4-H Night at NASA

 

On behalf of the hosting Texas 4-H STEM Ambassadors, we are excited to announce that at long last

Texas 4-H is going back to NASA’s Johnson Space Center.  This is an overnight “camping” experience held at the space center that will include hands-on STEM activities, an astronaut guest speaker, a tram tour of rocket park, and free roam of the museum’s exhibits.  It promises to be a great time for all space enthusiasts! 

Below are some of the details and even more in the FAQ linked below.  A promotional graphic is attached for you to use and share on social media.  Please share this information with your 4-H families. 

Event Dates:  March 5-6, 2022

Location:  NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston

Registration Dates:  February 1-15, 2022 on 4-H Online (Event title:  Texas 4-H Night at NASA).  All youth and adult participants must register on 4HOnline.

Who can attend:  Texas 4-H members (Jr, Int, and Sr ages) and screened adults.  All 4-H members must be accompanied by a parent/guardian chaperone.

Saturday Check-in Time:  5-6 PM sharp.  

Sunday End Time:  Will vary based on your own preference/needs. 

What to Expect:  Staff led STEM activities, astronaut guest speaker, explore the center’s exhibits, and tram tour of rocket park.

SPACE CENTER HOUSTON OVERNIGHT EXPERIENCE FAQ – this page provides many more details about the overnight experience.  It references scouting overnight in some places, which is mostly the same program as ours.

Forms:  All participants will need to download, review, and bring signed copies of all required forms.  Required forms will be available in the downloadable files section of the 4HOnline registration process.  If you are chaperoning someone else’s child and he/she is taking any kind of medication, the chaperone is advised to follow best practices outlined in the Procedures for Handling Medications document.  Other forms that chaperones may need pertaining to medicines can be found on our Programs for Minors page:  https://texas4-h.tamu.edu/minors/

Meals:  Saturday supper and Sunday breakfast will be provided and is included in the registration fee.

Chaperones:  Due to the unique sleeping arrangements, all 4-H members must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.  The 4-H program will not be providing any chaperones; therefore, youth are not allowed to be dropped off without a parent/guardian.  All adults must register on 4HOnline.  Please note, it could take up to 2 weeks to get background screening completed, so plan to re-enroll quickly if you have not already done so.  When tent camping, only family units may sleep in the same tent. 

Sleeping Arrangements

There will be two different options for sleeping arrangements.  Again, more specific details can be found in the linked FAQ.

1. Indoor Lodging (inside the museum)
• Participants will have assigned locations inside the center, which will be outlined during the event.
• Indoor setup will take place towards the end of the evening. Please leave your bedding materials inside the car until the end of the night.
• What to bring is outlined in the FAQ.
• The Space Center's lead instructor will direct you to your assigned location the night of the event, after the center closes.
2. Outdoor Lodging
• You may choose to sleep outside in a tent underneath their SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that has flown to space twice or under the historic shuttle carrier aircraft that ferried space shuttles 223 times.
• Please be aware that if you decide on outdoor sleeping you will be setting up your tent immediately after check-in NOT at the end of the night. (the 5-6 PM time period).
• If you choose this option, you must bring your own tent as well as necessary bedding.  Tent sizes and other details are outlined in the FAQ.
• We recommend that if you are planning to sleep outdoors, that you get there closer to 5:00 pm to ensure you have enough time to pitch your tent.
• No indoor or outdoor cooking allowed.

COVID Guidelines/Protocol:  We will adhere and follow the guidelines of Space Center Houston and Texas 4-H/AgriLife Extension.  We will provide the most up-to-date guidelines via email about a week ahead of the event.  All participants will be required to submit a Covid Screening form at check-in. 

Registration Status:  Please note that all registrations will remain as “Pending” at the state level until the week of the event.  This will ensure we can delete registrations without charge if the situation arises where we have to cancel the event due to Covid or other unforeseen circumstances.

Please thoroughly review this information above and on the FAQ page.  There is a lot of information that should help answer any questions you may have.  If questions remain unanswered, please feel free to contact me.  We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Answers to some frequently asked questions.

Q:           What is the cost?

A:            $90 per person (same fee for youth and adults) – sorry I omitted that important detail in my original email.

Q:           Do adults have to register?

A:            Yes.  Each person attending must submit a separate registration.

Q:           Can an adult chaperone other kids that are not their own?

A:            Yes, so long as they adhere to our Texas 4-H Youth Protection Standards.  For your reference, those rules and best practices are outlined here (found on this page):

• Programs for Minors Zoom Update and Discussion – April 13, 2021 Recording
• Volunteer Orientation Updated with Overnight Program Guidelines PowerPoint

Q:           I see on my kid’s registration that there is a place to enter the name of the parent/guardian chaperone.  Does submitting a name in that field register the adult?

A:            No, that text field is to document who the designated chaperone is for the youth member.  The adult chaperone still needs to create and submit a separate registration.  Before approving registrations, we will cross-reference the designated chaperone with the registration list to ensure the adult chaperone has registered.

Q:           Can a younger sibling attend?

A:            As it stands today, the event is only open to junior, intermediate, and senior 4-H members.  If that changes, I will let you know.