KINGS — The students of Kings School had an out-of-this-world experience during the week of Feb. 19.
Every one of the kindergarten through eighth grade students had multiple chances to enjoy a little stargazing from the comfort of the school gym. This amazing opportunity was made possible through the Lee/Ogle/Whiteside Regional Office of Education and their mobile Star Lab.
The Star Lab is easy to use and available for loan to all schools serviced by ROE 47. The students at Kings were amazed by how dark it was inside the inflatable lab, making it possible to view the night sky in the middle of the day.
As third grader Izabel raved, “It was really cool to see the stars in the daytime.”

“It was pretty cool. The Star Lab looked like the night sky, and we got to see the constellations in the daytime,” explained fourth grader Alanna. “We learned about the stars and we wrote our own constellation stories.”
Inside the lab, the students learned about various constellation formations and their origin stories. It was not long before everyone had their own favorite.
“My favorite part of the Star Lab was getting to learn about the constellations. My favorite one is the two twins,” said Sophia, a second grader at Kings School.
Second grader, Tyson, also enjoyed the Gemini constellation.
“I loved that we got to see the stars with our own eyes,” he explained. All of the students were able to visit the Star Lab each day and completed additional cross-curricular solar system activities with their teachers.
The highlight of the week was a family event on the evening of Feb. 22, with students bringing their families to experience the Star Lab and partake in a variety of related activities.
“I liked making the planet booklet and having my aunt go in the Star Lab with me,” explained fourth grader Laila. “It was fun to share that time together.”
Families attending the event were also able to learn more about the parts of a telescope, but unfortunately there were too many clouds to view the actual night sky. Thankfully, is it always clear skies and perfect viewing inside the Star Lab.