Join us for our homeschool science space study. Homeschool science is made most memorable when it can be hands-on. It’s hard to make the study of space hands-on when it seems so far away. Some great ways that we have been able to study space locally are by visiting the Kennedy Space Center, visiting a planetarium, and using a telescope to view the moon and stars in our own backyard.
The study of space can be overwhelming. There is so much information, and the information changes often based on new discoveries. How can you make it interesting by learning new things beyond the basic names of the planets without getting lost in all the details and endless facts? Take field trips and rely on the experts.
Visiting the Planetarium
We took a field trip to the local state college to visit their planetarium with our homeschool co-op. I hadn’t been to a planetarium since I was in elementary school in southern California, and I was so glad to be able to take my boys on a similar outer space visual experience.
Being immersed in space with a giant curved screen, making you feel like you are traveling through space, made for extra special learning. After the field trip, when we were home, we read about space in some of my favorite books, and the boys wrote and drew in their notebooks about what they had learned.
Depending on the student’s age and ability, they will write their summary and information independently or narrate it to me. I will then write their narration down for them to copy.
We very rarely use textbooks. We use literature, encyclopedias, and field trips for learning information. Then, by writing and illustrating what they have learned throughout our school year, they are making their own textbooks. Textbooks that have meaning and not immemorable facts.
Visiting Kennedy Space Center
We also recently visited the Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. Going on a field trip to learn about a particular topic takes the pressure off of myself to teach the key facts and areas of interest. Instead, I rely on the experts and carry over at home the information they provided.
Backyard Star Gazing
My son asked for a telescope for Christmas. When we went on a camping trip earlier this year, he brought his telescope to observe the moon and the stars. There’s nothing like looking at the stars in the country without lights. We were able to see and identify the constellations so clearly.
Here are some of my favorite books about space. Gail Gibbons’s The Moon Book (my favorite), C.E. Thompson’s Glow in the Dark Constellations, Cat and the Hat’s There’s no Place Like Space! All about our Solar System.
Here, you can view my recent post of our homeschool science visit to the bee farm. Thank you for following along with our homeschool journey. Follow along @homesteadonlakeside for more homemade family inspiration and recipes.
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