Winter Star Gazing: Inspiring Young Children With Astronomy

August 25, 2021

• Topical

One of the few things we have not been left longing for in recent months are long winter nights. With the sun still setting well before 6pm, this could be the perfect opportunity to introduce your children to the mesmerising world of astronomy. Whether your child excels at science or not, astronomy is one of the most accessible and fascinating places to start. Below we have compiled a few ideas to get the whole family started and enthused by astronomy.

• Start with the history

To begin to explore the many fascinating and exciting aspects of astronomy, it is first worth having a look at the history of the subject. We would suggest starting with a little bit on Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, and of course Isaac Newton. You can find fun and informative material on these three significant figures either on BBC Bitesize or on Ducksters education site for kids.

• Neil deGrasse Tyson: Cosmos, A Spacetime Odyssey

Now this is a personal recommendation from one of our client managers, Will. He discovered this programme on the streaming service Disney Plus and was instantly hooked! Watch Neil deGrasse Tyson travel through space and time in an imaginary spaceship, all the while teaching the viewer about the history of the cosmos and the universe around us. You can get a week’s free trial of Disney Plus which will give you a chance to test the water!

• Astronomy games

Whilst we do not recommend endless hours of online gaming for children, there are a number of educational and fun online games to develop an interest in space and astronomy for young children. We would recommend having a look at Nasa Science: Space Place. Here you will find a number of easy yet educational and enjoyable space simulation games for children.

• Star gazing

It goes without saying that all of the above should be accompanied by the cheapest and lowest-effort activity of all: looking up at the stars. If you plan on exploring astronomy with your children, make sure that this is the foundation of your journey. One exceptionally useful tool with this is your phone. Have a look at the number of apps available to help with star gazing. We would highly recommend Star Walk 2: this app uses your GPS location to find the exact position of constellations. Simply point your phone at the stars, and learn all about the lights you see above you.

We hope that these ideas encourage you to head outside and explore the stars with your children!