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I'm a Earth/Space Science teacher. One of the courses I teach is high school Astronomy. I don't teach elementary, but I organize a lot of community events where my students can bring their families out to learn about astronomy.
The nice thing about astronomy is that students have a inherent interest in learning about it.
I keep families and my students connected to whats going on with astronomy using an online communication app. You wouldn't need to do this, but I find that when I send out a message at 7 pm, 'look up in the sky right now and this is what you will see.' That I suddenly get a bunch of emails from parents excited about astronomy and then hear about it from my students the next day.
I don't try to push the astronomy events, but definitely don't want to miss them. For example a few weeks ago, there was a stream of satellites released by starlink. I directed my students to the sky and then discussed what they were seeing. You would be amazed at how many of them got their parents outside to look up.
Recently, I've been talking with my students and showing them videos about the Artemis missions. They are seeing history right in front of them. AND soon, the first female and person of color will step foot on the moon.
You might want to check out this link: https://earthsky.org/tonight/
Another source is: https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/sky-at-a-glance/
They always update based on what's going on in the sky. You won't always have something to use with students at your level, but it will be worth it when you find the right events and your kids eyes light up.
Dr. Michael Aprill, NBCT
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