Night Sky Nature Study for Kids
The Night Sky is a captivating canvas of celestial wonders waiting for your kids to explore. Stargazing offers a unique and awe-inspiring experience so why not spend a month embarking on unveiling the mysteries of the night sky, discovering the beauty and wonder above us? Here’s our nature study focus on the night sky!
Night Sky Nature Study for Kids
The night sky provides an amazing nature study focus for kids, you can touch on it throughout the year seeing the changes as the seasons pass or you could focus like we did last year for just a month out of our year-long nature study ideas. I’m sharing some tips and ideas to help you to explore the universe with your kids.
I can also highly recommend finding out about your local Astronomy Clubs and see whether they will allow you to visit. Ours did and we were able to use their telescopes and learn so much more from them. You may also consider visiting an observatory if you have one local to you or whilst you are travelling.
Tips for Star Gazing with Kids
Before you venture into the realm of stars, here are some of my tips to get the most out of the experience.
Find a Dark Location
Choose a location away from bright city lights and other sources of light pollution. This will provide a clearer view of the night sky and make it easier to spot stars, constellations, and other objects.
Use a Star Chart or Mobile App
A star chart or a stargazing mobile app can help you and your kids navigate the night sky. These tools can assist in identifying constellations, planets, and other objects of interest. Teach your children how to use whichever method you have properly so that they can, as they get older, use it themselves wherever they are in the world.
Bring Binoculars or a Telescope
Consider bringing binoculars or a small telescope to enhance the stargazing experience. Binoculars can help bring distant stars and celestial objects closer, while a telescope can reveal more detail. Allow your children to take turns using the binoculars or telescope, and guide them in focusing on different objects in the night sky.
Night Sky Nature Study Activities
There’s so much to see and discover as you focus on the night sky for a nature study topic and don’t forget it’s the perfect time to reinforce prior learning or introduce about the Earth’s rotation, the solar system, or the vastness of the universe.
The Constellations
Introduce your children to the captivating tales woven within the constellations. Start by identifying the most prominent ones visible that month. Use your app or star chart to check which they would be. Explore the mythologies associated with these constellations and encourage your children to sketch or trace their outlines in their nature journals.
Did you know that other cultures have different constellations than we do – The app Stellarium Mobile – Star Map from Stellarium Labs has a fantastic feature that allows you to change the sky culture so you can look at these easily.
Observe the Planets
I must be honest that looking at and then identifying the planets is one of my favourite things to do when star gazing with the kids, can we find Mars, how about Venus, and Jupiter? If you have a telescope or binoculars you may be able to see some of the features of these planets.
Meteor Showers and Shooting Stars
Plan a late-night stargazing session to witness shooting stars streaking across the sky. Find a dark location away from city lights, lie back, and make wishes as you marvel at the celestial spectacle. Some months of the year have particularly good meteor showers, the one that we always look out for is in August and called The Perseids. It peaks in mid-August and is a wonderful natural firework show in the sky.
This Meteor Shower Calendar from Greenwich Royal Observatory gives the details of the major ones throughout the year in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
Lunar Exploration
Spend time observing Earth’s natural satellite, the Moon. Use binoculars or a small telescope to explore its craters, maria (dark patches), and mountain ranges. Discuss the Moon’s phases, the significance of a full moon, and the captivating phenomenon of lunar eclipses. For the month keep a moon diary to show the changes that happen.
Spotting Satellites and the International Space Station
Not everything in the sky is natural there are lots of man-made objects there too! Track satellites passing overhead and look out for the International Space Station (ISS). Witnessing these man-made marvels moving across the night sky can spark discussions about space exploration and human achievements.
Night Sky Photography
Why not bring some technology (as well as apps) into your nature study? Capture the beauty of the night sky through photography. Experiment with long exposures to capture star trails or use a tripod for crisp images of the Moon and planets. Encourage your children to experiment and express their creativity, turning their nature journals into visual records of their stargazing adventures through photography and not just their drawings. Check out our guide for nature photography for homeschoolers as we’ve got a section there on taking Night Sky Photographs with your kids.
Through stargazing, we can nurture our children’s curiosity, inspire a sense of wonder, and foster a lifelong passion for the mysteries of the universe. Who knows you may discover a new star as your spend your time gazing upwards.
Night sky nature study features in our July Nature Study Ideas and August Nature Study Ideas.
