The Stars Come to North Babylon Elementary Schools
Most elementary students are intrigued with stars and outer space, and all 5th graders in the district were excited when they participated in Star Lab provided by the Western Suffolk BOCES Outdoor Education Program. Students engaged in an interactive lesson where they were introduced to some new concepts, and they learned about various topics such as the composition of stars, the origin of the universe, and the relative size of our Sun. Students also got a "bang" when the instructor furnished by BOCES ignited flash paper to simulate the fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium. Students were allowed to go inside "Star Lab, a blow-up planetarium, and once inside the planetarium, they were amazed by the view of stars and constellations. They were able to make up their own constellations, learn some of the more familiar ones, and even explore constellations created by Native Americans. How did they like the experience? Javen, a student from Belmont, summed it up when he exclaimed, "The Star Lab was very, very dark and it was fantastic!"