Astronomy - I have always been most interested in listening, watching, reading about the structure of the Universe, about cosmic phenomena and their impact on our lives.
And so, when I decided to start studying with my son - we started precisely with astronomy - that is interesting to me.
I had to prepare - because the supply of such material to an adult and a child is radically different. The first lesson we started by watching part of a very serious film about the structure of the universe. Savva was interested, but I had to stop and explain almost every minute.
I realized that it was ineffective, and complicated for him. Although I liked the film itself. If you are interested for the older ones - at the end of the article.
The next find was interesting books about astronomy Euphemia Levitan. Before that, I had some difficulty in describing cosmic concepts - I had to pick up words more simply all the time. And here, in an artistic and fascinating form, concepts are given about the universe. The story is about children - Alka and Sveta, and their Pope, who is friends with the gnome Knopkin, the main astronomer of the Kingdom of the Dwarves. They observe the sun and moon, learn to distinguish between constellations. Comets, meteorites, satellites, nebulae, galaxies and even black holes ... In general, it is interesting 🙂
Here are the books of Ephraim Levitan for kids:
- Series “Astronomy for smart children”:
- Your sunny
- Moon - Granddaughter of the Sun
- Everyone in the Sun family “dances”
- Stars - Sisters
- Long haired stars
- Small planets
- Stones that fell from the sky
- Star pictures
- Your Star City - Galaxy
- Aw, aliens
You can download this series
- Your sunny
Astronomy - The oldest science about the universe, the subject of study of which are cosmic objects, as well as related processes and phenomena.
Since the first manned space flight, the main children's answer to the question "What do you want to become?" was the answer "Astronaut!".
People’s interest in space will never fade away, it attracts us with its secrets and universal scale. Looking at the starry sky, people always asked the main questions.
Today, at the time of space rockets, satellites and moon rovers, we have something to tell our children.
However, the scale of the universe is hard to imagine even for an adult.
It remains to come up with how interesting it is to tell the child about space and introduce him to the first foundations of astronomy.
How to tell
Given the characteristics of childhood, it is very important to make the story simple and effective. Visual experiments can be used for this; we describe an example of such experiments below. So, it will be much easier for a child to get acquainted with difficult, thematic, thematic concepts.
Today, parents are offered a large number of thematic materials that can also be used in their story.
Preschool children perfectly absorb the information submitted in a playful way, in the form of a fairy tale or poem.
And if you manage to surprise and charm the children's imagination, perhaps the child will not only be interested in astronomy, but also fall in love with this science.
When telling your child about space for the first time, think about what it might be, as an adult, looking at the stars, he will remember your activities and smile.
What to tell
Introduction
Look at the sky. It seems to be very close - reach out and touch the sun or moon, but if you climb onto the top of a tall tree, you’ll even end up next to them. But actually it is not. Neither with our hand can we reach the sky, nor trees with our tops. The sun, moon and stars are very far from us. These are large planets to which you need to fly on a spaceship.
There are 8 planets in the solar system. They all revolve around the Sun, and constantly along the same path, which is called the orbit. And one of these planets is our Earth.
What to tell:
The sun is a large and very hot planet - it is a star - a huge, red-hot ball. She is very far away, but the heat from her rays reaches all the planets circling around her, and ours too. That is why we are warm.
Not all stars are like the sun. There are small stars, medium and large - more than the Sun.
The brightest among all the stars in the sky are the North Star and Sirius.
The sun is much larger than our planet. If you compare them, it is like a watermelon and a small pea.
Visual Material:
To compare the size of the Sun with the size of the Earth, you can take a pumpkin or a watermelon and a pea. Pea is our Earth, pumpkin is the Sun.
The earth is so smaller than the sun, as far as a pea smaller than a pumpkin.
Moon
What to tell:
The moon is the satellite of our planet, it is only three days away.
The moon moves around the earth counterclockwise.
We see the moon only at night. The moon, as we see it in the sky, is not always the same shape. There are the following phases of the moon: the new moon, the crescent of the growing moon, the first quarter of the growing moon, the growing moon, the full moon and further to decrease: the waning moon, a quarter of the waning moon, the crescent of the waning moon, the new moon again.
If the sickle in the sky looks like the letter C, then the moon is "old" waning. If visually we draw a wand and get the letter P, then the moon is growing.
These phases can be depicted for a child on paper or by cutting them out of colored cardboard.
Visual Material:
To demonstrate why the moon is sometimes round, sometimes in the shape of a crescent, take a regular table lamp and ball. Spend the experience together by creating a moon at home. Show the child that we see only the illuminated part of the ball.
our planet
What to tell:
Our planet - planet Earth - is surrounded by the atmosphere. This is such a protective layer that saves the inhabitants from solar ultraviolet radiation, as well as from most meteorites. It can be compared with an air cover. Thanks to him, there is air on our planet that we breathe.
The most important difference between our planet and others is the presence of life on it.
It is believed that the rest of the space is lifeless. The faith and desire of people to find life on other planets forces us to design spaceships for travel into space, in order to study it.
Visual Material:
You can boil a chicken egg and, with its example, explain to the child what the atmosphere of the Earth is. Our planet is surrounded by a multi-layered atmosphere, just as the yolk in an egg is surrounded by protein.
Other planets of the solar system
What to tell:
There are only 8 planets in the solar system.
The largest of these is Jupiter. And the most interesting is Saturn, because it has huge rings around.
Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have rings, but they cannot be seen from Earth.
One of the last was discovered by Pluto. At first it was believed that it was discovered in 1930 by the ninth planet. But, over time, it was attributed to another category of cosmic bodies, "dwarf planets."
A planet is considered to be cosmic bodies that:
- revolve around a star (in the case of the solar system, this is the Sun);
- have their own gravity, which explains their spherical (round) or close to spherical shape;
- not located near other similar large bodies;
- are not a star.
Visual Material:
To remember the names of all the planets of the solar system, you can learn a little poem:
In order all the planets
Any of us will call:
One - Mercury
Two are Venus
Three is Earth
Four is Mars.
Five - Jupiter,
Six - Saturn
Seven - Uranus,
Behind him is Neptune.
He is the eighth in a row.
And after him already, then,
And the ninth planet
Called Pluto.
Stars
What to tell:
The star closest to us is the sun.
In space, there are a huge number of stars that cannot be counted.
Any star is a red-hot gas ball, which is formed from hydrogen molecules joined together.
A cluster of stars forms constellations.
Visual material:
To tell why the sun shines so brightly, take an ordinary flashlight or phosphor stars. With the lights off, bring them close to the baby so that he sees how bright they burn.
Then slowly move to the end of the room, demonstrating that luminous objects, moving away, become small and faded. Explain that the stars only seem small, because they are very far from us.
Telescopes, which bring closer the images of stars and allow us to better see them, help to see them closer.
How a rocket flies
What to tell:
April 12 is the Day of Cosmonautics in our country. On this day in 1961, our people's dream of flying into space came true - the first cosmonaut in the history, Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, flew into space on the Vostok-1 spacecraft. His flight around the Earth lasted 108 minutes. Since then, every year on this day we celebrate Cosmonautics Day.
Visual Material:
Inflate the balloon and pinch the hole with your fingers. And then unclench your fingers and your ball will burst up sharply. This is because the air comes out of the ball. And when the air is over, the ball will fall. The balloon flew like a rocket - it moved forward while there was air in it.
It is about this principle that a rocket flies into space, but instead of air it has fuel. When burning, fuel turns into gas and bursts back into flame.
A rocket is made of several parts, which are called steps and each step has its own fuel tank.
In the first stage, the fuel is over - it disappears and the engine of the second stage immediately turns on and carries the rocket even faster and even higher. So only the third step - the smallest and easiest - gets to space. She also puts into orbit a cabin with an astronaut.
Related Games
1. The game "What shall we take with us into space"
Lay out the drawings in front of the child and offer to choose what you can take with you on the spaceship.
It can be the following pictures: pictures, a book, a notebook, a spacesuit, an apple, candy, a tube of semolina, an alarm clock, sausage.
2. The game "Space Dictionary"
The game will help the child replenish his vocabulary with words related to the theme of space.
Who will name more the words connected with space that won.
For example: satellite, rocket, alien, planets, moon, earth, astronaut, spacesuit, etc.
3. Say the other way around game
The goal of the game is to teach a child to choose words with the opposite meaning - antonyms.
For instance:
Far -
cramped - ...
big -…
to rise - ...
bright - ...
fly away - ...
tall -…
famous -…
include -…
dark - ...
4. The game "We are guided by the stars"
Imagine with your child that you are sailors lost in the Pacific. Ask the child to cut small stars out of paper and help stick them on the back of the countertop so that the constellations Ursa Minor and Ursa Major are formed.
Cover the table with a blanket - this will be your ship, take a flashlight and climb into it. It's night, the only compass has sunk, and all you see is the stars above your heads (they can be lit with a flashlight).
Show your child how to navigate the stars to find the way.
Try looking at the stars together to determine which way you should go if you are heading east.
5. Game "Cosmic stones"
Each kitchen has baking foil. Such material can easily turn into space balls-stones.
Scatter them in prominent places so that the child then collects these cosmic stones. Then they can be thrown at the target or just in a bowl, training accuracy.
Books for children on the topic
1. "Amazing starry sky. Atlas with stickers," S. Andreev.
2. "Open Space", Morton Jenkins.
3. "Professor Astrokot and his journey into space," Dominic Wolliman and Ben Newman.
4. "Space", D. Kostyukov, Z. Surova.
5. "Fascinating astronomy", E. Kachur.
6. The series "Your First Encyclopedia", the book "Wonderful Planet", the publishing house "Machaon".
7. Series "The very first encyclopedia", the book "Planet Earth", the publishing house "Rosman".
8. "My first book about space", K. Portsevsky, M. Lukyanov.
9. "Stars and planets. Encyclopedia for children", E. Prati.
10. "Unusual adventures of Petit in space", A. Ivanov, V. Merzlenko.
Cartoons by topic
1. The series of cartoons "Children and Space"
2. Developing cartoon "Planet Earth"
3. Entertaining lessons of Saakayanets "Astronomy for the smallest"
4. "The mystery of the third planet"
5. "Dunno on the Moon"
7. "Pep Pig," series "Journey to the Moon"
8. "Star Dogs: The Squirrel and the Arrow"
9. "Squirrel and Arrow: moon adventures"
10. "Egon and Donchi"
11. "The lunar expedition of Christopher Kullambus"
12. "Tom and Jerry: Flight to Mars"
13. "The Mystery of the Red Planet"
14. "Planet 51"
15. "The Great Space Adventure"
16. "Planet of the wind"
17. "Fly to the Moon"
18. The Valley
19. "Treasure Planet"
20. "Smeshariki: PIN code collection"
Related Material
- Magazine "School of 7 gnomes - 4+: Babies about stars and planets";
- Magazine "The World Around Us", No. 1,5,7;
- Map of the solar system;
- Thematic cards;
Space crafts for children
1. A rocket with a photo of your baby astronaut.
Are needed: a picture of your baby, color cardboard or paper.
2. Rocket from a plastic bottle.
Are needed: plastic bottle, sock, cardboard, foil and thread.
3. Searchlight constellations.
Are needed: flashlight, circles cut to the diameter of the flashlight with holes made in the form of a constellation, paper cupcake molds, lace.
4. Touch space box.
Need: a transparent plastic box, lentils, black beans, decorative glass balls, shiny sequins, space toys, small lanterns.
5. Space robot costume.
Are needed: big cardboard box, scotch tape, old wires, foil, stickers, markers, fantasy.
Where to look at the stars in Moscow
1. Observatories
Observatory- a specialized scientific construction and / or institution used to observe terrestrial and / or astronomical phenomena.
In some observatories, observations are made only in the presence of clear weather.
The mode of operation of the observatories should be clarified in the institution, please note that some observatories work only 2 summer months in a year, others from May to September.
Moscow City Palace of Children and Youth Creativity
M. University, st. Kosygina, d. 17, cor. 1
Price: free.
Astronomical Observatory of Moscow State University(P.K.Sternberg State Astronomical Institute at Moscow State University)
Moscow, University Avenue, d. 13
Price: free.
Observatory at the Moscow Planetarium
M. Barrikadnaya, Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya, d. 5, p. 1
Price: on weekdays 250 rubles, on weekends 300 rubles.
People's Observatory on the territory of Gorky Park
M. Gorky Park, October.
Price: 200 rub.
People’s Observatory in Sokolniki Park
M. Sokolniki, the territory of the park
Price: 150 rub.
From Thursday to Sunday you can rent a remote telescope for 50 rubles.
2. Planetariums
Planetarium -a scientific and educational institution that demonstrates the celestial sphere with stars, planets and satellites, comets and meteors; as well as phenomena associated with celestial bodies.
Moscow planetarium
G. Moscow, Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya St., 5, building 1
Price: from 100 rub.
Planetarium of the Central House of the Russian Army
Moscow, Suvorovskaya sq., D. 2, p. 32
Price: 200 rub.
Planetarium of the cultural center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Moscow, Suvorovskaya sq., D. 2, p. 32.
Price: 200 rub.
From time immemorial, astronomy has been of interest to many people. Young children often notice a dark starry sky, in contrast to adults who are little interested in space. If the children see a lot of stars at night, peer closely into the moon, they will certainly ask questions. Not every parent knows the answers to all the questions. Astronomy for a child is a very fascinating subject. Here, parents will be able to break away from everyday problems and plunge into the study of nature, remember their childhood. Below are tons of fun options for exploring astronomy.
Stars turned on at night
Even 20-30 years ago, parents put their children to bed at 8 or 9 pm. Nowadays, the saying "now is still a child’s time" has survived. Especially in the summer, when the sun sets quite late, it is almost impossible to wait until midnight to enjoy the stars. It is best for the child to study the starry sky in summer when it is warm. So in the family circle there will be entertaining astronomy for preschool children. The ideal option would be the month of August, because it is already getting dark early, and strong colds have not come. In addition, it was at this time that there were great chances to see meteor showers.
It is advisable to monitor the weather forecast in order to plan a trip to nature. In big cities and illuminated settlements, it makes no sense to watch the stars. If there is a house in the village or a cottage, then it is better to go there for the sake of one cloudless night. Astronomy for a child should be interesting. In a clean field you can see a lot. It is also convenient to watch from the attic of the house, if the trees and the burning lantern do not interfere. You can tell the child: “Look, what a beauty! What stars are bright! To our right the Moon is the satellite of our planet Earth.” A child may ask a lot of questions.
and why is she so different
If you regularly observe the moon for a month or two, the child will notice that it is illuminated in different ways. He may ask the appropriate question. It is better to answer it with improvised means. The parent puts a lighted candle on the table, takes an orange in his hand and asks the child to look at the fruit, standing up or sitting opposite. So he will see the full moon. To show the child the phases of the moon, it is better to ask him to get up from the table and look at the orange from the sides. You need to ask him if he sees a shadow on an orange. If so, you can safely talk about the lunar phases. In conclusion, it is enough to explain to the child that he looked at the orange and the candle in the same way that this Earth “sees” our planet.
We live on a round planet
It’s good to have a globe at home. If it is not, then you can draw it yourself. This is even more fun. Home-made educational subjects about planets are a very interesting and developing astronomy for children. The solar system is being studied in the manner of the game. First, parents need to demonstrate the Earth. You can take the old ball and paint it with acrylic paints. Let the child paint the ball blue or blue. When the paint dries, adults paint the caps of the poles with white paint. The child will observe and listen at the same time. It is good if parents remember geography at least a little and can portray the continents with green paint. When the globe is ready, you can again tell the child about the continents and show where we live. To do this, it is worth noting or sticking a small object with something. Astronomy for a child began with the study of the starry sky, and continues with the study of planets. If you start with the study of the Earth, it will look incorrect. The child simply does not understand what they are saying. He must show interest himself.
Books to help the curious
When the baby understands what the Earth, the Moon and the Sun look like, then you can introduce him to other planets. It is difficult to explain to the child what size all the planets are relative to each other. At the same time, it is worth telling how much the Sun is a huge luminary. The demonstration will help not only the ball with the orange, but also various other round objects. It is better to lay them on the floor or table. Poor parents can get confused, because not everyone knows astronomy. I want to give children decent knowledge, suddenly it will help them in life. The big illustrated encyclopedia will save the situation. Astronomy for children should be taught in book formats, and not through a laptop screen. Kids need to be taught to love books.
Other worlds
When the encyclopedia is open on the right page, it is better to offer the child help in picking up round objects. Together, you can build the entire solar system on one table. For example, a large orange or yellow ball may appear as the Sun. The smallest and most distant planet Eris (data on extreme celestial bodies are constantly different) should be demonstrated with a pea. Interesting astronomy for children continues with the fact that the Sun is very hot, it is impossible to get at it. The planet Mercury is unsuitable for life for the same reason. She is in extreme heat. Only on Earth can a person live well, because it is warm. Planets following Earth are cold. The farther, the colder. There is nothing to breathe on other planets, there is no oxygen. If there is an opportunity and a desire, and especially a child’s interest, then you can supplement the story by telling about the satellites of all the planets. Rings for Saturn can be made from a hat. It is enough to put the planet at its bottom.
Was there anyone in space
Children may ask if there was anyone in space? First they need to tell them about the first traveling dogs Belka and Strelka, which safely flew into space and returned to Earth. It is advisable to find photos in the encyclopedia or in other sources, so that the children know how they looked.
After a while, the first cosmonaut Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin flew into space. It will not be superfluous to show his photo. Children should know such things. When they grow up, they will be able to distinguish between months, years, it will be easier for them to assimilate dates, specific events. It is absolutely necessary to tell about Sergey Korolev as the creator of the world's first rocket, which transported into space and safely delivered Yuri Alekseevich back to Earth.
About telescopes
Any child will want to look at the Moon and the Sun closer. It's one thing to see in the pictures, and another to see on your own, without frills. Other planets may also be interested in a young lover. We need to tell him what a telescope is. If neither family nor friends or acquaintances have it, then you can first show it in the encyclopedia. It’s too early for the child to tell how the refractor and reflex telescopes differ for smart older children. Therefore, we must confine ourselves to the fact that the telescopes are all different, not every planet can be seen. There are special binoculars for observing stars. If it was possible to find the telescope, then the adult must adjust it so that the child can see the celestial body from different angles. For example, the Moon or the Sun will not have to look for a long time in the eyepiece, they are large. First we need to study for ourselves whether there are spots on the Sun, whether it is visible and then to show the kids and explain.
Planetarium trip
It should not be limited to home experimentation. It’s useful to bring children to the planetarium to learn more about the universe. If the city has an observatory open to visitors, it will not be superfluous to go there. Children should be taken to public institutions at a conscious age when they already understand and are interested. It makes no sense to drag them in the hope that they will be attracted to everything that is interesting to adults. Not every person has a chance to visit Star City, where future astronauts are taught. But if he appears, then you should definitely use it. Astronomy for a child is the same science as everyone else in terms of difficulty in perception, so you need to be able to explain simple things, otherwise he will lose interest. Children's programs are usually planetariums and museums.
The study of the constellations
After independent study of planets and stars, trips to interesting places, you can return to the cottage again. For example, in August, the first study of the sky and space was performed, in the cold season they went to the observatory and planetarium, and in the spring you can again examine the abyss with the naked eye. It would only be nice to arm yourself. The child, together with his parents, will look for the necessary constellations, learn to determine their location. It is advisable to purchase a colorful star map or download to a smartphone. Fortunately, there are now applications "Astronomy for children." The constellations are depicted there for a reason, they are superimposed on translucent corresponding pictures. The child will be interested.
About asteroids, comets and galaxies
Perhaps it will be more difficult for preschool children to explain what a comet, galaxy, and asteroid are. It is much better to demonstrate to them simply pictures from the encyclopedia "Astronomy for children." The stars and the galaxy can be personally explained by showing the Milky Way in the clear sky. This is our galaxy. When the baby grows up, he can easily learn something new in a science such as astronomy. Particles from an asteroid that fell to Earth are found in astronomical museums. Comets can only be seen with powerful telescopes.
Parents need to be prepared for the child to ask unexpected questions. If they don’t know the answer, then it’s better to honestly admit it, and not to dismiss or compose. It's time to sit together with the whole family in the evening in bad weather at home and read the encyclopedia.
Astronomy for children, at what age can one talk about this science with a child? For many parents, it comes as a surprise that the children themselves begin to be interested in astronomy. And then the question arises - how to tell a little man about such serious things? Like everything we talk about with preschoolers, this subject of their interest should be presented only in the game.
Cosmos has always interested my son and already in 1 year 9 months he knew not only the planets of the solar system, but also some facts about them. My husband often says that if Alexander does not fly to the moon before the age of 25, he wants his son to return the money for education to him. Of course this is a joke and we all understand that.
So, we are starting a course of games on astronomy, through which I want to show you how far our children can go if they are provided with information on a topic of interest to them. All classes will be held in a playful way, I am sure that it will be fun.
I'll start with a small digression, the morning in our house can start like this (it was a couple of weeks ago):
(photographed 3 days after doing the craft, the clay dried out a bit)
Well, the games with plasticine are over, but I still do not want to sleep. They decided to continue reading on astronomy for children, but this time Alexander chose another book. Before we started, on page 8 he perked up:
- Mom, I will build a rocket and fly into space!
We thought exactly how he would like to build a rocket, I honestly thought that he wanted to return to plasticine, but no, Alexander chose a toy magnetic constructor. I bought our suitcase in Amazon.
This toy has been living with us for a couple of years and it is truly universal, we return to it with any topic. The figures are ideally attached to the refrigerator, the magnetic board or the case in which we purchased them.
I thought that this would all end, but Alexander brought the book open on page 8 and began to sculpt his masterpiece.
I sat nearby and watched, trying to understand if this would be the thousandth time folding the solar system together or something more.
Yes, it turned out more than before. The interest of his son in recent years concerned dwarf planets and stars. In addition to Pluto, I confess I did not know a single dwarf planet. But this was before Alexandra began to bewitch any mention of them in videos and books. Here is the final work of that evening. It is completely made by my son, the names are signed by him.
As you can see the dwarf planet Ceres (Ceres) is located between Mars and Jupiter. After Pluto are the dwarf planets Haumea, Makemake and Eris.
Astronomy for children becomes more interesting with another wonderful toy - a magnetic board with a solar system. It does not take up space, the figures are attached perfectly, in addition to the planets there is a nebula, a comet, a meteorite, an astronaut with a spaceship. In general, everything that may interest the child and help mom organize his game.
I had an idea for a long time to make a touch box on the subject of space, but sometimes thoughts came that Alexander was already big, and it was customary to make touch boxes. Therefore, I put off the idea several times. This time I clearly planned that the box will be, since we have everything to fill it ... or almost everything. I missed the sun!
I thought for a long time if to draw, glue, inflate. And here, after our return from the sea, the thought came by itself - a beach ball! In size, it more or less meets the requirements in relation to other planets.
I opened several of our books on the “Sun” page, we read the information, looked at the pictures, and then watched this wonderful video (I really advise you to spend four minutes watching it).
And we began to create the “Sun”. At first they torn colored paper and pasted it with an inflated beach ball. During the night it dried up and we, remembering the fiery rain in the Sun, began to glue the flashes of red papyrus paper.
Layout of the sun from a beach ball and colored paper. Soon our Sun was ready and shone brightly for us.
Now you can collect our sensory box on the subject of astronomy for children. Since the cosmos is black, I poured black beans at the bottom (it took me three kg). Dad gave the planets to Alexander last Christmas.
I will stop here a little more in detail. Her husband had a hobby all his life to build models of military aircraft, this of course develops perseverance, concentration, and to paint all the details of the aircraft you need truly golden hands. Seeing the son’s great interest in the planets, the husband, without telling anyone, acquired a set for schoolchildren. In his office in the evenings, he stayed after work and painted on these models. And at Christmas Alexander received 8 beautiful planets. Our baby was so delighted that as I remember now, I even shed a tear. In this photo he is 2 years 2 months old.
Throughout this time, planet models have served us as mock-ups for classes and toys for Alexander’s games. As far as I understood from the past days, it was much easier for me to explain the movement of the planets around the Sun, how solar and lunar eclipses happen having them at hand. Our sensor boxes are based on these same planet models.
From games with water, you can see what easily fits my child. Our space figures, who also have been living with us for more than a year, have also added to the planets. And a set of stars and planets glowing in the dark with which I decorated the sides of the box. Well now it's time to set our Sun and the sensory toy is ready.
That honest word I did not expect from her such success. Of course I know that my son is a space fan, but nothing new appeared in this box (except for the sun and luminous stars), and Alexander played with all this like the first time! Yes, and every day several times! I will not disassemble until I play enough.
So, as you see in this example, even the smallest can play in space. Let the baby at first only sort out the beans, and the parent creates a simple story and introduces the baby to the names of the planets. But quite a bit of time will pass and astronomy for children will turn into more serious, interesting and informative games, links to which you will also find at the end of the article.
Math game for preschoolers “Return to Earth”
I present to you one more. I made it on thick cardboard, pasted it with dark paper (outer space), printed a photo of the planet Earth and Mars - that's it! The success is incredible, the child is delighted. In the first games, an interplanetary airliner moved with us, then Alexander chose a space rocket (all of our kit for a sensor box).
The number of digits is from 20 to 40 and 2 cubes. That is, if 3 and 6 fall out, then the child must first add the numbers, and then make the move. The plot of the game is that both players are on Mars and want to return home to Earth. The first one to reach Earth will win. The loser becomes a Martian.
The mathematical game model has taken root in our family so much that I did it on various topics. We learned from it, played on, and now even astronomy for children has not done without our favorite game.
Math game conditions
The game involves two players. The game starts in the middle (start), where both players are on Mars. The first player begins, who must go to 1. He rolls the dice and says out loud 5 + 6 (the numbers dropped on the dice) will be 11 and calculating how much will be 20-11, puts the liner on the resulting number.
The second player must bring the liner to the number 40 and he throwing the dice pronounces aloud for example: 6 + 6 will be 12, i.e. he pulled the liner into its territory. In other words, one of the players is practicing subtraction examples, the other is adding. Of course, the game is carried out emotionally. At the beginning of the next round, the players switch places - the player who drove the liner to 40 will now lead him to 1. Thus, addition and subtraction alternate.
You will find even more entertaining math classes for preschoolers.
Unplanned classes on the topic
Designing from Lego, it’s not easy for us, probably the reason is still in me. But this time, I tried to turn on my imagination and assemble a rocket. Alexander carefully watched me, and then gathered his.
Well take off?
And one more thing that turned out completely unplanned. I buy frozen cinnamon rolls in Ikea and then bake them at home. That evening, the child asked for a roll and when I took them out of the oven, the first thing I heard was:
“It's a galaxy, mom!”
The rolls were still hot anyway, and I proposed to decorate our galaxies with stars. Alexander was delighted!
I hope you enjoyed our first lesson on astronomy for children. I will be pleased to see your thoughts and impressions in the comments. Please write if your children are interested in astronomy in any of its manifestations.
