School Shows

• Kindergarten: Our youngest space cadets begin their investigation by explaining what causes day and night, and how the movement of our sun changes the local conditions around us. Students will also identify the causes of the sun’s movement. “Astronomers-in-training” then learn several major astronomy terms, including directions and the location and significance of the horizon and the Milky Way. We then compare our sun to the thousands of stars we can see in the night sky and discuss their colors, their ages and their sizes. Finally, we end our cosmic journey with a few of the coolest constellations in the sky!
• First Grade: Our next-level cadets continue their exploration of the sun and its movement, identifying the characteristics that make the sun both helpful and harmful and applying that information to everyday life. We’ll continue to discuss why the Earth revolves around the sun and how the pull of gravity can be overcome with enough speed. As we bring down all the lights, our young astronomers can witness the darkest of skies as we try to make sense of the thousands of stars now visible to them. We’ll explain that telescopes are instruments that astronomers can use to make objects brighter and discuss how a telescope works compared with the eyes of animals like owls and cats. The show ends with a comparison of what our unaided eyes can see in the night sky versus the wonders that we can see through even a small telescope.
• Second Grade: Our intrepid second-grade scientists will define science and astronomy and discover how we can apply the scientific method to the world around us. This study will help us to illustrate the connections between the sun and the Earth, including distance and gravity. After a brief history of Sir Isaac Newton, one of the fathers of modern science, we will explain his three laws of motion and apply each one of them in several hands-on demonstrations! We will conclude with a look at several constellations visible in the current nighttime sky and the very interesting objects they contain.
• Third Grade: Our third-grade trailblazers are sure to have plenty of “Sol,” as we investigate every aspect of our nearest star. We explore the production of energy in the core of the sun; the sunspots, flares and prominences that adorn the highest layers of our stellar neighbor;  and the immense gravity of the sun that keeps the planets and countless other solar system objects locked in a cosmic ballet around it. We travel across hundreds and thousands of light-years to understand the colors and temperatures of other stars and how these two characteristics are tied to each another, as well as to experience the immense size of many of the stars in our galaxy. And speaking of our galaxy, we’ll view the Milky Way from the top down to investigate the nucleus, spiral arms and super-massive black hole!
• Fourth Grade: Our fourth-grade astronauts will investigate the Earth itself as we discuss the tilt of the Earth and how that tilt causes our seasons. We’ll lift off into orbit and investigate how gravity works in outer space, on the moon and in other places in the universe. The moon’s phases will be demonstrated by a hands-on activity, and we’ll conclude our trip with a history of the human exploration of space – especially the importance of the space program to the history of Florida.
• Fifth Grade: Our fearless fifth graders will have the opportunity to visit many of the residents of the solar system, including all the major planets, our moon and Pluto. As we travel to each planet, we’ll discuss and investigate major moons, features on the surface, and in the case of Saturn, its impressive ring system. We’ll complete our journey with a stunning look at our Milky Way galaxy and the Earth’s place in all of it. It’s the most exhilarating 100,000-light-year trip they’ll ever take!

The Buehler Planetarium at Seminole State does not offer a specific school show for grades 6-12. However, we highly recommend any presentation from our public show catalog:

• For biological, earth, and physical science classes, we recommend:
  • Central Florida Nights
  • Cretaceous Countdown: Investigating the Death of the Dinosaurs
  • Earth's Neighborhood: Cruising the Solar System
  • Luna
  • Meteor
  • Skies Down Under: Southern Hemisphere Astronomy
  • Sol
  • StarTalk LIVE!
  • The Story of the Universe
  • Terra
• For English, humanities, and history classes, we recommend:
  • The Fire of Creation: The Maya
  • The Gift of the Nile: The Egyptians
  • The History of Astronomy
  • Into the West: Astronomical Origins of Halloween
  • The Star of Bethlehem
  • StarTalk LIVE!
  • Stories of the Night Sky Series (five episodes)
  • The Cradle of Civilization: The Middle East
  • Who's Who: Women in Astronomy
• For mathematics classes, we recommend:
  • A Star to Steer By: Astronomical Concepts of Celestial Navigation

The planetarium offers programs for homeschool groups of all ages. These shows listed below are what we recommend for homeschool groups. Descriptions for each show can be found on our Public Shows webpage:

• Central Florida Nights (ages 5 and up)
• Earth's Neighborhood: Cruising the Solar System (ages 5 and up)
• Sol's Neighborhood: Cruising the Galaxy (ages 9 and up)
• A Star to Steer By: Concepts of Celestial Navigation (ages 9 and up)
• Stories of the Night Sky (ages 9 and up)