate, government and educational entities to improve education
by utilizing the exciting world of space exploration. Currently, Patricia has
her own consulting companies in the US and in Canada. The idea for Story Time
From Space idea came to Patricia one night while cooking dinner, and after
exploring the possibility with Alvin Drew, the cool idea that came to her over
simmering kitchen stove is now a reality!
Alvin Drew, Astronaut.
Alvin
is a Retired Colonel in the Air Force where he flew helicopters in Special Ops
and was a Test Pilot where he flew everything else. He then became an Astronaut
and flew on two shuttle flights, STS-118 & STS-133, both of which went to
the International Space Station. On his second flight he became the 200th human
being to ever do a spacewalk. He has worked on interplanetary exploration and
is now the NASA Liaison to the Air Force. Alvin co-founded Story Time From Space
along with Patricia, and he attributes his strong interest in education and to
his Mom, who was a kindergarten teacher.
Jeffrey Bennett, Author. ![]()
Astrophysicists, educator, textbook author, and children’s book
author, Jeff taught at Colorado University, lectures around the world and is
passionate about space exploration and education. Jeff’s children’s books are
now orbiting the Earth on the ISS. He also has his own company calledBig Kid Science,
and you can learn more about him atwww.jeffreybennett.com.
Bjarni
Tryggvason, Veteran Astronaut. ![]()
Bjarni is a retired Canadian astronaut who flew on STS-85—one of a few
astronauts who has been able to take up their own experiments up to orbit. Bjarni has
worked on numerous educational projects that encourage educators to expand
their knowledge and to help their students explore science accurately.
The owner of a electronic engineering company, QDAC, Bjarni’s ultimate
passion is aerobatic flying.
Thank
you to the wonderful librarians at theBellaire City Libraryin Houston, Texas for
donating your space and your time to support Story Time From Space!
Story
Time From Space in the News