If you are anything at all like me when it gets cold and dark (three words: December in Canada) all I want to do is listen to my instincts to curl up and hibernate–and that means stuffing my face and staying inside doing diddly squat. BUT (if you don’t want to gain a pile of
>A constellation is a group of stars with a story to go with them. Usually, if you look at the group of stars, you can also make a shape by connecting the stars. (See the Big Dipper below.) The nice thing about winter is that it gets dark early, making it easier to stay up
>On a cold night in the winter, sometimes you can see aurora borealis in the sky to the north. Make this a family activity: Admire the northern lights together. This activity promotes an awareness of the Earth’s atmosphere and the beauty of nature.
>Take a look at the stars. If you don’t have a telescope, try binoculars. Learn more about stars and planets at your local observatory (a place with a large, high-powered telescope—sometimes they have nights where the general public can come and look through their big telescopes), in an astronomy book or online. The best viewing
>Happy birthday, Canada! It’s Canada Day today! Let’s watch the fireworks display! If you live in Canada, find out if your local city or town is having a fireworks display tonight. If you are in the United States, wait until July 4th (Independence Day) to see where and when the displays will be. As well,
>Is it dark out? If you are somewhere dark and it isn’t too cloudy, step outside and see if you can spot a shooting star. According to NASA, shooting stars aren’t really shooting stars. They are meteors which are bits of rock that have fallen off comets or asteroids. They are often very small (like
>Arrrrrrrooooooooooooooooooooooo! It’s a full moon tonight, perfect for a little moon howling. Warm up your best howl, it’s time! This activity promotes enjoying the unusual.