Early Childhood Activity Bank

Starry Science

Talk about the sky and what children see there. Spend time outdoors listing all the things children see in the sky. (Don't forget the planes and helicopters, and the birds and bugs students see there too.) Discuss why stars aren’t visible during daylight. 

• Talk about the sun (but caution children about looking at the sun) and its relationship to Earth. The sun keeps the planet warm, provides light, and can provide energy too. Depending on the level of the children, discuss the fact that the sun is always shining, that the earth turns.
• Explain that the sun is a star, just like the stars children see at night. It looks so big because it is close to Earth. The stars seen at night are far, far, far away.
• Help children begin to understand that stars (the sun included, of course) are huge balls of burning gas (for very young children, "balls of fire"). A sunburn is evidence of the sun's heat and power.

FIND MORE ACTIVITIES

Find more activities for early childhood classrooms in these archives:

• Early Childhood Activities: By Time of Year
• Early Childhood Activities: By Subject

ABOUT SUE LaBELLA

Sue LaBella, Education World's former early childhood editor, is a former teacher who loves writing activities and poems for young children. She lives in Connecticut with her family and her bulldog named Daisy.

Activities by Sue LaBella
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07/14/2015