Since the beginning of time, man has searched the night sky for answers to a myriad of questions and your kids are no different. As you teach them how heavenly bodies affect the Earth and that, some stars have fabulous stories their interest will grow. You may learn something yourself as you travel through the last frontier while teaching your kids about the night sky.
*Sleeping Under The Night Sky
For less than $30, you can purchase a projector with all you need to turn your child’s room into a replica of the night sky at this site. Or you can do it yourself with a little paint, some glow-in-the-dark stars, galaxies, comets and other heavenly bodies.
Create planets with paper mache, learn how tohere, and suspend them from the ceiling using clear fishing line. Use florescent paint to add background stars and wait for dark. Your child will be delighted with this private little planetarium. When the light is on, they will see the gods, planets, objects or hero and when the light is off they will see shining stars.
*Catch A Meteor Shower
Visit this site, to find regular meteor showers that you can see from your area. For most of the US, there are regular showers that will inspire awe in your kids. Invite your kid’s friends and make a party of it as they ooh and aah over the beautiful night sky filled with streaking lights.
*Teach The Lore Of The Heavens
Share some of the lore of the stars that come to us from other cultures. Such as Native Americans believing the stars to be ancestors who have passed, who intervene in the lives of their descendants now or how prehistoric man looked to the stars for omens.
*Compare The Stars To A Calendar
Explain to your kids how the night sky is different in spring than say in the winter. Use a globe of the Earth and show your kids how the Earth not only turns but also tilts back and forth on its axis, which makes different stars visible in different locations at different seasons.
*Story Of Each Constellation
What child doesn’t like tales of warring gods and heroes, dragons and magic? Find age appropriate books on the mythological beginnings of the constellations and you will whet your child’s appetite for more. You might start with Perseus and allow the kids to make a Medusa head full of snakes, which should get them learning. Then find the constellation and show it to them.
*Far From City Lights
Once you have done some groundwork at home with crafts, books and verbal tales, take your child into the some high-country, on a clear night, and introduce them to a night sky they may never have seen before. Take along quilts or blankets to lie on as they view the sky with naked eyes, binoculars or even a beginners a telescope, which are very inexpensive.
*Visit A Planetarium
Another great field trip is to a local planetarium where your child will be able to view not only stars, but also planets and moons, asteroids and depending on the size of the planetariums telescopes maybe far away galaxies, comets, nebulae and much more. If there is no planetarium near you then once you have begun teaching your child about the night sky, a vacation planned around a planetarium in another city is a good idea.
*View The Constellations On-Line
Several good sites allow you and your child to view positions of the constellations at both day and night. Set the time for your zone and start exploring. One site is http://www.neave.com/planetarium/.
You’ll open up a world of wonder and awe for your child and yourself as you teach them about the night sky. Have hours of fun with your kids as both of you see and learn things about the heaven that comes to life at night.
