The winter sky at night can be an amazing sight. Our family enjoys stargazing even when it is really cold outdoors. A study of the moon over the course of a month can be an interesting activity for even the youngest of children.We are currently experiencing very cloudy, wet weather so we will be preparing for our study and then waiting to take advantage of a few clear nights to complete this challenge. I encourage you to do the same.
Winter Series #3
Winter Sky and Stars
Inside Preparation Work:
There is a section starting on page 823 on the Winter Stars. The clear explanations of the constellations in the Handbook of Nature Study make it an excellent first resource for families. For example: The lessons on page 820 explaining the North Star and the Big Dipper are clearly put down for anyone to follow and are timeless. The language used in the Handbook of Nature Study makes it enjoyable to read.
"After the polar constellations are learned, we are then ready for further study in the still earlier evenings of winter, when the clear atmosphere makes the stars seem more alive, more sparkling, and more beautiful than at any other period of the year."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 823
"Orion is one of the most beautiful constellations in the heavens. It is especially marked by the three stars which form Orion's belt, and the line of stars below the belt which form the sword."
Handbook of Nature Study page 825
Read pages 823-829 in the Handbook of Nature Study. These pages outline a study of the winter stars along with some ideas for observations and activities.
Read pages 855-859 in the Handbook of Nature Study. This section on our moon is a delightful lesson showing some basic facts about the moon and its make-up. On page 858 there are 16 suggestions for observing the moon. If you purchased the Winter Nature Study ebook, you may wish to print out and take the Moon Observation Notebook Page so you can record your nightly moon observations this month. Otherwise, you can record your observations in your nature journal.
Additional Preparation Work:
Read chapter three in Discover Nature in Winter. Read the chapter with a view to picking some winter stars to learn about and observe as a family. Start with the North Star or Orion’s belt if you are not sure what you are doing yet. You can also choose to view the moon in the winter sky.
Page 37 give this advice, “Unlike owls and other nocturnal creatures, our eyes are not well designed for seeing in the dark. After leaving a lighted building at night, it takes about thirty minutes for our eyes to become adjusted to the lower light levels.” Allow plenty of time for your eyes to adjust and to take in the night sky.
Our family decided to make sure we can find these four constellations in the winter sky:
Big Dipper (North Star as well) page 44
Ursa Major page 45
Cassiopeia page 47
Orion (using Orion’s belt) page 49
Outdoor Hour Time:
Use your outdoor time this week or any week this month to observe the stars and moon. Our family bundles up with blankets to observe the winter sky. We use our simple binoculars to observe the moon especially when it is full or near to being full.
If you can’t fit in some night time star gazing, how about some sunset observations? Being able to name a star or constellation is a great skill but it can be just as satisfying to spend some time contemplating the universe while gazing up at the winter sky.
Follow-Up Activities:
Follow up with the notebook pages (Winter Sky and Moon Observations) in my Winter Nature Study ebook or with any of the general notebook page from my sidebar. You can also record your observations and thoughts in a blank journal of your choice. Star gazing is something you can do at any time of the year and we try to make it a habit in our family to observe the moon as it makes its full cycle.
If you would like all the Winter Series Challenges in one book, I have an ebook gathered for you to purchase for your convenience. The ebook also contains art and music appreciation plans for the winter months as well. Please see this entry for more details:
Winter Nature Study Ebook Now for Sale. You can also purchase just a set of custom notebook page for the Winter Series Challenges by following the link above.
Make sure to come back and enter your blog entry for this challenge in Mr. Linky. Remember to keep in mind the new Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Deadline for your entries are Friday, January 29th. You can submit at this LINK.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
Two additional books our family has used:
