Sunnyvale students encouraged to imagine space travel

Space portal

Sixth-graders at Columbia Middle School were given a portal into space exploration Oct. 3 by Dr. Pascal Lee, a planetary scientist with the SETI Institute, the Mars Institute and NASA Ames Research Center.

Lee spoke to students about his Mars research and what it would take to travel to the red planet, including how the science and math they’re learning could be applied.

The school visit was made possible through a grant awarded by the Ames Contractor Council. The Sunnyvale Education Foundation worked in partnership with Sunnyvale School District librarian Julie Griffin to obtain the grant, which also helped pay for new space science books in both the Columbia and Sunnyvale middle school libraries. Each library will receive approximately 22 new books in both English and Spanish.

Imagination Library

The Santa Clara County Library District is partnering with the Sunnyvale Public Library, among others, to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to young readers in the county. This worldwide effort mails free, high-quality, age-appropriate books to children under age 5 every month, with a goal of sparking a lifetime love of reading.

“Building a home library, reading to children starting at birth, and introducing families to their public library are important ways to help our littlest learners become successful readers,” said County Librarian Jennifer Weeks in a release.

All children under age 5 living in Santa Clara County are invited to be part of the free program. Imagination Library titles are available in English or Spanish. Books arrive approximately eight to 12 weeks after registration. Children will continue to receive a new book every month until their fifth birthday.

To participate, families can sign up their children ages 0-5 at sccld.org/imaginationlibrary.