One of the things I covered in the children’s schooling recently was an Astronomy Homeschool Unit Study. Of course, this is a large but important aspect of science that the kids must learn.
I love to go about teaching larger chunks of information like this by teaching it in more ways than one. In other words, instead of just reading it to the kids and quizzing them on it later, I like to have them read books suited for their age, watch movies/shows, journal, etc. Below is an organized list on how I went about this Astronomy Homeschool Unit Study with my children.
Astronomy Homeschool Unit Study
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Astronomy Books We Read
Of course, one of the most significant sources of information for this Astronomy Homeschool Unit Study came from books. Below is a list of all the books we utilized during our weeks of studying this topic. We found most of these books at our local library. If you go HERE, you can get your “Books I’ve Read” printable and fill in 19 out of the 42 slots! It’s a great way to track what the kids have read for the year and even a fun way for them to look back on all the learning they did.
- Where is our Solar System
- I Didn’t Know That You Can Jump Higher On The Moon
- I Am Neil Armstrong
- When is a Planet Not a Planet
- The Nature Company Discoveries Library Stars and Planets
- Can I See My House From Space?
- There’s No Place Like Space
- Once Upon a Starry Night – A Book of Constellations
- The Librarian Who Measured The Earth
- Take it Apart Space Shuttle
- You’d Never Believe it but..There’s a Great Bear in the Sky and Other Facts About Stars
- Cars on Mars Roving the Red Planet
- DK Eyewitness Books – Astronomy
- The Ultimate Book of Space
- Let’s Read and Find Out Science: What the Moon is Like
- National Geographic Little Kids First big book of space
- The Magic School Bus Chapter Book – Space Explorers
- Magic School Bus Seeing Stars: Lost in the Solar System, Out of This World
Astronomy Printables We Used
Printables are always a fun way for kids to learn more facts and fun ideas about a subject. Here are the printables we used for our unit study!
Planet Bookmarks With Facts – These bookmarks have facts about astronomy that kids will find fascinating. This printable prints four bookmarks per sheet of paper and they allow children to color them on and make them their own.
Space Number Mats – For the younger ones that might not be able to grasp the entirety of the space and astronomy concepts, these printable mats are perfect. With an adorable space theme, kids can learn how to count while using their imagination about space.
Copywork Astronomy Workbook – This adorable workbook allows kids to learn facts about space while learning how to write. With trace the letters and coloring pages included, this little workbook is perfect for teaching the basics of space.
Astronomy Journaling Pages – This printable is space themed and functions as notebook pages so kids can journal about what they’ve learned, what they would like to learn, and their experiences or thoughts in general about astronomy while learning it. We journaled on most of the days that we read a book.
Planet Fact Fans – These are a fun craft to help kids learn about the planets. There’s no better way to learn than through fun!
Art Projects for Astronomy
What better way to learn than utilize some art projects? Images and visual works can often help teach certain aspects of a subject that might not be sticking from other modes of learning. Here are a few we utilized and found on Pinterest. There are a ton more where these came from as well so don’t be afraid to search for more that suit your needs!
Moon Phases Glue Resist Watercolor Painting Activity
Sticker Stars and Chalk Constellations
Astronomy Videos and Other Products Used
One of our favorite ways to fill in the gaps for learning any subject, even this Astronomy Homeschool Unit Study, is utilizing videos. We jumped on YouTube and weren’t disappointed with all the information-rich videos we found there. Also, The Magic School Bus had three different videos that were very useful in this unit study.
A couple of products we also found useful activity books that are your basic, average, everyday sticker/coloring book. These made it fun and gave some relaxing time for the kids but, still taught them some things at the same time. Our two favorites were the Super Space Activity Book and Space Factivity Sticker Book.
Overall, the kids learned a lot and, I have to say, I learned some too! The various books, printables, and projects or activities I listed are what we used to put together the best Astronomy Homeschool Unit Study for our kids and it was a great success. Enjoy!
