Quote:
Originally Posted by dpastern
I don't think it's good to get over technical with them, the old k.i.s.s principle is always best when dealing with kids. Let them ask questions, encourage them to. Even the kids who ask silly questions should get a pat on the back - it's better to ask a question, even a silly one, than be silent.
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Sometimes they ask really cool questions that show they're thinking, and I always say something along the lines of "That's an excellent question!" to let them know they've done good. Also ask leading questions, really obvious ones, like "What do we call this misty band of light running across the sky?" I find there is nearly always at least one kid that knows that its the Milky Way. By asking these kind of questions you start build up a dialogue with them, they feel good because they know stuff and then you've got their attention for the next item and they've got the idea of the 'game' you're playing with them. They wont respond well to just being lectured to, like an adult would. I often read that boys in particular will respond to a quiz game format of learning rather than a load of facts being read at them - its a bit of a competition, I think, and they want to 'win'.
Just thinking of a few more suggestions for things to do - I also usually ask if they can see anything that looks like a planet in the sky. Now this is a pretty open question, and they might point at all kinds of bright stars. Just let them go for a little bit, which lets them have a think about how do you tell which point of light is a planet, and which a star. Odds on a number of them are going to look at Antares at the moment, which as we know does look like Mars. You can point it out, explain what Antares means and how it got its name and that lead you onto Scorpius. Jupiter is just the really bright star that outshines all the others around it at the moment.
The above works well in the planetarium, where I'm in control of the show and leading them on, but out in the open I don't always have this luxury (other people running things), and kids often want to know how you can tell what is a planet and which is a star, so be prepared here. I don't find it easy, the answer could be along the lines of that you know the constellations and the planets are the stars that wander in and look out of place, or you just know them and watch them from week to week as they move through the sky.
ok, enough from me for now, I'd better stop before I stop making sense this late on a saturday night.
