— Day 1 - History of Astronomy: We know that space is vast and has been studied for a number of years, but… how? Our first day will explore some of the older models of the solar system and cover the topics of retrograde motion and parallax. After some instruction, students will get to build their own model of the solar system!

— Day 2 - Our Earth and Moon: On day two, we’ll be discovering the structure of the earth and moon! We will also be learning about the concepts behind eclipses, equinoxes and seasons. After a lesson, students will build a model of the earth to get a hands on understanding of what we covered in class. 

— Day 3 - Our Solar System: We’ll be exploring our very own solar system today! Students are going to learn about the 8 planets in our solar system, the asteroid belt and even more! Once finished with our lesson, we are going to challenge gravity by building our own parkour asteroid belts.

— Day 4 - Stars: We will learn about the life cycle of a star and what exactly a star is. To expand on this, we’ll be touching on the different stages of a star’s life and what it means when a star is dying.  We will also discuss constellations and the different categories of stars. Afterwards, students will choose a star to make a model of! 

— Day 5 - Expand & Review: This week we’ve learned about how big space is, but with every fact learned, there is always more to wonder. What else do you think is out there? We’ve learned a lot about space so far… but how can we keep learning? Today we’re going to be exploring multiple avenues of Astronomy as a topic. 

Connected Camps is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 with the mission to build a global online community where kids build, code, play, and learn alongside one another. Our programs are designed based on extensive research in the learning sciences. The founders and leaders of Connected Camps, Mimi Ito and Katie Salen, are professors at the University of California, Irvine, who specialize in the design of online learning experiences that are fun, social, and directly tied to academic outcomes. Learn more about the research behind Connected Camps at the Connected Learning Alliance resource site: https://clalliance.org/ 

One thing that makes our programs unique is our near-peer mentorship model. Our programs are led by young adults and college students, often with the help of high school volunteers. We hire counselors and coaches from top universities in computer science, game development, economics, social studies, and the arts, and train them on how to facilitate project-based learning with younger kids. Our young instructors have the same passion for technology, games, and digital making as our learners, and take on the role of instructors, as well as fellow enthusiasts and relatable role models.

The curriculum for this program was designed by a team of counselors pursuing degrees relevant to the material at hand. The learning experiences in this class are driven by these counselors’ academic expertise in the field, along with their desire to share their passion for the subject with a group of excited learners. All of Connected Camps’ curricula are vetted by the organization’s Product Manager, Matthew, who possesses a Masters in Secondary Education and a deep belief in the power of collaborative virtual learning.