THATCHER, Ariz. —EAC’s Discovery Park was honored to share the morning with 36 students from kindergarten to 8th grade who participated in Solomon School’s “Summer Recreation Program” in June.
The activities at EAC Discovery Park included learning about the three world-leading telescopes at the Mount Graham International Observatory and viewing an educational video about the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). The students also created “UV Bracelets” with small beads that react to the Ultraviolet radiation emitted from the sun by turning different colors and learned about ancient astronomy leaders from retired Safford Middle School Teacher and Discovery Park volunteer, Debbie Pearson.
The students took an exciting “Tour of the Solar System” on the Discovery Park Space Shuttle simulator “Polaris,” operated by Discovery Park’s Monica Clarine. They virtually visited many of the known planets and moons in our Solar System. The final fun activity involved learning about static electricity with a Van de Graff generator. The students made hypotheses and experimented with the reactions of electricity on different items, forming a human electrical cord and creating lots of shocking fun with Discovery Park director, Paul Anger.
“These boys and girls were so much fun to explore with,” Anger remarked. “They were excited to learn about the hidden world of science and astronomy and had a lot of great questions. We really look forward to sharing lessons and activities with our local youth and groups during the summer each year.”
For more information on the activities available at EAC Discovery Park or tour information for the telescopes at the Mount Graham International Observatory, please email discoverypark@eac.edu or monica.clarine@eac.edu.
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