SPACE COMMUNITY  The Journey through the Universe program from Challenger Center for Space Science Education is an effort to take students, educators and families in underserved communities to the frontiers of exploration. Educator workshops for up to 200 K-12 teachers are offered, along with educational materials tied to the national science standards. The program also brings a national team of researchers to visit students in the classroom and offers family science events for hundreds of parents and children. For more details on the program and to download an application, visit www.challenger.org/journey.

IN PLAIN WORDS  Elementary school children can get a handle on bedrock civics concepts with Constitution Translated for Kids. Written by Cathy Travis, press secretary to U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas), the book is organized as a line-by-line explanation of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, presented in a useful, side-by-side format. Also included are famous quotations on democracy, a glossary of advanced words, suggested student exercises and more. The 86-page hardcover book costs $12.95 and is available from Oakwood Publishing at www.oakwoodpublishing.com.

MAKE CONNECTIONS  Students, educators and community leaders can find more than 100 resources for engaging young people in civic activity with The Civic Resource Guide. The free, downloadable document takes a look at organizations that are working nationwide to connect young people with the programs, services, opportunities and funding they need to become more active in the community. The guide is produced by Project 540, a new initiative funded by the Pew Charitable Trust that involves high school students in school and community change efforts. The guide also offers a civic engagement calendar and tips for educators seeking to spark classroom conversations about civic participation. To get the guide, visit Project 540 online, www.project540.org and click on "Act."

ONLINE SAFETY  The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), a national nonprofit organization that promotes the use of information technologies in K-12 education, has released new resources to help guide school officials when they talk to parents and other community members about online safety issues. The "Promoting Online Safety" toolkit offers components that may be used either individually or together to help school leaders make a presentation to parents or other community members. Visit www.safewired schools.org/toolkit to download most components for free or to order a full toolkit.

GET REAL  The InvenTeam program encourages groups of high school students, their teacher, and an industry mentor to work together to invent something of value for their school or community. InvenTeam was launched by the Lemelson-MIT Program to foster inventiveness among high school students. This year, the program has been expanded to include 10 teams from high schools across the nation. Each team selected will receive a $10,000 grant to make its vision a reality. For more information, visit http://web.mit.edu/invent and click on the "Awards" section.
 

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