Began with a Bang
Scientists say it all began with a bang. A bang that sprang the universe into existence. Fast forward to today and we, on our little blue and green planet, look upon our night sky in awe. For centuries we have gazed in wonder at the pinpricks of light that dance gracefully across the heavens.
The stars spin slowly through the sky
The child looked up and to her twinkling eye
The stars were fairies
Frolicking up there
Where ancient peoples had seen stories
Etched in the sky
Stories of gods, heroes, monsters
Marching across the heavens
The astronomers saw stories too,
Stories of flaming spheres of gas
Of elliptical orbits
Of a universe, more grand, more vast
Than any may imagine
The child, the ancient cultures, the astronomers;
All have been captivated, enthralled,
With the pinpricks of light
That spin slowly through our night
Yesterday they learned about planets. Today they learn about something even bigger – stars. The kids in LBA’s summer program get to learn about the stars and constellations that have been in our skies for centuries.
After learning about stars and constellations the kids write in their journals about what a constellation is, and draw one on the top of their page.
Crafts include glow-in-the-dark stars painted onto mason jars and a shooting star mobile out of yarn, paper plates, and yellow construction paper. Once their shooting star mobiles are made, the kids play a constellation game, and then write about their favorite constellations.
Today these kids learned about the stars that have been studied and marveled at since the dawn of time, since the day when scientists say it all began with a bang.
