Discover the night sky

The Moon can be a magical nightlight for a child, but it's also fun to learn more about the moon and the night sky. Did you know that the places on the Moon have names just like places on Earth? The next time the moon is full, look up at the Man in the Moon with your child to see if you can find some of these places with him.

Remind him that, although many of them are called "seas," there's no water on the moon (at least we haven't found it yet!) Use a telescope or a pair of binoculars if you have them.

The Sea of Cold—the top of his head

The Sea of Rains—the eye we see to the left

The Sea of Serenity—the eye we see to the right

The Sea of Tranquility—the bag under the eye we see to the right (The Sea of Tranquility is where the very first moon landing took place on July 20, 1969.)

The craters Copernicus and Brother Maura—his nose

The Sea of Clouds—his mouth

The Sea of Storms—the big bruise next to the eye on the left

Find moonwatching tips at: http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=4741  

Visit your local library to learn more!

You can also do a web search on constellations and find your child’s favorite constellation. One site that we visited was: http://www.dustbunny.com/afk/skymaps/

Buy or make some glow in the dark star shapes to add to your child's bedroom ceiling as a special "night sky" project.

Visit your local planeterium to learn more about astronomy.

What songs can you sing that have the word "night," "moon," or "star" in them? Add them to your nightly ritual as a way of welcoming the night sky.

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