Lee’s Summit R-7 School District staff members participate in book signing at Space Camp this summer
Posted by GSDispatch Editor in by Lee’s Summit R7 School District, Edu, GSD Online
Andrea Raffurty (left) and Chris Buehre are pictured with Ms. Buehre's children, Ross and Shannon, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. The two children in the book are named after Ross and Shannon.
Chris Buehre and Andrea Raffurty, both Lee’s Summit R-7 School District staff members, participated in a book signing in late June at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., known as the home of Space Camp. The book, called “Space Explorers: Traveling in Space,” is targeted at children from age 4 to 7.
Ms. Buehre, the book’s author, is a Pleasant Lea Middle School science teacher. Ms. Raffurty, the book’s illustrator, is assistant coordinator at the Hazel Grove Elementary School Kids Country before- and after-school program.
In Huntsville, Ms. Buehre and Ms. Raffurty participated in the book signing and a variety of children’s activities during an event June 27 at the center’s Davidson Center gift shop. They also worked at the center’s Space Camp Rockets and Crème Membership drive, which includes ice cream and activities related to the two local residents’ book.
Following the book signing, Ms. Buehre made several presentations to teachers involved a version of NASA’s space camp designed for educators. She discussed lesson plans and presentations she has made in her classroom since attending a 2006 space camp for teachers, sponsored through Honeywell.
“Space Explorers: Traveling in Space” is published through Dorrance Publishing and is currently available on amazon.com and at www.spaceexplorersbooks.com. It can also be purchases at KD’s Books in Lee’s Summit, Border’s in Lee’s Summit and the Reading Reptile in Brookside. The 14-page children’s book tells the story of Shannon and Ross, and a pet cat, Newton (as in Sir Isaac Newton). The trio travels into space, learning about the solar system along the way.
The easy-to-understand science book features facts such as how often the moon circles around the Earth, the distance from the Earth to the moon and the types of surfaces of the moon. Ms. Buehre said she was inspired to write the book after participating in NASA’s Space Camp. In addition to developing the book idea, she has incorporated what she learned at several Space Camp visits into her science lessons at Pleasant Lea Middle School.
Ms. Buehre and Ms. Raffurty also plan several additional events, including 10:30 a.m. July 13 for story time and 10:30 a.m. July 25 for a Space Camp celebration, both at Border’s in Lee’s Summit. They will also be at the Plaza Library at 2 p.m. July 22.
