Homeschooling: The Telescope

I have always wanted a telescope to see the stars. It seemed like such a cool thing to be able to look out into space and see the moon or stars better than you can with the naked eye. My wish finally came true. We purchased a telescope for the kids to have this experience!

We are in our second month of homeschooling and one home-based learning ideas that we had is to try to augment whatever each of the kids shows interest in by creating some home-based learning activities. Our son is incredibly interested in the planets and outer space, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity to really grow his interests and have a fun activity for our family to engage in.

Last night we opened up the telescope for the first time and put it together. Let’s just say, I an not a genius at putting these kind of things together. Whether it is a piece of furniture from Ikea or a a Barbie house, I become quite frustrated following the directions, placing the stickers and trying to figure out which end goes where. We all have our strengths– building is not one of mine. That being said, this telescope was pretty easy to put together.

We were immediately able to identify the moon which was a crescent last night and see it nice and close in the telescope. There is even an attachment to be able to view and take pictures on your cell phone– I have yet to figure that out. I thought it was a victory we could actually get it together and see something!

I am planning on having both my 8 year old and 5 year old track the moon over the course of a month. I want them to draw what the moon looks like and learn the phases of the moon. Maybe once my cell phone can take pictures they will be able to put pictures next to their drawings! I think that is a great way to take science out of the textbook and really put it into their own hands and let them experience it!

In the midst of homeschooling my children, I am finding new ways to explore the world myself. Even though I am an adult there is something amazing about seeing the world from their perspectives and in their eyes. They bring excitement back into the everyday things that we see. I am grateful for this new way to view the world.

How are you seeing the world differently? If you are homeschooling your children, what ideas have you had to make science engaging?