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What about a planetarium? I always thought they were fun.

If you have a smart board there are programs that show up well, celestia is a nice one, sky and telescope has some nice programs.

As they have said previously, planetariums and smart boards would be a really good idea using community resources. Even museums such as the on that they have in Miami. Also, if you have a little extra (and by little, I mean a good amount but it would be an overall good investment) you can have your very own planetarium in the classroom. If you go to a hobby store, some have very equipment that will light up your ceiling with a very accurate stellar sky. Maybe even an online. Depending on the grade level, it can also be considered to maybe make a project out of making one of these stellar projectors... hmmm...

A Vermont teacher used an app so that ALL the children in the classroom were able to see the moon every day. This helped out when it was so cloudy, there was no seeing the moon even if the child wanted to look in the evening. In September 2013 Science Children there is a great article called the Moon Challenge about a short focused research project in which the first graders participated. Kathy

A Vermont teacher used an app so that ALL the children in the classroom were able to see the moon every day. This helped out when it was so cloudy, there was no seeing the moon even if the child wanted to look in the evening. In September 2013 Science Children there is a great article called the Moon Challenge about a short focused research project in which the first graders participated. Kathy

A Vermont teacher used an app so that ALL the children in the classroom were able to see the moon every day. This helped out when it was so cloudy, there was no seeing the moon even if the child wanted to look in the evening. In September 2013 Science Children there is a great article called the Moon Challenge about a short focused research project in which the first graders participated. Kathy

I have had similar problems getting my students to observe at night - and I teach in a rural area. It is heavily wooded, so many kids need to travel a bit to find a clear view of the sky - which most never choose to do. Last year I had them work in small groups to do an iMovie about a constellation, and then map it onto the giant star wheel we drew on our ceiling tiles. More students were motivated to go out and look for the constellation they had been studying.

The planetarium was an excellent way to show our students how the stars shine at night. We also downloaded the tracking our stars app so that we could project the stars and their locations on the board during class.

Planetarium sounds like a great idea!

First there is a very fundamental issue in that it is hard to get anyone to REALLY observe anything. True observation is not easy. The Science Friday SciClub has been running a project called Observe Anything. http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/09/26/2014/science-friday-science-club-observe-everything.html It is rather amazing what has been coming in to the website. Maybe one just needs to get the kids excited about observations in the first place.

I have several telescopes I got in a grant. I am looking for a great website that can tell me about the night sky so I can make decisions about STAR parties. Does anyone know of any good sites?

Hey all, one other thing. We are looking at purchasing a sun telescope. Does anyone know of a good one for elementary students that is easy to use? Thanks

Planetarium sounds like a great idea!

Someone mentioned a planetarium and I think that would be a great idea. The kids would love that!

HERE IN HOUSTON, WE HAVE A NATURAL SCIENCE MUSEUM. THEY HAVE A PLANETARIUM AND OFFER DISCOUNTS FOR SCHOOLS. MAYBE LOOK INTO YOUR LOCAL MUSEUMS.

That sounds like a perfect idea thank you for your advice!!

First, you would have to see the area in which the student lives. I know that for Miami-Dade area students, they can just hop in a car and go either East or West. However, not every student might have that same choice. You can perhaps take students to a planetarium or complete a Webquest on the stars. Maybe even buy glow-in-dark stars and create your own "nightsky". Or you can use the NASA website which will have many videos.

If you go outside in the early morning you can still see the moon. Often still when school is in session.

If you have iPads or smart phones available there are many apps you can download. You point your device at the sky and it shows you the stars overhead, even during the day. In addition, you could have a guest speaker come to your class. I know my students love guests and get really excited when people come in and talk about their jobs, so hearing about someone who observes the night sky might inspire them to do more of it. See if you have any national/state parks with astronomy programs nearby and if a ranger will come speak to your students about the night sky.

Students should know that there are opportunities everyday to see night time. If students have a backyard they should take advantage of it yes there might not see many stars but they can describe colors, clouds, planes the moon etc. The planetarium would be a fun field trip to take students to. Turning the classroom into a sky takes creativity and some money Micheals has glow in the dark stars and materials that may make the classroom a great night experience. There might be some night videos or clips that may help students get excited about looking at the sky at night.

I think that it will be almost impossible to get every student to look at the night sky because we are not with our students all the time. But encouraging the ones that can or able to do so is much better and the ones who cannot maybe using another form of resource. I saw some people mentioned some programs or even having family science night; all of which are great ideas.

Check your local planetarium, if it's currently unavailable, showing images in class is sure to grab their attention!

A trip to a planetarium would be fun and informative

Hi Adah, Getting students to observe the night sky can be really tricky. However, technology today can make observations of the night sky easier. I would recommend the use of pictures if possible. If you have access to a projector in the classroom you could project the picture of the night sky onto the ceiling. This will really get the students attention. By doing this students would be able to gain information from their observations in a way that is similar to looking out at the night sky. Another recommendation I have would be to create a replica of stars on the ceiling of the classroom.This could be a great class project and would encourage students to look at the sky at night.

Hello Adah! I have a tapestry with all of the different horoscopes on them. You don't have to get a tapestry but you can introduce the idea constellations and the night sky with horoscope activities. You could start the lesson out with figuring out the students horoscopes and explaining that their horoscope either aries or Gemini and such are connected with constellations in the sky. This makes it more personal for students to get them involved. This also doesn't need the night sky. A tapestry or a fun poster can suffice! Have a great day! Stephanie

I like the ideas mentioned about the planetarium! When I was growing up, most kids - myself included had a 3 day camping trip called Outdoor Education. Doing some stargazing their would be really nice! You could also ask someone from the Air and Space Museum or go their so they can get a little bit more excited about the idea.

It would be cool to provide a picture of the night sky and have your students tape it above your bed. Then you can have your students looking at the night sky. OR, you can have stargazing nights somewhere. My astronomy class had that once a month my senior year of high school.

It's hard to show urban kids the night sky when the city lights are clouding the stars. Some of these kids may have never seen the stars before due to this reason.  Showing them pictures of the sky is a great way around this.  I still think students should have the opportunity to enjoy the night sky. Do some research in your area to see if there are any observatories nearby that your class could take a trip to.  

A way to have students to look at the sky at night is to have them record the phases of the moon. Drawing the phases can help when teaching about the moon. In addition, nasa.org, has some great images of space and the sky at night that you can show to your students.

A trip to the planetarium would be so much fun!

You can have students create moon logs. Twice a week they go outside and write or draw what they see. At the end of the week the students can turn in their moon logs and compare them in class.

A successful activity for star gazing is to make and learn to use a Planisphere ( movable star chart ). very inexpensive to make (card stock & scotch tape) and easy to use. Students can set planisphere for any date and time... like their birthday or holiday and "see what is up in the sky to see. Use Old Farmer's Almanac for planets and Bingo! sky/stargazing lesson

Attachments

Planisphere_Starwheel.pdf (0.07 Mb)

Planisphere_cover_piece.pdf (0.03 Mb)

I always loved looking up at the night sky! However, I would always forget to do so especially during the cold winter nights! I think the best way to get your students to look up at the night sky is to assign a fun activity to be considered "homework." If you label as homework they will surely remember to do it, if you make it optional they will most likely forget! The assignment could be as simple as write down 5 things that you see up in the night sky. A planetarium is cool alternative to the actual night sky but it cannot get better than looking at the beautiful night sky!

You could have students complete a sky journal where the sketch the sky they see every night, from the same place, and document how it changes.

Hi Adah, There are so many resources available for students who are unable to see the night sky. If you search online, I think that you are able to find live cameras that you can look at the night sky in real-time. If you or the students are unable to gain access to these videos, try YouTube. I love astronomy and I can find videos on the night sky and look at them on there. I hope this recommendation helps you. Malari

I think that doing an assignment about the phases of the moon is a great idea. We were assigned this activity in our college course and it definitely gave us a purpose to "look at the night sky." Not only can you have them document what they see over the course of a whole cycle, but you can do extension activities in class.

These resources are awesome!