Chabot’s Virtual Resource Center

Welcome to the Learning Launchpad! Get ready to explore and learn more about the Universe and Planet Earth with new activities, videos and more. We are bringing science to life with content created by our very own education team! Learn, create, engage, interact and get inspired with us.

 

Explore Mars

Mars Madness

Enjoy this special recording with a variety show of Mars-themed activities and talks. Learn about the destination of the Perseverance Rover, which is soon heading to Mars to seek signs of ancient life and collect rock and soil samples.

Build Your Own Rover

Complete the activities in this guide to research, design, build, and test your own rovers! Use the instructions on the following pages to guide your research and design process.

MarsQuake Challenge

Did you know Mars has earthquakes? Or rather…Marsquakes? In this activity, learners will design model habitats to withstand a quake on Mars. Build a Marsquake table to simulate the planet’s shaking surface. Then, build a habitat and test it to determine whether it can survive the quakes on Mars.
 

Activities

Slow-Mo Snow Experiment

Want to experience the wonder of snowfall at home? Create your own winter wonderland inside of a jar! Experiment with glue, glitter, and hot water to find out which mixture creates the perfect, slow motion, snow globe effect. Then, personalize and save it as a calming sensory tool.

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Filtering Light

This September, the Bay Area woke up to a strange phenomenon. The skies were filled with smoke, filtering sunlight to a low-orange glow. Use this simple demonstration to show how light filters through our skies and use it to connect to this historic event.

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Splashdown Design Challenge

In this activity, learners will design and build a model capsule to survive the
challenges of splashdown and protect the astronauts inside.

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Colorful Cabbage

In this activity, learners will use cabbage juice to measure the pH of various food items and create a pH scale, making observations of each color-changing reaction.

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After Dark Ultraviolet Light Investigation

Grab an ultraviolet (UV) flashlight and plan an expedition to find objects that fluoresce (glow) under UV in your backyard, block or neighborhood at night.

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Eye Patch Challenge

Pirates may have worn eye patches to cover up a gruesome scar or a lost eye. Or maybe they were just using them to improve their night vision. Complete the eye patch challenge and find out for yourself!

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S’more Science

Make s’mores using waffle cones and ingredients at home! Predict and observe how the heat and insulation of the cooking process transforms their cone into a melty, gooey, snack. Then, enjoy the results! This activity is fit for learners of all ages.

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Make A 3-D Orion Constellation

When we view the stars from earth, we are unable to perceive the varying distances. To the unaided eye, the distances appear to be the same, except they are not. In this activity, create a model that sheds a little light on the perspective. Your completed model will show the relative distances of the stars from earth.

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Astronaut Training

How do astronauts train for space?
A big part of becoming an astronaut is staying physically fit and healthy! Over the next 5 days, complete all the exercise challenges listed in the guide and track your performance to see how astronauts keep in shape.

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White Bread Challenge

How clean are your hands and other surfaces around the house? We all know the importance of thoroughly washing our hands, but how clean are our hands? How clean are these household and classroom items we touch multiple times a day?

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Story Time with a Scientist: Aerospace Engineering

Enjoy this story about how birds, planes, and rockets fly then design your own rocket!
Listen to the Story: Aerospace Engineering
Design your own rocket

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Build Your Own Rover

Complete the activities in this guide to research, design, build, and test your own rovers! Use the instructions on the following pages to guide your research and design process.

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 Start Your Moon Journal

Does the moon always look the same? How does it change over time? Use Chabot’s moon journal to track and observe our moon. Can you figure out how it changes?

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Design A Moon Habitat For Your Pet

Imagine you and your family are visiting the moon. Your pet is coming too! What kind of habitat would you design for them?
Plan Your Project

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BECOME A METEOROLOGIST KIT

Observe and measure the weather in your area with our meteorologist notebook and DIY weather station instructions.

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Observing Nature with iNaturalist

Be a citizen scientist! Join Science Educator and nature enthusiast, Sam Bell, on a hike to find and photograph plants and animals along the trail.

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Space Garden Series

Grow, track, and observe what conditions plants need to survive and how they are adapted to live
on planet Earth. Then, come up with a plan to grow your own food in outer space and compare it with current tests being done on the International Space Station!

#ChabotSpaceGarden

Activity 1: Seed Collection and Observation

In this activity, learners will extract seeds from produce in your garden or fridge for observation and analysis. They will collect data about the seeds and create a seed-bank art piece to prepare for space.

 

Activity 2: Bean Sprouting

In this activity, learners will investigate what plants need to survive by sprouting their own beans. They will make predictions, measure growth, and hypothesize how space conditions might be challenging for plant growth.

Activity 3: Color Transpiration

In this activity, learners will set up an experiment to investigate how plants absorb water and observe it over time. They will examine the different parts of a plant and make predictions about how it will move water throughout its body.

Activity 4: Leaf Observation and Printing

In this activity, learners will collect leaves from leafy greens in your garden or fridge for observation and analysis. They will collect data, determine their adaptations, and create a leaf print art piece.

Activity 5: Space Garden Engineering Challenge

In this activity, learners will design and build a garden habitat to grow plants in space. They will identify what challenges need to be overcome, design possible solutions, and build a model of their idea.

Learn More About NASA’s Space Gardening Research

NASA plans to send astronauts to live on the Moon and Mars. To feed those astronauts, NASA is researching whether it is possible to grow food in space. On the International Space Station, NASA is experimenting and researching plant growth in space. Learn more about research projects in the NASA Space Biology program.

Learn More

 

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