HUTCHINSON, Kan., December 1, 2021 /PR Newswire/ — Making STEM subjects engaging and relevant just got easier for educators thanks to new virtual resources available through one of the nation’s top science education centers and space museums — Cosmosphere International SciEd Center and Space Museum.
LaunchLearning™ is a component of the LaunchNext™ Virtual Education Portal designed by the museum in Hutchinson, KS. LaunchLearning™ brings grade-specific classroom topics ranging from rocketry to living in space to classrooms everywhere. The content aligns with Next Generation Science Standards and offers lesson plans, video resources, live science demonstrations, hands-on activities, teacher guides, subject matter experts and more.
Image to right: Example of a lesson plan from LaunchLearning.
“Students report higher understanding and interest in STEM subjects after experiencing the programming at the Cosmosphere,” said Cosmosphere President and CEO Jim Remar. “LaunchLearning brings those experiences to classrooms everywhere through exceptional resources. The unique aspect to LaunchLearning™ programming is that it is conveyed against the backdrop of space exploration, which makes the content relevant to many curriculum areas.”
LaunchLearning™ licensing enables a school district, education center or school group to access the online content for all its classrooms. Additional services, such as live streaming with Cosmosphere STEM educators and field trips are also available as part of the license.
LaunchNext™ also includes LaunchTeaching™, which is virtual professional development for educators to gain more insight into the delivery of the content while earning professional development and continuing education credit. LaunchWonder™ provides free virtual/digital access to Cosmosphere’s galleries, exhibits, artifacts and archives, which represent the largest combined collection of U.S. and Soviet-era space artifacts in the world.
To learn more about the program, visit launchnext.org or contact Nathan Meyer, vice president of education at Nathanm@cosmo.org or 620-665-9332.
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The Cosmosphere International SciEd Center & Space Museum is located at 1100 North Plum in Hutchinson, KS. Its collection includes U.S. space artifacts second only to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, and the largest collection of Russian space artifacts outside of Moscow. This unique collection allows the Cosmosphere to tell the story of the Space Race better than any museum in the world while offering fully immersive education experiences that meet the Next Generation Science Standards. It is also home to one of the nation’s premiere space summer camps. For more information visit cosmo.org.
