Beyond Gazing: Helping Your Kids (and You) Connect to the Night Sky
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As summer hits its warmest days and those days are slowly getting shorter, there is no better time to appreciate the beauty and awe of the night sky. Whether in your neighborhood or camping away from home, spending time observing the cosmos can help both adults and kids feel a sense of wonder, connect with nature, and slow down. Here are some ways that you and your family can connect with the stars.
Photo: Hayley Haws
Getting Started
Where to go
Night sky views are the best when there is limited light pollution around. A general rule of thumb is to drive an hour away from city lights to begin to see bright and dim stars. Next, find a spot that is open and safe - like a park or meadow. International Dark Sky Parks are a great option for staying closer to town amenities without losing access to dark skies.
What to Bring
Flashlight
Blankets and jackets since temperatures can lower quickly at night. I like to put my boys in a Morrison Outdoors Sleeping Bag so that they stay warm and they can’t wander off.
Water
Snacks
Optional/Bonus Items:
Telescope (here is an amazon option that is geared for beginners)
Phone with night sky apps like Star Walk 2 to identify stars or Photo Pills, to help predict what the sky will look like during the night.
Photo: Hayley Haws
Safety
Many of the best spots for night-sky viewing are also places with bad cell reception. Let someone know where you are going and when you should be back and be sure your phone is fully charged. Also, consider bringing any tools that can help keep you safe, such as bear spray or a satellite messenger.
Activity Ideas
Astronomy Focused Eye Spy
While gazing at the stars, teach your kids some of the basics of astronomy and give them some vocabulary for what they might see. Use some of the following descriptions to practice. Then, play some eye-spy!
Stars: Dots that flicker
Planets: Dots that have steady light
Satellites: They look like stars but move across the sky.
Shooting Stars: Extremely quick pieces of dust moving into Earth’s atmosphere.
Historical & Cultural Focused Story Time
Most well known stories about the stars come from Greek mythology; however, every culture has had its own ways of finding meaning and use of the night sky. Before heading into the dark, brush up what your own ancestors might have thought of when they saw the stars each night or use these examples:
Polynesian navigators would use stars like a compass to guide their boats to specific islands
The three stars most well known as, “Orion’s Belt”, were seen by some ancient Africans as three Zebras, with the red star close by viewed as a Lion who was watching the Zebra’s hungrily. (Read more here about the history of Africans naming the stars - even before the Greeks!)
Many Hindus still use the constellations to understand life experiences and to guide choices.
Photo: Hayley Haws
Daytime Stargazing
Going to a planetarium can be useful to learn about constellations and planets in a controlled environment where presenters make it easy to locate stars and constellations. It’s also a great alternative when the weather is poor or if stargazing gets in the way of bedtime!
Here are some planetariums that are worth checking out:
Clark Planetarium: Salt Lake City
They have kid-specific shows and “Sensory Friendly Saturdays” on the first Saturday of each month that are specifically for individuals with Autism or for those who have sensory sensitivities.
Located at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, most of their shows are general night sky shows that should be appropriate for kids and adults. They also have a junior Sesame Street show for younger children.
Pacific Science Center: Seattle
This Planetarium has a preschool show, planets show, and a show to learn about what stars are in the sky that night.
Griffith Observatory: Los Angeles
A stunning location to walk around, the Griffith Observatory has shows running all day long in their planetarium. Something to note: children under 5 are only allowed into the first show of the day (12:45 p.m. weekdays, 10:45 a.m. weekends).
Seeing the night sky can be a cheap - and simple - activity that becomes a priceless memory. With the chaos that summer and back-to-school can so easily become, it might be just what your family needs.
Hayley Haws is a photographer and writer living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her happiest moments are spent hiking with her family (and hoping a fox crosses their path).
Check her out at Hayley Haws Creative and on Instagram!
