Planetarium Activities
Welcome the the Planetarium Online Learning Center
Tips for Caregivers Facilitating Hands-On Activities
Are you new to the role of educator in addition to caregiver? The Bishop Museum Education team offers these short guides developed by the National Informal Science Education Network. Many of the activities on our Online Learning Center are hands-on, like what you can experience at the museum. These quick tips can give you some new ideas and tools for engaging your learners at home.
NASA’s SpaceX Mission to the International Space Station
Backyard astronomy is a great family activity, and summer season is the best time to look out for satellites as they fly over the islands. One of the easiest satellites to spot is the International Space Station. NASA recently sent a couple of astronauts there on the SpaceX Dragon 2 capsule. Here’s a quick look at the mission and how you can get alerts on when the space station will be flying over your backyard.
Imagine Life
Imagine and draw an extreme environment beyond Earth, then invent a living thing that could thrive in it. Learners find out that NASA scientists study extremophiles on Earth to imagine the variety of life that might exist elsewhere, and make predictions about where to look for it. This activity was developed by the National Informal Science Education Network for the Explore Science: Earth and Space Kit project. Adapted for at-home use by Bishop Museum Education Staff. Recommended for ages 4+.
Mars Rovers
Discover how scientists and engineers use robotic rovers and other vehicles to explore distant worlds, and experience some of the challenges and teamwork required to navigate a rover across the surface of a planet millions of miles away. Players acting as “Mission Control” and a “Rover” must work together to navigate a large obstacle course. Participants can also design their own rover to fit the particular challenges of exploring a distant planet. This activity was developed by the National Informal Science Education Network for the Explore Science: Earth and Space Kit project. Adapted for at-home use by Bishop Museum Education Staff. Recommended for ages 4+.
Paper Mountains
Explore the way the shape of the land and the pull of gravity influence how water moves over Earth. By making unique mountain models from crumpled paper and watching how water moves across them, learners can act as Earth scientists, using their observations to make predictions about the future of our planet. This activity was developed by the National Informal Science Education Network for the Explore Science: Earth and Space Kit project. Adapted for at-home use by Bishop Museum Education Staff. Recommended for ages 4+.
Pocket Solar System
Make a scale model of the distances between objects in our solar system. Learn that there is a lot of space between planets, and that our solar neighborhood contains many other interesting features and objects. Learners can even imagine where they might like to send a NASA mission spacecraft in the future! This activity was developed by the National Informal Science Education Network for the Explore Science: Earth and Space Kit project. Adapted for at-home use by Bishop Museum Education Staff. Recommended for ages 4+.
Constellation Creation
For thousands of years all over the world people have looked up at the night sky and told stories about the figures and patterns they saw. But just because someone 1000 years ago said a pattern looked like something doesn’t mean you can’t make up your own today! Work with your family or on your own to connect the stars on this map into new shapes and figures. Will you draw a hero and a villain? Your family pet? A bicycle? The possibilities are only limited by your imagination! Take it a step further by making up a story to go along with one or more of your new constellation figures.
Search Past Themes
See how to find Maui’s Fishhook, Manaiakalani in the sky this month along with the starline Kaiwikuamo’o.
There are many different types of rocks in space, from asteroids to moons to planets. Here are some resources to help you learn about them!
The planetarium features many technologies and activities that allow our in-person visitors to experience weather models, see the variety of terrain on earth, and even track pollution levels over time and more.
Highlights include the Birds of Summer in the Summer or Navigator’s Triangle and ‘Iwakeli’i, the Great Frigate Bird also known as Cassiopeia.
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