Fancy Nancy: Stellar Stargazer

By Jane O'Conner

Ages: 4 - 7

Word List 

• alfresco: doing something outside
• Name something you can do alfresco. 

• damage: hurt
• lunar vehicle: moon car
• dreary: dark and ugly
• What is the opposite of dreary? (Hint: It rhymes)

• locate: find
• Please help me locate___________.

• legend: story
• commoner: someone who is not royal
• constellation: grouping of stars
• Name a constellation.

• determined: set on doing something
• What are you determined to do today?

• Mais, Oui!: Why, yes! Of, course! (French)
• Voila!: There you go! Ta-da! (French)

Discuss

• The sun is only a medium-size star.  Millions of other stars are bigger.  They look small because they are so far away.
• Why can't we see the other stars during the day?

•  The moon is made of rock.  It can't shine on its own.
• Is the moon a star?  Why does it glow at night?

• It takes three whole days for a spaceship to reach the moon
• Do you know the name of a spaceship?

• From the moon, astromauts can see Earth.  The oceans and clouds make it look like a gorgeous blue and white marble.
• What do astronauts wear when exploring the moon?
• How do astraunots get around on the moon?
• What can astronauts do on the moon?
• Do astronauts eat special food?  What kind of food?

•  The moon looks different every night.
• What do some people say the y see on the moon when it is full?
• What are the phases of the moon?

• Stars come in different colors.  They are blue, yellow, and red.
• Can you name a blue or red star?

• Sailors used the North Star to navigate their ships.
• What direction is the North Star pointing to?
• What is a different name for the North Star?

• Groups of stars are called constellations.  THere are legends about these constellations.
• What is the easiest constellation to find?
• What does the Big Dipper look like?
• Who was Orion? During what season does he appear?

• The weather can make it hard to see stars.
• What conditions make it more difficult to see the stars?

Activities

• Create a solar system mobile.
• Connect the stars on this page to see what constellation you have formed. 
• Stargazer Coloring page, here.
• Phases of the moon worksheet.  Color in the eight phases of the moon.
• Go to this link to find a FREE space unit.  It is an introduction to an even larger unit about space.  The free unit includes the following (all with a space theme):
• Punctuation
• Patterns
• Trace, Draw, and Write: Astronaut
• Color by Number: Rocket
• Color and Cut: ROcket
•  Missing Numbers to 120
• Starry Night: Color
• Count by 4s: Moon Rocks
• Adding to 10
• Adding with Carrying - 3 Digits

• If you visit this website, there are some useful pages available to save and print.  They include:
• Solar system picture and definition matching
• Solar system  quiz 
• Follow directions: colors, shapes, sizes, left/right, top/bottom
• Graphing
• Put the planets in order
• Label items in outer space.

• Learn about the first African American woman to go into space.  Here is a coloring page with information about Dr. Mae Jemison.
• This webpage has two really cute coloring pages of kids out in space.
• Print out this outline of an astronaut's helmet.  Have the child drawn their face inside the helmet.  You could also cut out the inside of the helmet and replace it with a picture of the child's face.
• Take a bit of time to learn more about space shuttles and lunar vehicles.  There are lots of websites with information and activities related to those two subjects.
• Take a page and divide it in half (or use two pages).  Have the child color one page to look dreary and the other to look cheery.
• Dedicate a day to doing things alfresco.
• Build a fort or camp out in the stars.  Take time to help the child locate constellations.  Buy some "astronaut food" (dry camp food) to snack on as you stargaze.