A couple of Sundays ago, I took my son to the Gheens Science Hall & Rauch Planetarium at U of L for the Cosmic Explorer Workshop, “ I Want to be an Astronaut.’ Or, as he called it, his “rocket ship class.”
Designed for children ages 4-6 (with an accompanying adult, of course), the Cosmic Explorer Workshops show what it’s like to be an astronaut, travel into space and explore the solar system.
The next two workshops in the Cosmic Explorer program are:
Solar System Adventures, 10/14
Big Sky and More-Oh My!, 11/11
These are both on Sundays, 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and they include a show in the dome. The cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members.
Space is limited so registration is required in advance.
My son and I enjoyed the “I Want to be an Astronaut” class so much that we will be registering for the other workshops as well. Honestly, I think the cost is worth it just for the 15-20 minute movie in the dome. All of the kids in the workshop stayed perfectly still, awed by the images of space that surrounded them. It was so immersive that I personally felt a little queasy during the section on G-force training for astronauts. At the end of the workshop, my son received a participation certificate with his name on it and the NASA logo. He was quite excited to receive the certificate and as we walked to the car afterward, he exclaimed, “I want to do that again!”
Talk about a Sunday well-spent.
For more information and registration information:
www.planetarium.louisville.edu
502-852-6664
Photos courtesy of planetarium.louisville.edu and Cynthia Bard Mayes.
