. . . 5 reasons to love stargazing!

5 Reasons to Love Stargazing!

Pale Blue Dot - Lets start here: "On a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam." In 1990, Astronomer Carl Sagan uttered these timeless words. They are based off of a photo of Earth taken by NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft as it left our solar system. The photo is pretty much a pale blue speck, floating in a sunbeam. But it's Earth, it's our home. And it demonstrates the vastness of space, and our relatively minuscule existence within that space. Astronomy and stargazing are all about perspective, and sharing that perspective with kids can give them a better idea about their place in the universe, and what they want to do with it.

History/Civilizations: So much of our history as a planet and as human beings has been shaped by stargazing. Temples have been built, calendars arranged, and rough seas navigated all by looking up into the night sky. Even the most ancient of societies held the stars in the highest regard and used their wisdom in daily life. Stargazing with children is a great way to talk about what has come before, and what they did with the knowledge they gained. Start with the North Star and with a few, easily recognizable constellations. Then talk about how different cultures interpreted and used those constellations. You'll be amazed at what you and your little ones discover!

Astrophysics/Physics: Okay, stay with me on this one. I know it might sound a bit crazy, but stargazing opens up the conversation for a lot of complicated topics, but that doesn't mean you should shy away from trying to explain them to kids. Take the theory of relativity for example. The concept that matter and energy are two versions of the same thing and how that applies to the world around them. Sounds heady, but really it's not so complicated. Perhaps that's why it took a genius like Albert Einstein to figure it out. The point is, even the most complicated subjects can be shared with kids, you just have to break it down.

Astronomy - From toddlers on up!: It's never too early to stargaze with your kids. Sure, as babies they might not get it, but as toddlers the opportunities to expand those ever growing little minds is just too fun! Stargazing provides an opportunity to learn so many basic scientific reasoning skills. From learning how to hold binoculars (aka first telescope, and great for hand/eye coordination), to setting up a telescope (following directions), to learning how to read a basic star chart (looking at something in a new way), stargazing will inspire the little scientist in every kid.

Connection: There is a theory out there that every atom of our bodies originated from stars, meaning, we are all stardust. How cool is that?! To go out into the world and know that no matter who you meet, no matter how different they are from you, that at the most basic level of our beings, that we are all made up of stars. Our world may seem like it's going a bit haywire at times, but how would that change if we all just looked up into the night sky once in a while, and then back at each other and knew that we are all in this together, each one of us a part of a star, each one of us connected?

Free DIY Crafting Activity!:

{Click image below}