School Outreach

Bring the Adler to You

The Portable Dome Outreach Program brings the Adler Planetarium to Chicago-area schools and includes interactive and facilitated experience by an Adler educator for your class. The experience includes opportunities for a pre- and post-show activities. We currently offer Portable Dome Outreach for three shows, One World One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure, Earth, Moon & Sun, and Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX).

Portable Dome

Portable Dome Shows

One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure

Grades Pre-K-2
Limit 25 students per show

The fun begins on Sesame Street when Elmo's friend, Hu Hu Zhu, visits from China. Big Bird, Elmo, and Hu Hu Zhu share what they know about the Sun, Moon and stars, learn about the Big Dipper, and take an imaginary trip to the Moon.

Earth, Moon & Sun

Grades 2-5
Limit 25 students per show

Explore the relationship between the Earth, Moon, and Sun with the help of Coyote, a character adapted from Native American oral traditions. Learn why the Sun rises and sets, and the basics of fusion and solar energy. Examine the Moon’s orbit, craters, phases, and eclipses. 

IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System

Grades 9-12
Limit 15 students per show

Join scientists who are investigating the boundary between the Solar System and the rest of our galaxy. Students will get an in-depth look at the mission, and how IBEX is collecting high-speed atoms to create a map of our Solar System's boundary. 

Logistical Information & Rates

The Portable Dome Outreach Program is available on Tuesdays from October through March. It can be conducted indoors in any space that is at least twelve-feet high and twenty-five-feet wide. The outreach program can also be structured more informally for camps, community centers, and after school events. This program serves schools within a thirty-mile radius of the Adler Planetarium. Portable Dome Outreach must be booked at least one month in advance.

Portable Dome Rates

1 Session $300
2 Sessions $350
3 Sessions $400
4 Sessions $450
$50 for each additional session

Portable Dome