Students Visit the Moon Without Leaving Naperville

Putting on moon boots and space suits, students prepared to make an exploratory moonwalk where they would collect rocks.

The fact that they were actually in the library didn’t seem to phase them. Using some creativity, the students just imagined what it might be like to walk in limited gravity on the face of the moon.

The students were fifth graders from l who were participating in a science field trip at the high school Wednesday. The event helped introduce the students to the Apollo missions, while giving them some hands on science experience, said Mary Slack, a science and astronomy teacher at the high school.

Right now, the school is hosting a NASA exhibit, which includes Buzz Aldrin’s NASA space suit. The science program allowed the students to see real space artifacts while learning more about science and technology.

Slack’s astronomy students acted as tour guides through the various activities. Students were introduced to the Apollo missions through a video slide show. Then they took on a variety of tasks, from creating a straw rocket, to helping fix wiring on the International Space Station.

Kevin Jones, 10, said he liked the activities and that he enjoys science.

“It’s really cool that people have gone up into space,” Jones said, adding that he would go up in space if given the chance.

Exposure to a program such as this allows students to become excited about science and makes science fun and exciting, said Paul Gray, a fifth-grade teacher at Mill Street. “We need them to be excited about science for the future.”

Sue Doenges, another fifth-grade teacher at Mill Street, said that the field trip was introducing the students to the enjoyment of science, but also allowed students to use problem-solving and team-building skills. The experience works as an enticement for those students who may go on to work in the sciences.

Toni Primo, 17, and a senior at Naperville North, was one of the tour guides. She is a student in Slack’s astronomy class. Primo and other astronomy students helped teach the children about Apollo, while guiding them through the various hands-on tasks.

“The elementary students were very excited and seemed to enjoy the activities,” she said.

While the elementary students were learning about Apollo, the high school students  also were covering material that they were learning, reinforcing what they were taught in the classroom, Slack said.

“It’s the ultimate learning experience,” Slack said. “The hands-on activities and the older students teaching the younger. The older kids can see what it is like to be the younger students and the younger always look up to the older.

"And, really, the whole point is to get them excited about science so when they are in high school they are interested in science and we can get them ready to go into the science field.”

The NASA exhibit is located in the Naperville North High School library and is open to the public Thursday and Friday, while parent-teacher conferences are taking place. Students will be available to provide information on the exhibit.