Learning kitGrades 6-8

Science and outdoors: the night

After dark: explore the night

Plan a night field trip, watch the sky turn through the night in Night Sky Lab, meet people who work night shifts, learn which animals come out after dark, and plan a nighttime party. Ages 11 to 14 or grades 6 to 8.

Time
About 90 minutes, plus a night outing with a grown-up
Steps
5 steps, 2 of them in Night Sky Lab
You need
A computer, Chromebook or tablet. A clear night and a grown-up for the outdoor parts. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed.
Unlock the kit, $5 I have a code

$5 for one learner: every step, the Night Sky Lab activities that check the work, the printable lesson, and the certificate with a page of the learner's own work.

The Big Dipper drawn three times around the North Star in one night, at 9 pm, 12:30 am and 4 am, turning as Earth spins.

The 5 steps

  1. 1Take a field trip to explore the nightPlan itPlan a trip somewhere the night is worth seeing: a park, a planetarium, a night hike, a nature center program.
  2. 2Tour your world after darkIn Night Sky LabThe sky turns through the night as Earth spins. Watch a whole night pass in Night Sky Lab.
  3. 3Meet people who work night hoursInterviewNurses, bakers, pilots, astronomers, firefighters and many more work while others sleep.
  4. 4Explore nature at nightRead and quizMany animals are nocturnal: they sleep by day and are busy at night.
  5. 5Host an Extreme Nighttime PartyIn Night Sky LabPlan a nighttime party around the sky: what will be up, when, where, and what everyone brings.
Night Sky Lab: the evening sky facing north, with the place and time at the top, the time strip at the bottom, and zoom buttons.
Each step shows how Night Sky Lab works, then opens it with a checklist that ticks as the work gets done.

Work on a computer. The apps need a keyboard and a bigger screen than a phone: a laptop, desktop or Chromebook. You can pay here and open the emailed link on the computer.

One learner

Unlock the kit, $5

  • All 5 steps, worked on screen, with a lesson you can print if you like paper
  • Night Sky Lab activities that check the work as it is done
  • A numbered certificate with a page of the learner's own work: your night plans, your interview notes and your party plan

We email a link that opens the kit on any computer. No account needed. We keep the email only to send the kit and certificate links: privacy.

Have a discount code?
Co-ops and classes: unlock it for a group

One payment and one code. Each learner types the code to unlock the kit on their own computer, and gets their own certificate at the end. Your pack page shows who has started and finished.

See a sample certificate (PDF) · Already paid? Find your link

Questions

What does the learner do in After dark: explore the night?

It has 5 steps: 1. Take a field trip to explore the night; 2. Tour your world after dark; 3. Meet people who work night hours; 4. Explore nature at night; 5. Host an Extreme Nighttime Party. Plan a night field trip, watch the sky turn through the night in Night Sky Lab, meet people who work night shifts, learn which animals come out after dark, and plan a nighttime party. Ages 11 to 14 or grades 6 to 8.

What age is it for?

Grades 6-8. About 90 minutes, plus a night outing with a grown-up.

What is needed?

A computer, Chromebook or tablet. A clear night and a grown-up for the outdoor parts. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed.

Is there a certificate?

Yes. A numbered certificate with a page of the learner's own work, for your records or a portfolio. It is not course credit.

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