Deep Space High: Intergalactic Weather Watch

Fun Kids是英国的一家广播电台，致力于儿童和他们的家庭。我们的精神是提供一个环境，这是独特的儿童，他们可以打电话给他们自己。我们通过鼓励孩子们倾听、发挥想象力和发展互动技能来娱乐和教育他们，同时帮助他们更好地了解更广阔的环境。我们知道孩子们热爱太空-从对恒星和行星的迷恋到怀疑那里是否有外星生命。在过去的5年里，我们制作了许多音频系列，以帮助儿童了解太空，重点关注广泛的太空主题（即探索和使用的技术）和具体的任务（例如先锋，天空实验室和国际空间站）。我们的系列名为“深空高中”，以一所星际学校为基础，由虚构人物脉冲星校长呈现。它们是非正式的风格，为儿童提供关键的事实和进一步探索的机会。这些系列在Fun Kids上播放，并可在Fun Kids网站和应用程序上再次收听，并在iTunes上免费下载。我们还在Fun Kids网站（http：//www.funkidslive.com/space/）上建立了一个专门的微型网站，儿童可以在那里找到更多的信息和图像。深空高中：星系间天气观察“将向10岁以上的儿童介绍目前尚未涉及的空间、太阳和行星科学的一个主要领域--空间天气。该系列将探讨其他行星上的天气以及空间天气对我们地球的影响。空间天气越来越重要，这反映在政府将太阳风暴列入国家民事紧急情况风险登记册，并建立气象局空间天气操作中心，以帮助保护英国免受空间天气事件造成的严重威胁。这些事件有可能在未来对日常生活造成破坏，包括切断电力供应和通信系统，因此有必要让今天的孩子们了解这些事件。我们的项目有三个关键要素：1.创建一个由十部分组成的短音频节目系列2。创建一个补充的动画视频系列3.为早期职业科学家团队提供与年轻观众接触的机会，并帮助交付项目我们项目的前提是根据最近对217名小学生家长的在线调查开发的。当被问及孩子们对访问一系列介绍空间和行星科学新领域的系列节目有多大兴趣时，55%的受访者非常感兴趣，37%的人感兴趣。与空间有关的杂志和电视节目日益增多，证明了这种兴趣。不过，这些网站通常关注的是成年人的问题，而这些信息往往超出了孩子的理解范围。因此，我们还询问了其他接触方法。除了“音频节目”，我们的研究还显示了对“视频内容”的兴趣，这反映了儿童在YouTube等视频共享平台上花费的时间越来越多。Fun Kids自己的YouTube频道的持续增长支持了这一点。我们项目的影响将是扩大儿童（及其家人）对空间天气的了解：即空间天气是什么，有哪些不同类型，以及这些对地球上生命构成的威胁。孩子们将有机会通过与学校的直接联系或通过Fun Kids应用程序录制的语音信息提出他们可能对该主题有疑问的问题，并由我们的专家回答。我们将给孩子们信心，进一步探索科学，并与朋友，亲戚和同学讨论他们的发现。随着空间气象问题在未来几年获得更多的公众认识，参与该项目的儿童将更好地了解这些发展情况。该项目将激励孩子们考虑与空间相关的职业，并激励他们在GCSE及以后学习科学。

Fun Kids is the UK's radio station dedicated to children and their families. Our ethos is to provide an environment which is unique to children and they can call their own. We entertain and educate by encouraging children to listen, use their imagination and develop interaction skills, as well as help make them more aware of their wider environment.We know children love space - from fascination with stars and planets to wondering whether there might be alien life out there. Over the last 5 years, we have created a number of audio series to help introduce children to space with a focus on both broad space topics (i.e. exploration and technology used) and specific missions (e.g. Pioneer, Skylab and ISS). Entitled 'Deep Space High', our series are based in an interplanetary school and are presented by fictional character, Principal Pulsar. They are informal in style and provide children with key facts and opportunities to explore further. These series were broadcast on Fun Kids and remain available to listen again on the Fun Kids website and app, and free download on iTunes. We also created a dedicated micro-site on the Fun Kids website (http://www.funkidslive.com/space/) where children are able to find additional information and images.'Deep Space High: Intergalactic Weather Watch' will introduce children aged 10+ to a major area of space, solar and planetary science not currently covered - space weather. The series will explore weather on other planets and the impact of space weather on our own planet Earth.Space weather is of growing importance, reflected in the Government adding solar storms to the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies and establishing the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre to help protect the UK from the serious threats posed by space weather events. The potential for these events to cause future disruption to everyday life, including cutting electricity supplies and communications systems, necessitates that they be understood by today's children.Our project has three key elements:1. Create a ten-part series of short audio programmes2. Create a supplementary, animated video series3. Provide a team of early-career scientists with opportunities to engage with a young audience and help deliver the projectThe premise of our project is developed from a recent online survey of 217 parents with primary school children. When asked how interested children would be in accessing a series introducing them to new areas of space and planetary science, 55% of respondents were very interested and 37% interested. The increasing number of space related magazines and television programmes is testament to this interest. Often, though, these are more adult in their focus, with information that goes over a child's head. We therefore also asked about alternative methods of engagement. Aside from 'audio programmes', our research showed the next highest level of interest in 'video content', reflecting the increasing time spent by children on video sharing platforms, such as YouTube. The continued growth of Fun Kids' own YouTube channels supports this.Our project's impact will be to broaden the knowledge of children (and their families) about space weather: namely what it is, what different types there are, and the threat these pose to life on Earth. Children will have the opportunity to ask questions they might have about the topic, either through direct contact with their schools or voice messages recorded through the Fun Kids app, and have these answered by our experts. We will give children confidence to explore the science further and discuss their findings with friends, relatives and classmates. As space weather issues gain greater public awareness over the coming years, children accessing the project will be better placed to understand these developments. The project will inspire children to consider space related careers and motivate them to study sciences at GCSE and beyond.