We started out our events on Thursday morning with Linda Khandro's Astro Bio Time Walk.  On a cash register tape 4.5 meters long, kids marked significant events.  Each mm represented 1 million years.  In the afternoon, the kids made glow in the dark constellations, planispheres, glitter galaxies and stomp rockets.  Thursday afternoon was completed with the Big Bang Run.

 Thursday evening we played Astro Bingo and Constellation Bingo, a new version of Astro Bingo.  In Constellation Bingo, the star pattern of a North America constellation is shown.  If the player recognizes the pattern of the constellation and has the constellation on his/her card, the spot is marked.  The first player to have five spots marked wins!   Actually, everybody wins in this fun way to learn constellations.  It was amazing to see how fast kids learned the star patterns. While some kids and adults watched movie night with pop and cookies, others filled the fields with Jovian Night Soccer.   As the skies got dark, Ken Slavens, TAS and former TMSP Board Member and instructor extraordinaire, led a large group of first timer adults and kids on a Star Hopping tour with a green laser.  

 On Friday, we started the day's activities with a geological talk and walk with geologist Linda Khandro .   We took a short trek out towards Haney Meadows where kids and adults found excellent cristobilite samples.  The afternoon arts and crafts featured new activities.  In one activity, we illustrated the true scale of the Solar System.  Joe from TAS showed the kids a big sun dial on the grass, while the kids made their own paper version of a sun dial.  Some of the kids made their own Space Shuttle glider, and a few worked on a balloon powered Nanorover.  Cosmic Constellations finished the afternoon events with kids and adults dressed as Constellations.  Contestants were required to find Cygnus the Swan, Hercules, Cepheus the King, Andromeda the Chained Lady and other constellations.   Their task was to correctly identify the constellations by both name and title.

 Friday and Saturday evenings consisted of Astro and Constellation Bingo, Jovian Soccer, Night Sky Monopoly, stomp rockets and movie night filled the evening hours before it got dark.  Ken Slavens lead groups Star Hopping.

 Saturday was action packed with face painting, geological walk and talk, and the Fourth Annual Stomp Rocket Competition.   The Student Program Raffle was the best yet!  With six telescopes to give away, thanks to the generosity of Oceanside Photo and Telescope, and many other prizes, there were many happy faces to go around the group.

 Special thanks to Chris Owens and her son Matt, Betty, Ken Slavens, Katie, Aubrey, Julia, Cheryl, Joe, Linda, Kathy, Erin, and Greg and others  for their wonderful volunteer help!   2005 will be a year to remember.

 

 

Photos from Aaron Owada

Back to top