Use Your Child’s Imagination to Explore the Night Sky

Astronomy is a fascinating subject that can be a lot of fun to explore with kids. It's important to gear science activities to their level so that they remain engaged.

The following details just a few options for making astronomy accessible to children of all ages:

1. Discuss Differences Between the Day Sky and the Night Sky For younger kids, talking about the day sky in comparison to the night sky is a great way to make them more aware of what they're looking at the sky. Fold a piece of paper in half. Have the child draw the day sky on one side of the sheet and the night sky on the other side.

If this is too difficult, start with a blue piece of paper for the day sky and a black piece for the night sky. As your child draws, discuss the clouds, sun, stars, moon, and planets.

2. Make a Moon Journal Create a moon journal by cutting 29 construction paper circles and stapling them on one side. Let the child to decorate the cover as he wishes. Each night, turn to the appropriate page in the journal and have the kid draw what the moon looks like at the night.

As a lunar cycle is 28 days, the journal will allow the child to document an entire cycle with all of the moon phases.

3. Read Books About the Moon There are lots of books about the moon that you can use alongside astronomy lessons and activities including:

• Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me

• Goodnight Moon

• Mousetronaut Goes to Mars

• George and the Big Bang

• The Cutest Puppy in the Galaxy

Don't forget about nonfiction titles as well. Look for books that appeal to the child's other interests, such as animals, to pique interest.