Otis — Students at Farmington River Elementary School (FRRES) in Otis had their heads in the clouds last Friday, March 9, when the school parent-teacher association (PTA) brought in Mobile Ed’s Skydome, a special traveling science program.
An inflatable planetarium half the size of the school gymnasium, Skydome comes with a digital planetarium projector that displays a sparkling star-filled sky with bright, realistic, moving planets and constellations (and maybe even Bill the Alien if you are paying attention like sixth grader Alexander Gale was) inside the darkened dome. Bill is a surprise guest in the presentation.
Shari Barkin, a Skydome presenter, enjoyed her time with the students in Otis. “Being here is such a neat experience for me. These lucky students have access to the sky in a special way because they live in a rural area without light pollution,” she explained. She presented the 45-minute program to four different groups of the school’s 120 students. The program is produced by Mobile Ed, a portable field trip educational company based in Michigan.
When first entering the space, students ducked into a dark tunnel, said sixth grader Emmalyn Pachulski. “I liked how you walked into it. The tunnel looked so small, but it was tall when you stood and looked up.”
Classmate Olivia Lemon enjoyed the constellation lesson, especially when “the presenter talked about how the stars are connected into diagrams, and how the zodiac signs are linked.”
“It was cool learning that the sun’s mass could contain many Earths,” said sixth grader Annabelle Harley. It would take 1.3 million Earths to match the sun’s volume.
Fifth grader Jackson Arnold said he learned “Venus was actually the hottest planet, and it is hotter than the sun, because Venus is all made of lava. That made me want to explore more about the solar system and space.”
The timing was perfect for the fifth grade since a grade five Massachusetts standard is the study of the solar system, including planets, gravity, and the Earth’s rotation—and how rotation affects seasons, sunlight, and shadows.
“The planetarium assembly was really cool for our students,” said fifth grader teacher Jamie Foster. “It brought the universe up close and helped them understand what we teach in class.”
“We worked on our solar system models and studied Earth’s place in the universe earlier in the year. Seeing everything up close in the planetarium made it all click,” Foster added. “It was a fun way to see how the planets fit together, and how Earth moves through space. This experience got us even more excited to learn about our solar system.”
Bringing the program to school was a community endeavor, said FRES PTA President Cecily Goulange. “We felt it was a great choice for our students, and we were lucky to secure funding to support it. We appreciate that this program is supported in part by grants from the Cultural Councils of Otis and Sandisfield.”
FRES Principal Laurie Flower emphasized that STEAM programs are a valuable teaching aid (STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics). “The Skydome planetarium gave our students an opportunity to experience space science in an immersive and engaging way. Seeing the planets, stars, and constellations come to life sparked curiosity and excitement, making complex concepts more vivid and memorable.”
She added, “We are so grateful to our PTA for making this experience possible and for their ongoing commitment to enriching our students’ education.”
How much fun was the day? As many schoolboys these days might say, Travis Drumm gave it the highest praise: “As massive as a ‘low taper fade!’”
This program was supported in part by a grant from the Cultural Councils of Otis and Sandisfield, local organizations supported by the state agency, Mass Cultural Council.
