DIY Homeschooler

Astronomy is considered one of the classical sciences, and yet it typically gets short shrift in an already crowded homeschool schedule.  What’s a mom to do?  Keep it simple!  These 10 astronomy experiments from The Center for Science Education at Berkley make it easy to include astronomy in your mix.

Each activity contains one or more experiments investigating a concept that is clearly spelled out in the “About This Activity” section.

The “What You Will Need” list on the left gives you a heads-up so that you will have the simple items required on hand before the experiment.

Topics covered include:

1. Angle of illumination and shadow length.
2. The variation of the position of the sun at the same time each day.
3. Determining the diameter of the sun.
4. What it would take to live on the moon.
5. How the size, angle, and speed of a meteorite’s impact affect its crater.
6. The principles behind rocketry.
7. How to construct an astrolabe.
8. Tracking changes in the sun’s path over the course of a year.
9. The order of the planets in our solar system.
10. The relative size and distances of the planets.

A few of the “Related Website” links are outdated.  We have provided corrected or alternate links below.

Update: This resource is no longer available, so we are linking to an archived version.

Free Resource

• At Home Astronomy @ Berkely.edu

Updated Links

• 01 Shadow Dance
  Bob Miller’s Light Walk
• 02 Where is the Sun?
  Procession of the Equinoxes
  Equinox: A Unit Study
• 04 Building a Lunar Settlement
  Dry Again
  Lunar Prospector
  (Please note the changing science in the above article regarding the question of water on the moon.)
• 05 Meteoroids and the Craters They Make
  Free Nature Studies: The Solar System
• 06 Rockets Away
  Space Transportation System
  Dr. Robert H. Goddard, American Rocketry Pioneer
• 08 Using a Simple Astrolabe
  Procession of the Equinoxes
• 09 The Order of the Planets
  The Nine Planets for Kids
  (Looks like we’re back to 8 again!)
• 10 The Size and Distance of the Planets
  The Nine Planets for Kids

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Additional Resources

Astronomy is Essential
Why study astronomy?  Read the seven reasons outlined by Jay Ryan of Classical Astronomy.

The New Astronomy Book by Danny R. Faulkner
Covers the basics of astronomy, the moon, the night sky, stars, planets, galaxies, comets, and much more. Also see The Astronomy Book Study Guide.

Free Nature Studies: The Solar System
Part of our free nature studies, this lesson covers meteors, comets, planets, stars, and more!