Friday, October 19, 2012

Stargazing

Last time I mentioned telescopes and told you that there was a wealth of information online to supplement your child’s homeschool science studies. However, you should know that if your child is interested in astronomy, the winter season is the best time for stargazing in the Northern Hemisphere.

In the winter, it gets dark earlier in the evening so you don’t have to wait until midnight to get adequate darkness. Additionally, at least for the southern United States, winter is a much more clear time, with less atmospheric haze because of the reduced humidity in the air. Add to that, winter is pretty bug free!

If you live in the northern US winter is still a good time for you, but there are a couple of things to remember. Your telescope will need to acclimate from the warmth of the house to the outside temperature, otherwise your lens will fog up. Bundle up to stay warm.

And for everyone interested in stargazing in the winter with their children, remember to have fun, build memories, and enjoy the together time. Remember, they are growing up fast!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Tools of the trade

The bad news about being a homeschooling parent of a sixth grader is that you are going to have to budget for things like a microscope and a telescope. And the good news is that you are going to have to budget for things like a microscope and a telescope. While it is possible to do your child’s entire homeschool science curriculum without these tools, they certainly make science more interesting for your student.

One of the things that is really neat these days is that you can find great pictures online. If you decide that the scopes are not in your budget, or you think that your child might not have enough interest to go beyond just the bare minimum of microbiology and astronomy, then don’t feel like your child will be deprived.

There are several sites online, including NASA that have great catalogs of images. Another alternative, especially for astronomy is to see if there is a local star gazing club. Many times they will have viewings on weekend nights. The very best part of that is that there will probably be great telescopes and knowledgeable people, eager to share that knowledge.