Friday, 11/8/13

For as long as I can remember, I've stared into the night sky, almost as though hypnotized by it. Add to that, my dad is very into physics, so my whole life he's been telling me of the newest discoveries going on out there in that land of beautiful mystery. So when I started teaching second graders about the constellations, it felt like destiny. It is for this reason, and this reason alone that I can get on board with the whole daylight-savings shenanigans and it getting dark so early. And now that it is officially nighttime by the time I leave work, I find myself thinking of my students and their parents very frequently. The moon for the past few nights has been extremely cool and each night I've thought, ooooohhhhh, I wonder if the kids have seen this tonight!!?? If you happen to be outside at night over the next week or so, please take a moment with your child to enjoy the beauty of the night sky and the changing moon phases. If you look closely, you can easily see the entire moon, even the dark parts, and if you can wrap your brain around it, it's highly cool to think about the fact that the part we're seeing is all because of the sunlight that is being reflected down to us. Additionally, there are some great constellations which are easily seen this time of year. Cassiopeia is one and Orion is another. Both of which the kids learned about at length in the Starlab. If you're familiar with the night sky, I know that I often see Pleiades, the seven sisters, this time of year as well, however they're a bit harder to find (if you're a Jimmy Buffett fan, I wonder if you're singing one of his songs right now along with me.....)

So, go stare at the stars and moon with your family, and while you're looking, please visualize a BEARS VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great weekend!