Our astronomy unit this fall was really just an introduction—a prelude to this year’s study of ancient cultures, including their knowledge of the skies. I wanted to take some time, however, before the winter rains set in so we could see the night skies.
I tried to figure out how to approach astronomy in a “whole to parts” format and finally decided that I should start with what we can see, beginning with the sun and moon and their cycles. From there, we went to the stars. (We didn’t discuss the planets in this block; we’ll be doing that as part of our study of ancient cultures.) In my studying, I found numerous examples of connections between astronomy and religion. As stated in Genesis, there are lights in the heavens “to divide the day from the night, and … for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years”. I felt inspired that this was the approach I should take for my children, and it has been fascinating to learn what God has put into the skies!
There are many good resources available, but the most comprehensive (and free!) were numerous articles by astronomist John Pratt. He has a whole astronomy course on his website. We also found some wonderful lesson books (from a Little Garden Flower) which had alternating white and dark blue pages—just perfect for making pictures of the heavens!
As usual, I tried to identify about two key points each week, and plan activities around them.
Week 1
*The Sun’s path through our sky changes with the seasons.
--We pounded a post into the lawn next to our driveway, and marked the shadow of the post every hour.
--We drew pictures of the sun’s paths across the sky—low in the winter, high in the summer.
--We learned what the ecliptic is.
--We pounded a post into the lawn next to our driveway, and marked the shadow of the post every hour.
--We drew pictures of the sun’s paths across the sky—low in the winter, high in the summer.
--We learned what the ecliptic is.
*The points of the earth’s orbit are the solstices and equinoxes.
--We looked at Earth's orbit around the sun, with the seasonal "cusps." Click here for some excellent graphics.
--We celebrated the fall equinox.
Week 2
Week 3
*Michaelmas was this week! (See more about it here.)
--We learned about the constellation Draco, the dragon.
--We looked at Earth's orbit around the sun, with the seasonal "cusps." Click here for some excellent graphics.
--We celebrated the fall equinox.
Week 2*The Moon goes through phases in a 29.5-day cycle.
--We drew the phases of the moon and learned their names.
--We learned how the moon’s appearance and path changes with the sun.
--We observed the wonderful Harvest Moon!
--We discussed solar calendars and lunar calendars. The sun and moon are heavenly timepieces: 12 months like the hours, and 60 half days like 60 minutes on a clock.
*The first men landed on the moon on July 20, 1969 (40 years ago).
--We read a book about the early days of the space program and preparations for the moon landing.
--We listened to an actual recording of Walter Cronkite’s broadcast of that day.
--We watched the movie Apollo 13 (about a subsequent voyage to the moon).
--We drew the phases of the moon and learned their names.
--We learned how the moon’s appearance and path changes with the sun.
--We observed the wonderful Harvest Moon!
--We discussed solar calendars and lunar calendars. The sun and moon are heavenly timepieces: 12 months like the hours, and 60 half days like 60 minutes on a clock.
*The first men landed on the moon on July 20, 1969 (40 years ago).
--We read a book about the early days of the space program and preparations for the moon landing.
--We listened to an actual recording of Walter Cronkite’s broadcast of that day.
--We watched the movie Apollo 13 (about a subsequent voyage to the moon).
Week 3
*Michaelmas was this week! (See more about it here.)
--We learned about the constellation Draco, the dragon.
*The constellations of the Zodiac tell of Jesus Christ.
--We learned that the Zodiac was shown to the prophet Enoch and this knowledge passed down through th
e ages. Every culture “saw” the same pictures on the ecliptic.
--We drew pictures of each constellation and its brightest stars.
--We read the stories of how each sign of the Zodiac is a symbol of Christ.
--We drew pictures of each constellation and its brightest stars.
--We read the stories of how each sign of the Zodiac is a symbol of Christ.
One last note: it’s helpful to have an astronomy reference book to show the arrangements of the constellations and identify the brightest stars. We used the book Astronomy by Ian Ridpath (a DK “Companion” book). I also like Find the Constellations by H.A. Rey, but I discovered that some of his drawings of the constellations are not the traditional pictures (which was important to our study!). For instance, Sagittarius is traditionally a centaur, but Rey makes him a N
ative American with a feather in his hair. So I couldn’t use Rey’s book as much as I would have liked.
Three weeks isn’t really enough time to get familiar with the night sky and how it changes, so we’ll continue to revisit astronomy topics as we study ancient cultures. I'm hooked!
ative American with a feather in his hair. So I couldn’t use Rey’s book as much as I would have liked.Three weeks isn’t really enough time to get familiar with the night sky and how it changes, so we’ll continue to revisit astronomy topics as we study ancient cultures. I'm hooked!
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