Running a Solar Viewing Session at Local School

[Helen]

On Friday, as part of the STEM AMbassador scheme, I'm spending the day running solar viewing sessions for the first 2 years at our local secondary school.

This is my first time, so I'm a little nervous! I know quite a few of you on here have lots of experience of running outreach sessions, and working with schools, so I thought I'd pick your brains on what to do and what not to do!

The brief from the science teacher is that primarily she wants them to see that science is a lot of fun. She'll be with me, and I'm hoping we can get a couple of the lab assistants out with us too (they were very interested when I took the scope up to show the science teacher last week). So here's what I'm planning

I've managed to supplement my own Ha scope and CaK set-up with 2 more Ha scopes, a couple of white light set ups and one solarscope cardboard box viewer (rather neat actually!).

Weather permitting ! I'll get all these on driven mounts except for the PST. My thinking is that as its easy to find the sun with a PST if I just put it on an easy manual alt-az mount I can demonstrate how the sun moves...

I plan to put a camera in the CaK set up and run a laptop (appropriately shielded so they can actually see the screen!)

I may also put a camera in one of the Ha scopes so that the kids get an idea of what they can see before using the visual scope - do you think this will help? or will it take away the wow factor of seeing solar detail with your eye first?

I'm doing a little worksheet with discs for them to draw what they see with each type of scope. It will have some facts on there too. I want them to learn about scientific recording, so plan to get them to add date, time, scope details to the drawing. I also am asking them to say what the differences between each view were and which they liked best, and why. I'm adding a scale to the diagram so that they can estimate the size of features in comparison to the size of earth.

If the weather isn't good (which unfortunately the forecast suggests it won't be), then I'm taking one of NASA's student presentations and cutting it down to last about 25 minutes - but its got lots of clips of the sun exploding, so I hope the kids will find that interesting!

If we don't get to view I was going to offer to pop back to the school on a good day to do a lunchtime/after school session for anyone who wants a look.

Does that sound OK?

Any advice gratefully received!!

Thanks

Helen

[Merlin66]

Helen,

In my experience working with young people in a crowd environment, just make 110% sure you have a responsible adult (s) who know and understands the equipment under their care.

You can't be everywhere, and these telescopes and equipment are expensive and could be damaged.

I ended up only going with two scopes to my "open days" - one for each hand!

It should be a great day and I'd like to think everyone will enjoy it and learn something...it may be the once in their entire life that they ever look through a telescope, and view the sun.

Just be cautious......

[chrisshillito]

My word you're brave - hope you're well insured. I wouldn't fancy the responsibility or consequences of introducing a class of children to solar observation. Irrespective of what they might get up to on the day you just don't know what they're going to try when they get home. Once they've seen something wonderful they may well be inspired to see it again and show others! Is the school seeking parental approval/permission for this - are the parents aware of the risks? For eductional purposes I'd only give them a camera view even with the pst - just to reinforce the view that you never look at the sun directly, keep them well away from the optics and wouldn't turn my back on them for one second.

Chris.

[Helen]

Thanks both. Yes, I'm insured under the STEM scheme, and a job for this afternoon is to write my full risk assessment. The STEM scheme is clear that responsibility for H&S and controlling the children lies with the teaching staff - and I'll ensure I'm never on my own but always have a school staff member with me.

My plan is to only use scopes if there is an adult per 2 scopes.

Safety has to be paramount though as even if I'm not liable I will feel responsible if anyting untoward happens. I think this is a classic case of getting the right balance between risk avoidance and risk management! I've got enough cameras to do 4 scopes, but seeing a Ha view with your own eyes is something special....

I'll have another chat with the science teacher and let her take the final decision.

Helen

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

What can help is to tell them that if they do not listen to what you say, and get things wrong, they could lose an eye. A bit of intimidation (and valid warning) can go a long way towards calming them down (the old response to terror: sit very still ). I did solar sessions when I was still at school, using EP projection. As warning, I put in and old Huygens EP in the scope, and ignited a piece of paper or wood in the exit pupil, or melted a piece of plastic (any smoke damage could hardly make that huygens worse). This was very effective in ensuring that they did not monkey around with the scope.

I just had the one scope, and projection was an easy way to have many look at the sun at the same time. One person per scope (get the teachers involved) is useful

[Helen]

Thanks Michael. I was wondering whether to do the 'set light to something' trick at the beginning as a very graphical way of showing what they would do to their eye if they looked. My only concern was that they might think that was great fun and would try that on their own!! (On the other hand generations of kids have been setting light to things with magnifying glasses...)

Helen

[Saleratus]

I would use some painters tape as an extra precaution to secure the filters to the scopes. My biggest dread in solar observing is that in a crowded environment a scope could be bumped and the filter come off. I know it's not likely, but it could be a worthwhile precaution.

[Beulah]

Helen,

This outreach is a fabulous idea and I hope it goes smoothly - you are creating a memorable moment for these kids they will remember for the rest of their lives.

I agree on the painter's tape front - yep there are concerns about the filter falling off but I used to work in teaching and know that some kids may pull the filters off for kicks. (a small percentage, mind you)

Please report back as to how it goes!

[Peter Drew]

Sounds a great event in prospect, I wish I was young enough to be in the audience!. Make sure you impress upon the kids the scale of what they are seeing, we do some solar outreach and although the visitors are impressed with the views, they have, initially, no concept of sizes, speeds and temperatures of the details. Good luck.

[Helen]

Thanks Peter My plan is to use a golf ball as earth and then say the sun would be 8feet big and I need to find out where 275m away from the classroom would be (maybe the bottom of their playing fields). I'm also getting them to estimate the sizes of sunspots and prominances compared to earth.

Just need some clear skies now

Helen

[Photosbykev]

A golf ball and 8 ft sounds slightly low ? The sun is 108 x the earth diameter, also the kids will have no concept of a foot cms or metres nowadays

Edit: golf ball is approx 42mm so the sun would be 4,500mm give or take a prominence or two

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Blame Apple for the typos

[Helen]

Thanks for that Kev. I underestimated the size of a golf ball!! and thanks for the conversion to numbers they'll understand

The weather here today is perfect for it, shame the forecast for Friday looks awful!!

Helen

[Helen]

Well the weather was against us yesterday, so it was a classroom experience instead. I did the sessions on the whole solar system. For earth-sun scale I usef the golf and then a tape measure and then to show the different planetary distances I used a toilet roll with a scale of 60m km per sheet! The spacing worked perfectly as the sun was at the front of the class and pluto in the far back corner - and I got the kids intrigued beforehand about why I had a toilet roll in class

I took the fact I got loads of hands up when I asked for volunteers and also got loads of questions as a positive sign

The plan is to go back one lunchtime next week if the weather improves to do a viewing session (I've got bookmarks for the kids with views of the sun on one side and a statement on the back that says as they know about the power of the sun they know how dangerous it is and so know not to blind themselves by looking at it)

Helen

[Greg]

Hi Helen,

I did a similar thing a few weeks ago... All of the above posts are totally relevant .. However..

I didnt let any of the kids look through a scope, I projected everything either using a laptop onto the classroom computerised whiteboard screens or projected onto paper on the playground floor.. the risk for me was too great.. A lot of these kids will have the concentration span on a gnat.. I could see them all rushing home looking through toy telescopes or binos at the sun...

Good luck..

Greg

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Sorry to hear the weather played spoil-sport, better luck next time.