5 Far-Out Activities to Teach Your Child about Astronomy

For children in places such as Millesburg Ohio, everything in outer space seems new and exciting to them. Activities such as watching Baby Galileo Discovering the Sky DVD can introduce a whole new world to your tots. This outstanding DVD is named after one of history’s greatest astronomers. His full name was Galileo Galilei, but you can call him Galileo.

Jumping Jupiter!
Galileo was first interested in medicine, and then in mathematics. Within time, he became the first person to use the refracting telescope for the purpose of gazing at the heavens. Refraction happens when light bends at a certain point, such as when it enters water.

One day Galileo realized that Jupiter’s moons were circling that planet, rather than Earth! This was evidence that Earth was not the center of the universe, as nearly everyone believed at the time. Galileo was often criticized for his theories that opposed the views of the ancient Greek Aristotle. In fact, Galileo was declared an enemy of the Catholic Church, and was forced to publicly reject his theories. But in 1993, the Vatican officially declared that Galileo’s work was indeed valid.

Stars, planets, and moon ice cream
How can you make the stars as fascinating for your child in Berlin Ohio or other locations, as they were for Galileo? Try these activities:

1. Subscribe to science magazines or watch TV shows about outer space. These can be excellent teaching tools for kids, and the best part is that they are fun to flip through or watch.

2. Whip up some tasty moon ice cream:

• Put ¼ cup of ice cream into a small plastic bag.
• Completely seal the small bag
• Put the small bag into a larger plastic bag
• Add ¼ cup of rock salt and about 2 cups of crushed ice
• Zip up the large bag
• Shake the large bag for 10 minutes. When the blend in the small bag becomes thicker, remove it from the larger bag, and enjoy!

3. Visit a planetarium in Berlin Ohio or wherever you live. Planetariums are the next-best-thing to viewing the actual stars and planets in person. Like me, you may have fond memories of visiting planetariums as a youngster. They really make what you read about in schoolbooks, come to life.

4. For pre-schoolers, including those in Berlin Ohio, start with the basics of astronomy. Read poems or nursery rhymes to your children about the moon, stars, and planets. On a clear night, sit outside on lawn chair or blank. Talk about the moon and the face of the “man on the moon.” Also, discuss the differences between stars and planets.

5. When camping in Berlin Ohio or another place, look up the stars, and locate different constellations. Have children “discover” their own constellations, and then create names and legends about them.

Whether your child lives in Berlin Ohio Loding or Berlin, Germany, astronomy provides an excellent way to teach your child about his or her universe. The sky’s not the limit for your child’s education!