Larry Cat in Space

(Printable Version)

Information:

• Planetarium Show
• Suitable for grades K3 - 2
• Maximum 107 participants per session
• Approximately 25 minutes long

Description:

Larry Cat In Space is an imaginative cartoon about an inquisitive cat who takes a trip to the Moon.  Diana, Larry’s favorite member of the family takes a job on the Moon and sadly leaves Larry behind.  Later, Larry figures out a way to hide in her clothes trunk before it is loaded onto the Space Plane which takes him to space station Freedom.  From there, he is transferred to the Lunar Shuttle. When Diana discovers Larry, he leaps to greet her, but sails over her head since he only weighs two pounds in lunar gravity.  Soon after his arrival Larry is ordered to return to Earth.  (You’ll have to see the show to see what happens next!).  Also, after the show kids can see how much they would weigh on the Moon by stepping on our Moon scale!

Concepts:

• The Moon looks different over time; it seems to change shape and places in the sky.
• A  telescope can help us study the Moon more closely and identify specific places like craters.
• A space plane or shuttle may help us travel to the moon.
• A space plane or shuttle can fly to a space station and then return to Earth.
• Weightlessness may be experienced during some parts of space flight.
• The Moon may be a place people one day make their home.
• Homes on the Moon may be underground to provide the best protection against solar radiation, and allow base planners to insulate living and working quarters.
• Conditions on the Moon are different from Earth and include no atmosphere, temperatures which range from boiling hot to freezing cold, days and nights that are each 14 1/2 Earth days long, and things that weigh 1/6^th as much as they do on Earth.

Sunshine State Standards Addressed:

• SC.E.1.1.1: The student knows that the light reflected by the Moon looks a little different every day but looks the same again about every 28 days.
• SC.E.1.1.2: The student knows that the appearance of sunrise and sunset is due to the rotation of Earth every 24 hours.
• SC.E.2.1.1: The student knows that there are many objects in the sky that are only visible at night.
• SC.F.1.1.1: The student knows the basic needs of all living things.
• SC.G.2.1.1: The student knows that if living things do not get food, water, shelter, and space, they will die.
• SC.H.2.1.1: The student knows that most natural events occur in patterns.
• SC.H.3.1.1: The student knows that scientists and technologists use a variety of tools (e.g., thermometers, magnifiers, rulers, and scales) to obtain information in more detail and to make work easier.
• LA.C.1.1.1: The student listens for a variety of informational purposes, including curiosity, pleasure, getting directions, performing tasks, solving problems, and following rules
• LA.C.2.1.1: The student determines the main idea in a non-print communication.