Talking to children

middy · #1 01-06-2007, 09:47 AM

My daughter's prep class have been talking a lot about Space recently. The teacher had asked the class to bring in anything to do with Space, so I sent Little Miss in with a few photos I had taken of the moon, Saturn and Jupiter. Anyway the teacher was excited that we have (her words) an 'expert' in astronomy present and hinted at the idea that I might like to come in and talk to the children about Space.

So my question is, what could I talk to a group of 5 year olds about with regards to Space, Astronomy etc.???

erick (Eric) · #2 01-06-2007, 10:37 AM

Really tough! At that age, my experience is that they still have no real concept of distances, size and shape of the Earth, maps, scale etc. You might have to stay with showing the "pretty things" out there.

Hands on? - take binoculars or simple scope in to look at distant objects and show the magnification.

Moon would be good since they can see so much by eye, and you can show them magnified views. And upside down!

A demonstration of the phases of the Moon with a spot light in a darkened room onto a basketball while you walk around the group seated in the middle??

But certainly try and get questions flowing - then tailor your answers to their level of understanding?

Great work!

xelasnave · #3 01-06-2007, 11:02 AM

They may like to see a "real" telescope (try and have the parents there at this time) many of them have not seen one

.

Kids like volcanoes and crators so some time spent on those should go well relating them to the surface of the Moon.

One feels compeled to leave them knowing something but how do you shorten this story

.. so may I suggest to try and leave them with impressions of the interesting things that are out there...

I find telling them that stars blow up brings difficult questions from immediate worry as to when our Sun will blow up (at least do not say the Sun is a star if you mention super nove). Kids focus on some things and some worry about their future.

They seem to like the prospect of different worlds and what creatures may live there so maybe give them some ideas as to the variety of worlds we now know about.

Good luck

... remember they instantly will look up to you, give them solid answers not a selection of possibilities scientists are still considering.

The Moon came from one place

..thats it

. Keep it very simple.

IF saying you dont know you could remind them there are many discoveries still awaiting someone to work on them.
alex

niko · #4 01-06-2007, 11:51 AM

I'd keep it pretty visual - pictures painting many words and all that...

Lots of photos

Maybe you could attempt to explain the solar system - the size of it.

You could do some work in the classroom on this and then take them out on the oval and have kids stand in the position of the planets and sun relative to each other. That way they could get a sense inside of how big say Jupiter is and yet how far away it is.

Then maybe some painting - Saturn with its rings, Jupiter with the bands, the moon and its craters

Good luck

bizarro (Greg) · #5 01-06-2007, 12:03 PM

I remember getting my first look through a scope under similar circumstances at primary school (although a bit older than 5) when our teacher got an amateur to bring his scope to the school one night. We had a slide show to start off and then went outside when it was dark enough to look through the scope. The main thing I recall was the visual experience and the wow factor. That's probably what sparked my initial interest in astronomy. So I agree with others. Keep it simple and mainly stick to the visual stuff.

Cheers,
Greg

casstony · #6 01-06-2007, 01:25 PM

Maybe have an image of a crater on Earth to show them after talking about craters on the moon. How fast do asteroids go? How big are they?

A picture of people floating in a space vehicle. Could the kids be astronauts one day?

A copy of one of your photo's to give each kid to take home.

The Nasa website has a kids section that may give you some ideas.

rogerg (Roger) · #7 01-06-2007, 02:03 PM

No helpful advice but I have a similar scary situation coming up. My club does school nights - schools pay to have X number of scopes and people turn up. I'm participating in one for the first time in the second week of June. I'm scared but looking forward to it also. I have about zero experience with kids, so it is quite a scary prospect. These will be year 7's.

avandonk · #8 01-06-2007, 03:06 PM

They are smarter than you think! Listen to their questions and keep it simple.
I once showed the Moon to a three year old through an eight inch dob and she exclaimed 'it is full of holes!'

Bert

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #9 01-06-2007, 05:50 PM

Never underestimate Preppies. I love talking Astronomy at our Primary School. The younger the better I reckon!

Facts and figures go over their head so I amuse them with 'funny' figures like "Galaxies that are a Gazillion Kilometeres away". They laugh but also understand that 'A Gazillion' is a lot!

I show them trees waaayyy off in the distance through the scope and even that freaks them out.

Lots of pics, with very brief simple descriptions.

They do understand more than you think, as long as it isn't long winded or technical.

Most of all, if you have fun doing it, they have fun too. Don't be dead-pan serious.

wavelandscott (Scott) · #10 01-06-2007, 06:21 PM

I have had a few chances at the talking to kids group thing and would offer this advice...

I am assuming that you are doing this at night...

#1 Have fun and show them that you are enjoying sharing something that you love (enjoy) with them...that spirit and attitude will spread!

#2 Keep it simple...but not too simple. Kids know a lot more then we often give them credit for.

#3 Pick a few things and do them well...moon, a planet and a double star...Faint DSOs are tough for kids.

#4 Be ready (mentally/emotionally) for someone to touch your precious eyepieces...you might think about leaving your TV or Pentax in your case...so be ready to clean your gear well afterwards.

#5 Make sure to ask the kids to describe what they are seeing...this does two things...it tells them that you are interested in their comments and opinions but will also tell you if you need to refocus/adjust your scope.

#6 Make sure you have a stable stool or step especially for younger kids...be ready to hold their hands as you step them up otherwise they will grab your scope for balance...

#7 Insist (nicely) that parents stick around with their kids...young kids running around in the dark can be a dangerous recipe...

Good luck!

It is a good thing you are doing!

Jarrod · #11 01-06-2007, 08:16 PM

i remember when i first found out that you can see artificial satellites. show the kids how to pick out satillites. if its at night, try getting the kids to spot satillites as a group so it becomes a game. also talk about meteors, things kids can look for without special instruments.

sheeny (Al) · #12 01-06-2007, 09:38 PM

Some good tips there guys... I can't think of anything ATM to add.

Best of luck Andrew!

Enjoy!

Al.

Outbackmanyep · #13 01-06-2007, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogerg

No helpful advice but I have a similar scary situation coming up. My club does school nights - schools pay to have X number of scopes and people turn up. I'm participating in one for the first time in the second week of June. I'm scared but looking forward to it also. I have about zero experience with kids, so it is quite a scary prospect. These will be year 7's.

Prepare for the inevitable telescope mutilations by hand, a lot of kids i have had looking through the scope, especially the dobs, they grab the eyepiece to look through it and knock the scope off target....so if you have a motorised mount just be careful they dont swing off it! hehe

PS....Dont pass out the laser pointer if you have one!

middy · #14 02-06-2007, 10:56 AM

Many thanks for all the helpful replies everyone.

This will be held during the daytime during normal school hours. My current thinking is that I should wait until the moon is visible during the day and take the scope into school and let the kids have a look at the moon. It won't be as spectacular a view as at night time but could still be worth the effort.

wavelandscott (Scott) · #15 02-06-2007, 04:39 PM

Oh...I went back and re-read your first post...daytime and 5 year olds...

Moon viewing would be okay...If you had some help you might "carefully" try some solar viewing but I am not sure I would be brave enough to try this with a bunch of kids alone.

Another alternative would be to go the spectroscope or light prism angle...this would let you colour rainbows! That is something that a 5 year old could relate to. And if you talk about light, it's many colours and rainbows it would give you a chance to give out candy...as in candy gold coins as in gold at the end of the rainbow...

I can't remember the name of the people involved but at the 2006 SPSP the juniors project was to make (in the broadest sense of the term) and use a spectroscope...the kids had a blast and it was very well done.

While it might not "sound" like astronomy at first blush to "non believers" it is and also lets you introduce the idea that stars are different colours etc.