This week my little blog helper Cory wanted to learn about the night sky. The stars and the moon in particular, so with the weather warming up a little its time for us to head outside and enjoy some star gazing. Plan at least 1 night this week to go outside and view the night sky.We love star gazing and although we live in a fairly suburban town here in Texas we can still see the stars, this might be difficult if you lived in a larger city but there is always a trip to the planetarium.
There are also these cute star projection machines you can pick up ranging anywhere from $8 to over $100 (ok the $100 one isn't so cute).
Star facts for kids-
What is a star? A star is a big ball of gas that changes color and size over billions of years. On any given night, up to two thousand stars light up the sky.
You can see stars best on a clear night in a dark spot, away from bright lights.
You can also see 1 star during the day. The sun is the brightest and biggest star in our universe it is about five-billion years old.
Shooting stars: Shooting stars are stars that collide with Earth as it moves around the sun. They heat up, glow, and then burn down. It’s common to see one every 15 minutes but they often move so quickly through the air that if you blink, you’ll miss them!
Twinkling stars : These are the easiest stars to spot. Most stars shine with a steady light but when wind or debris pass through them, the light bends and they appear to twinkle.
Constellations: Stars are usually grouped in clusters (commonly referred to as constellations). Constellations form dot-to-dot patterns of heroes, animals, and gods. Although the clusters may appear to be close together, they are actually far distances apart and visible only at certain times of the year.
Star coloring page | dot-to-dot constellations | Craft
The letter Dd- Tracing page | coloring pages
The number 4- tracing pages | coloring pages
Star (shape) - Make a shining star
Trace and cut out a star on a piece of cardboard, tape a pencil or small dow rod to the back and wrap the star in aluminum foil.
Songs- I have 2 songs this week. One is a classic nursery rhyme called Twinkle Twinkle little star, the other is a song we sing in nursery at our church called I am like a star shining brightly. The kids love holding up their stars and singing these songs. Then there is always the classic Perry Como- Catch a falling star song.
(Video's coming soon)
