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Where can you find Leo the lion?

How can you bring a constellation into your room?

What are the oldest stars?

How did the Milky Way Galaxy get its name?

Now you can explore the answers to these and other questions in Janice VanCleave's Constellations for Every Kid. Find the constellations Draco, Libra, Hydra, Hercules, and many more from your own backyard. Make a star disk that can track star movements. Find out what a balloon can tell us about stars. With activities like making an astronomer's flashlight and a shoebox planetarium, Janice VanCleave's Constellations for Every Kid will have you reaching for the stars.

Each of the activities begins with a statement of purpose, followed by a list of materials, step-by-step instructions, expected results, and an easy-to-understand explanation. Every activity has been pretested and can be performed safely and inexpensively at home or in the classroom.

Also available in this series from Janice VanCleave:

• ASTRONOMY FOR EVERY KID
• BIOLOGY FOR EVERY KID
• CHEMISTRY FOR EVERY KID
• DINOSAURS FOR EVERY KID
• EARTH SCIENCE FOR EVERY KID
• ECOLOGY FOR EVERY KID
• GEOGRAPHY FOR EVERY KID
• GEOMETRY FOR EVERY KID
• THE HUMAN BODY FOR EVERY KID
• MATH FOR EVERY KID
• OCEANS FOR EVERY KID
• PHYSICS FOR EVERY KID

Customer Reviews (4)

A great book to start : kids or adults alike !!
I like this book because it gives only a couple important concepts in each chapter, therefore, makes it easier to learn without feeling overwhelmed. I also like how some important concepts are explained using concrete examples. For instance, the concept of "parallax (the apparent shift in position of an object when viewed from different places)" is explained in such a way that everyone can easily relates to "To understand ......palce your thumb near your nose, then look at it, closing one eye at a time. Your thumb seems to jump from side to side as you see a different background behind it. Stars, like your thumb, seem to move when viewed from differt positions."

I agree with other reviews that a brief story about each constellation will better fit the title of this book.

useful but limited
Janice VanCleave's "Constellations For Every Kid" is one of the books I used to teach an astronomy unit to the boys I help homeschool.It is quite limited in its scope -- containing only the northern constellations and no complete star maps -- but is very useful for basic constellation identification.I used it mostly as a source of seasonal star maps for the boys to copy.It also helpfully identifies some key stars in various constellations, and provides tips for finding various constellations once the positions of others are known.

However, this is about all the book is good for.The explanations of various phenomena are extremely limited, VanCleave provides none of the legends behind the constellations, and her suggested questions and activities are often impractical or pointless.(She also turned Saggitarius into some unholy thing she dubbed 'The Teapot.'Sheesh.)The book wavers between being a teacher's handbook and a student's textbook -- and fills neither purpose very well.

In other words, don't buy it.Skim through it and take any useful activities and explanations, but don't be too disappointed if you come away with only a few ideas.

Not what I hoped
This book is almost entirely about finding specific constellations in the sky.If that's what you want, then it's for you.It is not about constellations in general, nor does it have star stories.It only has afew "activities."I bought it to use in my classroom, buthaven't touched it.I have to wonder why I bought it, because I have thesame opinion of Janice VanCleave's books....they look good, but there isn'tall that much substance. I just had a weak moment!This one is worse thanusual.

Great book
My 7 year old daughter and I have had a great time with Constellations For Every Kid. Each chapter provides a "bite size" chunk of information, a stargazing opportunity, questions to reinforce what wastaught, and an astronomy-related activity. Other strong points includesimple but quality illustrations and helpful pronunciation guides. The bookcovers topics like the general motion of the sky, precession, ecliptic,variable stars, spectral types, folklore, as well as the names of the starsand consteallations clearly, with enough depth to be interesting but not somuch detail as to be overwhelming. In short, My daughter may not rememberall the specifics but she's getting the basic ideas and we're having fun inthe process. ... Read more

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The remarkably realistic and user-friendly Starry Night Pro DVD-ROM allows students to explorestars and objects in our cosmic neighborhood and beyond. The accompanying workbook offers twelveobservation assignments that guide students’virtual explorations of the night sky and helpthem apply what they’ve learned from the textreading assignments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Exactly What I Ordered
My only complaint is that the item didn't ship the day after I ordered it.Other than that, everything was exactly what I had ordered. ... Read more

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Explore the far reaches of the universe with these out-of-this-world projects!

Grab your space suit and helmet, step into the flight deck, and strap yourself in. You’re about to blast off from Earth to take an incredible tour of the Moon, the Sun, and the planets, plus galaxies, nebulae, and other wonders of space. Featuring more than 50 awesome hands-on activities, The Space Book introduces you to the surprises and mysteries that our solar system and outer space have to offer.You’ll observe Venus and mars, test your space IQ, find the Big Dipper and the North Star, calculate your weight on Pluto, and learn how to cover up a trillion stars with just one penny!You can even help scientists by searching for extraterrestrials from your home computer.So hold on for the ride of your life, check your seat belt one last time, and get ready for liftoff! ... Read more

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This volume reviews the state-of-the-art in understanding of solar active phenomena in the areas of key structures producing solar activity; initiation and development of transient activity; non-thermal phenomena in the Sun and the interplanetary medium and also flare prediction, and long-term solar variability forecast. A comprehensive view of solar activity is provided ranging from the fundamental physics associated with the origin, initiation and development of transient phenomena, to the more practical aspects related to the prediction of solar "weather" and "climate", which affect the solar-terrestrial system. Results from new missions have been presented. ... Read more

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With over 50 fuzzy felt pieces, a busy story and panoramic backdrop of a space adventure, children can create their own busy worlds time after time. ... Read more

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Presents a variety of astronomy projects, including creative writing and drawing assignments, modelmaking, sky observation, and experiments. ... Read more

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Helping children prepare for the learning challenges that lie ahead!

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Provides an introduction to astronomy, including information about the solar system, stars and constellations, and projects such as making a sundial. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Astronomy with attitude!
If anyone you know has ever wanted to learn about astronomy, or if you know of a teen who is taking astronomy in high school, this is the perfect book for them.It not only explains the facts in plain English, it alsohas plenty of jokes, cartoons, puns, and attitude to suit anyone.You'llactually enjoy reading this, and it will be a book you'll want to read andre-read.

Information and practical projects on astromony for 8-12 yrs
As an elementary school librarian I see many astronomy books.This is one of the best.It has everything I look for in a good non-fiction book as well as child appeal. It gives information on different topics in astronomy and has practical projects for kids to make or do. The kid's projects expand their understanding of the scientific content and are not too difficult to do. The page format is "browser friendly" with boxed facts, space photographs mixed with drawings, and plenty of white space between the lines.Including real kids of multi-ethnic backgrounds helps draw our students into wanting to do the projects. ... Read more

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Introduction to Astronomy activity lab manual. ... Read more