Wanna participate? You can’t search “World Space Week events near me”, so luckily, STAR Camp is here to give you some options:

• If you’re in North Utah, STAR Camp is hosting our annual, registered World Space Week event at DaVinci Academy on October 9, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm! Join us for hands-on space science activities with STAR cap and the local aerospace industry! Sales from Pizza and merch go directly to STEM program scholarships for DaVinci students.
  • FREE FAMILY EVENT, Open to the public
  • Friday, October 9
  • 5:30-7:30 pm
  • DaVinci Elementary
  • 215 22nd St., Ogden, UT
  • Volunteers needed! (More info on that is found here!)
• Also in Utah, visit the Clark Planetarium or Ott Planetarium! Both are free and an amazing family activity to spark the curiosity of adults and children alike! Tip: The Ott Planetarium offers more hands-on activities and shows for free, but has limited and specific opening hours. The Clark Planetarium has broader opening hours that can fit better into your schedule, but has fewer hands-on activities and charges for the dome theater.
• Going stargazing is also an incredible option that’s completely free! To have a successful stargazing night:
  • Find the nearest darkest skies near you (if you're in North Utah, North Fork Park and Pineview Reservoir are great options).
  • Check the cosmic conditions, meaning the moon phase, moonrise/moonset, and weather. A moonless sky means a better view of the stars if that's what you're into, and a clear sky is optimal.
  • Bring warm layers, blankets, and maybe some snacks if necessary.
  • Download a stargazing app like Stellarium to tell you about what you're looking at.

Do you want to see your DNA? Have you ever seen it before? Although this might not show you the double helix structure of your DNA, this at-home, kid-friendly experiment will show you your own DNA!

1. First, swish your mouth with some Salt water. What this does is collect cheek cells from inside your mouth.
2. Spit the salt water back into the cup.
3. After this, spit the water back into the cup and stir in just a little bit of dish detergent. What this does is break apart the cell membranes, allowing the DNA to come out into the salty solution. That salty solution is going to neutralize the charge of the DNA, which will make it harder for the DNA to dissolve in the salt water, and go instead into the next ingredient we're going to add: cold isopropyl alcohol.
4. Pour cold isopropyl alcohol into the solution, and you'll see a white substance form at the top of the cup, and your experiment is done!

The gunk between the two layers is your DNA, and you can take a toothpick to take the DNA right out of that in between to see it! The stringy, sticky substance is your DNA code, and it is what makes you, you! Isn't that neat?

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We first saw this experiment demonstrated by creator @alexdanis on the Museum of Science page on Instagram!

This wonderful event is a global transition, reminding us that every ending is just a beginning somewhere else.

DIY Slime
Supplies

• 1/2 cup white school glue
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon contact lens solution
• Food coloring
• 1 small bowl
• Spoon or other mixing stick

Instructions

1. Pour the glue into a bowl.
2. Add a few drops of food coloring and stir (ask if you need a parent or guardian's help!).
3. Add baking soda and mix well.
4. Slowly add the contact lens solution while stirring; this is where it becomes slime!
5. Once the slime begins pulling away from the sides of the bowl, take it out and knead it with your hands for a few minutes.
6. Keep kneading until the slime becomes stretchy and stops sticking to your hands.

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What is happening?
The glue contains long molecules called polymers. When the contact lens solution is added, ingredients in it help link these polymer molecules together. This creates a network that makes the mixture thicker and stretchy instead of remaining a liquid. The baking soda also helps the mixture reach the right consistency.

​Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag
Supplies

• 2 tablespoons (30 g) white sugar
• 1 cup (200 g) half & half or heavy cream (milk can be substituted, but you will have different results)
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 g) vanilla extract
• A pint- or sandwich-sized Ziploc baggie (can be doubled to prevent leaks)
• To freeze the ice cream:
• Ice (enough to halfway fill a gallon-sized Ziploc baggie)
• 1/3 cup salt (coarse or kosher salt is recommended - table salt can work, but try to prevent it from clumping in just one area of the ice)
• Gallon-sized Ziploc baggie (can be doubled to prevent leaks)

Process

1. Pour the milk or half-and-half into the small bag.
2. Add the sugar and vanilla, seal the bag tightly, and gently mix.
3. Fill the larger bag about halfway with ice.
4. Add the salt to the ice.
5. Place the sealed small bag inside the larger bag and seal the larger bag.
6. Wrap the bag in a towel or use gloves to protect your hands from the cold.
7. Shake the bag for about 5–10 minutes, until the mixture inside becomes thick and frozen. Have fun with this step!
8. Remove the small bag, wipe it off, open it, and enjoy your ice cream!

What is happening?
Adding salt to the ice lowers the freezing point of water. This allows the ice-and-salt mixture to become colder than regular ice, which makes the milk mixture freeze. As you shake the bag, the mixture freezes while also being stirred, creating the smooth texture of ice cream.

If you try any of these fun activities or experiments, let us know! Comment below or tag us on Facebook or Instagram! We'd love to hear from you!

If that doesn't impress you, take a look at the NASA-released topics that the Roman Space Telescope will dive into:

All in all, the Nancy Grace Telescope will be one of the biggest advancements in astronomy we've had in a long time. Not because it will answer one big question, but because it will give us a surplus of evidence that may answer hundreds of questions we've had for years.

​We are so excited to offer workshops for junior high students this year! STAR Camp workshops support Utah's learning standards for earth science, engineering, computer science, art, and CCA. A class is about 45-75 minutes and costs $100 per class. Here are the many topics your kids can learn about:

If you are wanting to submit a field trip request, do so directly by clicking here, or view more information along with a request link here! Any questions or comments? Leave them below or contact us.

If you've been paying attention to the news at least a little bit,  you know there's been a lot of talk about the Artemis missions. Hearing "NASA just released the Artemis III crew!!" or "the Artemis III Orion Crew and Service Modules Joined!" can feel random and out of place if you don't know the full story.​
This post goes over the most important points of NASA's Artemis mission to keep you in the loop.

The "Artemis" program is the program that NASA began with the goal of reestablishing a "foothold" on the Moon for the first time in 1972 -- and staying there. The Artemis name comes from the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, and chastity, as well as a protector of young girls and childbirth. Artemis is also the twin sister of Apollo; if that name seems familiar, it's probably because Apollo is the name of the missions that took us to the Moon the first time. Pretty neat, huh?

Because NASA has already proved that they can put people on the Moon, this time around they have bigger goals, which include:

• land the first woman and person of color on the Moon
• establish a permanent human outpost at the lunar south pole
• build a foundational framework for commercial space exploration to eventually launch crewed missions to Mars

Although many dates and plans have been changed or postponed, the Artemis missions -- whenever they happen -- will be one of the most important missions that will go down in history.

Hello everyone! My Name is Nicole Aguayo Bernal, and I've been promoted -- from "fired" (summer camp season ended ): ) team leader -- to the new Marketing Director for STAR Camp/Douglas Space and Science Foundation! I'm super excited to be posting advertisements, blogs, and social media posts for STAR Camp!!

Just to introduce myself a little bit... I've adored the time I've spent at STAR Camp, which is why I'm so excited for this position tee-hee. In 2025, I was a Spring break team leader, and just this last summer (2026) I was a team leader as well! A little bit about me: I currently attend Roy High School, where I am involved in various academic clubs, play tennis and lacrosse for my school, and am working to graduate with my associate's in Spanish and Localization. Outside of school, I love painting, drawing, reading, and playing both the piano and guitar. I’ve especially loved working on my astrophysics-focused science fair project, which gave me the opportunity to attend ISEF for two years running! I’m incredibly grateful to step into this new role as Marketing Director and am so excited to share the same love and curiosity I have for astronomy right here on the STAR Camp blog!

Now for the blog... You can look forward to deep-dives into fascinating astronomy topics (or at least fascinating to me), hands-on science experiments you can try at home for all ages, essential stargazing updates, and other breaking science news straight from sources like NASA! I also want this to be an interactive space! If you have a science topic you're curious about or ANYTHING, let me know in the comments!! I'd love to post about anything and everything!

I'm extremely excited to grow this community! See you on Mondays!