Illinois State Museum issued the following announcement on Jan. 15.
The moon and stars are icons of the night sky. They provide light to break the darkness, inspire stories, and are used to navigate the unknown. Gather the family for a fun night camping in your home and learning about the night sky. Build a blanket tent, bake a mug cake, make lightning in your mouth, discover the stars and planets outside your windows, and more. This event features independent activities you can do from home as well as a live “Ask an Astronomer” virtual program. Checkout the details below to learn more about how to access activity resources and register for the live program.
Independent Activities
You’ll find all the resources you will need for the evening, including activity instructions, supply lists, and instructional videos on the Museum’s Family Fun website at bit.ly/ismfamilyfun. They’ll be available February 3. Activities are designed to be done with supplies you may already have at home or that are easily purchased.
Activity kits with free supplies are also available for pickup (limited supply of 100 kits). These kits will include a Milli the Mastodon canvas bag and supplies for two art activities, three science activities, and ingredients for Starry Night Mug Cake (some additional supplies needed). Kits must be reserved in advance and kits must be picked up at the State Museum in Springfield on February 3 or 4.
Whether you use a kit or gather your own supplies, you can access the instructions and resources at any time on the Family Fun website.
Live Program
You can also join us on Saturday, February 6 at 6:30 pm Central time for “Ask an Astronomer” with John Martin, Professor of Astronomy at the University of Illinois-Springfield. You’ll learn about the night sky and be able to ask your questions. This program will also be recorded and uploaded to the Museum’s YouTube channel for later viewing.
Registration
To reserve your kit and/ or to join the live “Ask the Astronomer,” register for the event here: http://bit.ly/NightSkySuperSaturday
Join In
Whether you join us live or not, we’d love to see or hear about your camp-in experience. Everyone is welcome to share a comment or a photo of completed crafts and activities via email (events@illinoisstatemuseum.org) or in the Facebook event!
This virtual event is sponsored by bankwithBOS. Activities will be geared toward elementary age children and their families, but most will be adaptable to other ages. If you have questions, please contact events@illinoisstatemuseum.org.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Illinois State Museum
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