Astronomy for Kids and Children

Kids love anything to do with space – whether it’s cartoons, astronauts, little green men or even the fantastic pictures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. But it can be difficult trying to move their interest a little deeper, and perhaps trying to introduce some wider science to them. There is so much more to astronomy than just looking at stars through a telescope on a cold night, so you can really use the subject to ensure children.

One of the best ways of making astronomy for kids interesting is to be interested yourself. Even if you have never had much interest in science, most people still find looking at the night sky inspiring. On the next clear night, why not go out into your back garden by yourself and spend a while just looking up – no telescopes, just use your eyes. What can you see?

Well, when you first go out, assuming you left a well-lit room, you won’t see too much. But if you stay outside, and not look at any bright lights, you will gradually see more and more stars. Why is this? Its called dark adaptation – where the pupils of your eyes slowly enlarge in the darkness, allowing more light in. There you go – when you go observing with your children that can be their first lesson – about their eyes and how they adapt. Doing it this way, is much more interesting than reading it in a book.

Whilst waiting for your eyes to adjust, have a look around the garden, and just listen. Notice how different things are, and the different sounds than during the day. Depending on how young the child is, this may be a new experience, and they can find this as interesting as anything else. But again, they are learning – this time about the immediate environment around them, experiencing it first hand, rather than just through a book. If you have taken some time yourself to do this (and lets face it, when do we normally take some time to just look and listen to what’s around us) then you can point things out and ask them what they think things, and sounds are. And notice we still are not doing any astronomy, but the kids will be learning again.

If you’re lucky then you may live in an area that does not have many streetlights, or other sources of light pollution. If so, then the night sky should be amazing. One of the best ways to enjoy the sky, is to just use your eyes and take it all in. A child’s eyes will be much more sensitive than an adult’s, so give them time to have a good look, and don’t be surprised if they see things that you can’t.

To make astronomy for kids more interesting, be ready to point things out. For example, if you know the shape of some of the constellations, they are a good starting point. Even better will be to talk about the legends behind them. Most of the constellations we know today were originally from Greek mythology – and they had some gruesome stories of hero’s and villains that kids will love – even if suitably censored. This will help then get interested by associating stories with what they can see. It can also lead into an interest in ancient history perhaps.

Now have a closer look at the stars themselves. They will be different brightness, some quite bright, others hardly visible at all. Although not strictly true, this can be used to give an indication of distance. The faint ones being millions and millions of miles away, use the big words that kids like. This can be used to show how big the universe really is, and how small and precious our world is.

Looking at the stars again, you may be able to see different colours. Some stars are red, others blue, and more yellow. Kids can learn from this that all the stars are not the same, in fact all are individual, and we know very little about them. And this can be the key to an interest in science – there are always questions we don’t know the answer too. How, what and why are the sort of questions shared by children and scientists alike.

If you know where the planets are, point them out, and ask them what they think it is. They will probably say it’s a star; so explaining it’s a nearby planet with it’s own moons and atmosphere may kick things off in a new direction. Is there life there? Can we go there? The questions may come fast, so have the answers ready. NASA and other space agencies have sent satellites to most of the planets, returning some amazing pictures. A quick search on the web will show these and even give ideas for further investigation by your kids.

By this time, you may well have been outside for quite a while, so bring them in before the excitement wears off. Best they come in wanting more, than bored. Spend a little time talking to them, and warming them back up before sending them to bed. It can get cold outside and you don’t want them catching a cold (although they seem to do that anyway). Also a little quiet time will help relax them down.

This is just one way to make astronomy for kids interesting. You can also visit science centres and perhaps even a local planetarium, but however, you do it, astronomy can be used to introduce kids to such a wide range of science and environment subjects, without them even knowing. Take some time, and enjoy it – you may even get hooked yourself.

 Ok, I've spent most of this article taking about how better it is to go outside than just reading about it in a book. however, there are some very good books that can help you lead your child into an interest in science and astronomy. Many titles are aimed squarely at children, and they will find them interesting and exciting - so have a look at them yourself as well.

Below are some useful web links. If you know of any more, please do make a comment with a link. The Scoiety for Popular Astronomy link below ids a UK organisation with many young members. If you know of any in other countries, please do leave a link.