 Photo credit: www.Jewlicious.com By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.
In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore.
Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.
They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.
I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.
And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.
 Photo credit: www.presidentialsignatures.com Read more about the Thanksgiving Proclamation, at AbrahamLincolnOnline.org
Thanks to Toni, The Happy Housewife, for reminding me where it all began.
You will notice a couple of things about my menus. For one thing, I don’t like fish. Sorry. I have tried it, many forms, many times. I just can’t get myself to like it. I think it’s a texture thing. Secondly, after six years as an obese vegetarian, I realized that it’s not the right diet for everyone, and I am now a confirmed meat-lover. I share recipes that I have developed myself, but if I don’t share a recipe for something, it’s usually because I found it on the internet somewhere. Most likely, AllRecipes.com. I would LOVE it if you would share some of your favorite recipes with me too. I love to try new ones.
Monday: Grilled Ham and Cheese with Soup (Cooked by my 11 YO.)Tuesday: Lemon-Basil Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta and Sautéed Veggies Wednesday: Pot Roast, Green Beans and Creamer PotatoesThursday: Orange Chicken, Broccoli and Brown Rice (Cooked by my 14 YO.)Friday: Fend for yourself! (Leftovers)Saturday: Pollo a la Mexicana (Recipe below) with brown rice
Sunday: Spaghetti, with Italian Meatballs (my hubby’s recipe below) and Spinach salad.Oh, and you will find my FREE Menu-Planning Resources (shoppnig lists, menu planners) HERE. (Clicking will open a new window.) Javier’s Amazing Italian Meatballs
Ingredients
- ¾ pound ground beef
- ¾ pound Italian sausage
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup grated Parmesan/Romano cheese
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 cup milk
Directions
- Combine beef, sausage in a large bowl. Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
- Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add the milk 1/2 cup at a time. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape if rolled into meatballs.
- Shape into 1 ½ in. meatballs.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes. After this, I like to brown them under the broiler for 5 minutes, but Javier thinks this is unnecessary. I guess you will have to decide for yourself.
Pollo a la Mexicana (Mexican Chicken)
I created this recipe after we moved to Colorado from California, and I was missing my favorite Mexican restaurant, where I used to order this dish.
INGREDIENTS
Chicken and Sauce
- 2 tbsp. oil (I use coconut oil or grape seed oil---oils that are not corrupted at high temps.)
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (or 2 tsp. granulated garlic)
- 1 white onion peeled and chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper sliced (I prefer red or yellow. Seeds and stem removed)
- 2 cups (from a 29 oz. can) tomato sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (or for more heat, use chipotle chili powder!)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- Salt to taste (about 1 - 2 teaspoons.)
Rice
- 1 ½ cups brown rice (Just because it's healthier)
- 1 ½ cups water (add 1/8 cup more for high elevation)
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste (Optional. It will give the rice a reddish appearance)
- 2 tbsp. oil (I use coconut oil or grape seed oil---oils that are not corrupted at high temps.)
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. granulated garlic, or 1 clove fresh, minced.
- 1 tsp. cumin
- Salt to taste ( I use about a teaspoon)
Optional additions
- 10 - 12 corn or flour tortillas, warmed (optional)
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups sour cream (optional, garnish)
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups guacamole (optional, garnish)
Directions
- Put brown rice, water, broth and seasonings in to pot on high heat for cooking the rice. When the water boils, turn down the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. (Until most of the moisture has evaporated.)
- Cut chicken breasts into pieces. Trim off and discard excess fat. (I cut mine with scissors into bite-size pieces)
- Set a large frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add oil and tilt pan to coat bottom. Add chicken in a single layer and brown for 3 - 5 minutes.
- Add onion, garlic, and bell peppers to chicken pan; stir often and cook 3 - 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add broth, 2 cups tomato sauce, seasonings, and chopped cilantro. Simmer for 12 - 15 minutes, until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
- While chicken is simmering, remove tortillas from package and warm on a plate with a clean dish towel over them. We spray the towel with a little water from a squirt bottle to "steam" the tortillas in the microwave. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. If they are not warm enough, turn tortillas over, recover and cook on high for another 30 seconds.They can also be warmed on a skillet for a couple of minutes each.
- When the chicken is done, it looks lovely served on a platter over the rice, and garnished with 2-3 whole cilantro leaves. The guacamole and sour cream (2-3 tablespoons for each person) can be served on the side of each plate, to each person's taste.
Summer Menu Series, August 8 - 14
Monday:Chicken Enchiladas Verde (recipe below) & green salad
Tuesday: Crockpot Round Roast, new potatoes and cucumber vinaigrette
Wednesday:Chicken-Veggie Kabobs and corn on the cob
Thursday:Beef Stroganoff (with the leftover roast) whole grain noodles and green beans
Friday: Leftovers (Also affectionately known as FF: Fend-for-yourself Friday!)
Saturday: Chicken-veggie stir-fry, with a lemon-ginger sauce (Doesn't that sound yummy?) and brown rice
Sunday: Barbeque with friends. Potato salad (Recipe below) and fruit salad. Yum!
Chicken Enchiladas Verde
(A family favorite!)
Serves 8 - 10 people
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
INGREDIENTS
4 or 5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or even easier, a cooked chicken from the store!)
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or 2 tbsp of garlic from the jar
1 cup sour cream
2 cups mixed shredded cheddar & jack cheeses (or the "Mexican Blend" from the store)
1 tbsp dried cilantro or 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tbsp paprika
2 jars (about 3 cups) of your favorite green salsa (Target sells a good mild one by Archway Farms. Sometimes I make mine, because mild green salsa can be difficult to find, or you could use red salsa instead---but then, drop the "verde" from the name!)
1 bell pepper, chopped. (optional)
12 – 14 corn tortillas
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat, simmer chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. (or bake or boil 20 – 30 minutes) Drain excess fat.
2. Dice or shred the chicken and return it to the skillet. Add the onion, garlic, sour cream, 1 cup of the cheese mixture, cilantro, paprika and pepper. Heat until cheese melts. Stir in ½ of the salsa and bell pepper.
3. After coating the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with a little of the salsa, roll even amounts (about 1/3 of a cup) of the mixture into tortillas and arrange them in the dish (I do two columns of 6, with the last 2 wedged in between the columns.)
4. Cover with at least ½ jar of salsa (1 cup) and as much of the remaining cheese mixture as you like. (I use all of it!) Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 20 -25 minutes.
SUPER EASY German Potato Salad
(I get a lot of requests for this one!)
INGREDIENTS
10 red potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces & boiled until tender
1/2 large red onion, or 1 whole small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of dried dill
Thousand Island dressing (to taste) I like my salad "juicy" so I use 1 whole, small bottle (Usually Amy's Organic)
DIRECTIONS
Mix, chill and serve!
FREE Resources: Menu Planners & Shopping Lists
From Econobusters:
Free Menu Planning eBook
From OrgJunkie.com
Blank Menu Planner
Blank Grocery List Template (PDF)
From TheHomeschoolMom.com
Homeschool Planner & Menu Planner in One!
Menu Planner with To Do/Chore List
From KeepAndShare.com
Master Shopping List (PDF)
Glueten-Free Shopping List (PDF)
Lactose-Free Shopping List (PDF)
From LivingLocurto.com
FREE WEEKLY MEAL PLANS & RECIPES!
(Including shopping lists!)
Thank you for entering the HOTM Online Conference!A random number generator was used to determine the winning entrants. Winners will be contacted this week via email. Congratulations to those who won tickets to the HOTM Online Homeschool Conference, and thanks again for participating!.  .
Winner 1: Erin Rosencrantz
"I would love to hear all of them, but probably the most useful for us at the moment will be Kendra Fletcher's Preschoolers, Preparation, and Peace."
 .
Winner 2: Robin Day
New season for me. I'll have to say Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is the most relevant for right now. However, love Kendra Fletcher and always look forward to her wisdom.
 .Winner 3: Kim RodgersI see 4 that I would love to hear! Kendra Fletcher, Jamie Martin, Karen Metzger, and Dari Mullins. What a cool giveaway! Thanks Robin!
The HOTM Online Conference is August 8-12, 2011. You can register here at the price of $14.95 per ticket.
Speakers
Click on the names for more information about them.
Tyler Hogan: Bright Ideas Press
Kendra Fletcher: Author of Preschoolers and Peace
“Science Jim” Mueller: Author of Bite-Size Physics
Jamie Martin: Author of Steady Days
Leigh Bortins: Founder of Classical Conversations
Bethany LeBedz: Author of Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom
Maggie Hogan: Owner of Bright Ideas Press
Attorney David Gibbs: Homeschool Legal Advantage Attorney
Karen Metzger: Homeschool mom and speaker
Dr. Jay Wile: Author of the “Exploring Creation with” series
Terri Johnson: Founder of Knowledge Quest
Bonita Lillie: Author of Hands-On Essays
Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau: Author of Suddenly Homeschooling
Karen Metzger: Homeschool mom and speaker
Dari Mullins: Author of Galloping the Globe  To Enter: Simply leave a comment telling me at least one session you would be interested in. I will use a random number generator to pick the three winners on Sunday, June 19th. Winners will be notified Monday, June 20th.
Go over to the Conference page to see details about the speakers. Click on each speaker’s name to see specifics about the seminars offered.
Thanks for reading. Please, keep telling me what you like!
The HOTM Online Conference is August 8-12, 2011. You can register here at the price of $14.95 per ticket.
DISCOVER SPANISH GIVEAWAY
Are you looking for a great ‘Learn to Speak Spanish’ program for your kids, 6th grade and up? Language Treks is offering their award winning software program, “Discover Spanish”, FREE in the Discover Spanish Homeschool Contest!
It’s Easy To Enter and Win:
Become a fan of ours on Facebook at our Language Treks page. Send us a message in our message box, “DISCOVER SPANISH for HOMESCHOOLERS”.
You are now entered!
Additional Entry Options:
 If you would like to enter more than once and increase your chances to win, you
can...
1. Post or add a comment at our Language Treks Facebook page.
2. Send us a friend request for Johnny Spanish on Facebook. (Johnny is the main character in the Discover Spanish learning system.) He has his own friend page.
3. Post or add a comment on the Johnny Spanish page.
4. Follow Johnny Spanish on our new twitter.
 5. Follow Language Treks on our new twitter.
6. Now that’s a lot of ways to add more entries and increase the odds!! To ensure we record all the times you have entered, you MUST message us at the Language Treks Facebook page and tell us what additional ways you entered. For example; “Hi, I’m Jane Homeschooler... I’ve entered the Discover Spanish for Home Schoolers contest and I also completed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 for even more chances to win.”
Contest Information:
Entries will be accepted until midnight, Tuesday, May 31, 2011. Winner will be announced June 1st, 2011.
NOTE: This contest is open to only homeschoolers in U.S.A. & Canada.
I had the opportunity to review the Discover Spanish program. To read my review, click HERE.
Develop imagination, a fondness for reading and telling stories.
Comic strips are a perfect vehicle for learning and practicing language. Each strip’s three or four panels provide a finite, accessible world in which funny, interesting looking characters live and go about their lives. And readers with limited reading skills are not as overwhelmed in dealing with the size of a comic strip as they can be with a book of many pages.
Only few words are required for the characters to go about their lives and reveal their stories. Comic strips also don’t require long sentences or paragraphs to tell a good story. And, anyone who sees a blank talk or thought balloon floating over the head of a character wants immediately to fill it in with words and thoughts; doing so is the beginning step to tell a story. My own love of comics began when I was a Child.
Back then, the very best day of the week was Sunday mornings when my dad left home early to bring back an armload of newspapers, all with their glorious color comics sections. The funnies were my paradise – I’d spend the morning going over each strip, following the adventures of my favorite characters. I’d look at the dazzling illustrations, be drawn into their colorful worlds and be challenged to decipher the letters in the white balloons coming from the characters’ mouths or floating above their heads. And with help from my father, I’d try my best to sound out the words in the talk balloons and make sense of the stories they told.
This, then, is how I first began learning how to read and to think imaginatively. The comic characters I saw and later copied became my friends and family, and I began to realize that reading could be fun and open up new worlds to me. I also began creating my own comic stories.
I grew up to become a journalist and newspaper editor, and author of many books that help young people find their writer’s voice. Not long ago I launched a new web site – http://www.makebeliefscomix.com -- where people of all ages can create their own comic strips – and in doing so, practice their language skills and have fun as well. Tap into creativity with free online tools.
By giving youngsters a choice of fun animal and human characters with different emotions – happy, sad, angry, worried – as well blank thought and talk balloons to fill in with their written words, and some story prompts to spark ideas, youngsters will be able to tap into their creativity to tell stories and create their own graphic stories. (By the way you don’t have to use a web comic strip creator, you can just encourage your children to draw their own characters if they wish.)
Our best educators understand that playing is learning. Parents and teachers can use the process of creating comic strips to encourage youngsters to practice language, reading, writing, and communication skills. For those who teach young and old how to read and write or to learn English as a second language, an online comics generating site can be an invaluable tool in achieving these objectives. A parent or teacher, for example, could put together a comic strip with characters and blank thought or talk balloons, print it out, and ask children to fill in the balloons with words and narration. Better yet, a student can choose his or her own characters and develop stories alone or with a partner. One teacher I know who was teaching prepositional phrases had her students use online comics to include sentences with such phrases. Having to write sentences for characters to speak provides an engaging way to practice sentence structure and learn grammar.
Develop communication and vocabulary skills.
Educational therapists or parents who teach deaf, learning disabled, and kids with special needs, as well as trauma victims, also use comic strips to help their youngsters understand concepts and develop communication skills.
Comic strips are a great way for children to practice new vocabulary words and to practice dialogue in different situations. A child, for example, who may be having trouble with another child at school can use the comic to come up with words and actions to help him deal with this problem or practice dialogue for the child to use when a real-life situation arises. In effect, the comic characters can serve as surrogates for youngsters to work out different problems.
A student reading a novel or short story, could also storyboard the stories in comic strip form, or use the strip to keep developing the story after the book ends. A comic created can also be the beginning of a much longer written story, too. Creating comic strips with your children also encourages parents and children to work jointly and communicate effectively in creating something new.
Ideas to get your budding comic-writer started.
Some ideas for comic strips: Make believe that your animal characters can talk to each other or read each other’s thoughts. They can joke and have great adventures together. Or, imagine they could tell a beautiful love story. How would it go? How about a comic strip retelling a favorite fairy tale?
What about a comic strip in which a character writes a poem or sings a song to another? Or make believe a character could say the words to heal all people. What are the words your character would use? How about a comic strip in which characters throw the most fun party in the world. Where would it be? Whom would you invite? Or, maybe your party turns into a disaster. What happens?
Or, what if your characters could be bold and brave for a day. Just what great deeds would they do? Make believe your character could pass on a message to another, and that character passes the message on to another, and so on. How would the original message keep changing?
Here are a few other make-believe subjects: You could write these on 3 X 5 cards, or on individual sheets of paper and give them to students to write or draw about:
...Make believe you planted your dreams. What would you hope to grow?
...Make believe that with the snap of your fingers you could change yourself. How or what would you become?
...Make believe someone gave you a golden treasure box. What would you place in it?
...Make believe that you could talk with a character from a favorite book. Who would that be? What would you both talk about?
...Make believe you were given a characteristic of some animal you loved. Would animal would you choose and which animal trait would you like to have?
...Make believe that your meal consisted only of flowers. What would you have for dinner this summer?
...Make believe that you could develop a new flower or herb that has special powers to bring peace to our world. What would it look like? What would you name it? Where would you plant it? How would its powers be released?
...Make believe that you could create a new season so very different from those we know. What would your season be like, and what would you call it?
...Make believe you had a net to catch a favorite moment in your life. Which would it be? Please, share your work!
After completing each comic strip on the computer, a child can print it out and color and create her own comix library, or email the strip to a friend or relative. She can also use the comic strip to create personalized greeting card stories for family and friends and to celebrate special times in their lives. Wouldn’t you like to receive one on your own birthday or when you're in need of cheering up?
I hope you will try out makebeliefscomix.com with your children and send me feedback on the experiencing of creating comic strips. My email address is: wmz@aol.com About the Author:
 A journalist and prize-winning newspaper editor, Bill Zimmerman is the creator of MakeBeliefsComix.com (http://www.makebeliefcomix.com), a free web site which offers fun characters with different emotions, blank thought and talk balloons to fill in with words, and story prompts to help children along in creating comic strips. For many years he created an interactive, syndicated Student Briefing Page for Newsday newspaper to teach young people about current events that was nominated twice for a Pulitzer Prize. At Newsday, Bill also created a series of comic books to teach history and current events to young readers. Bill also has written 19 books which are aimed at helping people find their writers’ voices. They are featured on his other web site: www.billztreasurechest.com. His latest is ‘’Your Life in Comics: 100 Things for Guys to Write and Draw,’’ an interactive comic book for reluctant boy writers/readers. His work has been featured on the Today Show, PBS's acclaimed Ancestors Series, in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and such magazines as Family Circle, Parents, Esquire, Business Week, and Essence.)
Save Magic City A story of hope, action and adventure as 13th Century Edmund the magician lands in the present-day USA. A fantasy where medieval times meets modern times.
A City in a recession: The corporation employing the townspeople has left, the bank’s foreclosures have created whole streets of empty houses, and people are leaving in droves. With the help of the children and Edmund’s magic, they save their beloved city.
The Story Behind "Save Magic City"  By Auhor Rocsanne Shields
While I was working for a big corporation, ten-hour-days seemed the only way of keeping up with the work load. However, after retiring, I got lots of time to look around me and take stock of the changes that had taken place while I worked.
The world is dominated by corporations who conduct their business in a globalized way. They change work forces the way we, plain humans, change clothes. The process of finding new jobs entails such stress that families split and children suffer.
I believe firmly that people should help each other when misfortune strikes; the need to put something on paper became an obsession. How to help people in a small community, where the major work supplier left and has taken their living means away?
Leo, eight, needs a father figure, to love and grow to resemble. Edmund fills the role to perfection. Leo is the glue; he unites all the characters around their common goal -- to save their town from death.
 Squirrel, a vivacious girl of eight, is one of Leo's best friends, and she is always there to help with communications among teams. Through Edmund's cooperation, she finds the courage to tell everybody about her talent. Without her effort, the town's children would have been left to perish by their abductor.
Raccoon, the oldest of the trio of friends, is calm and ponderous and lives most of the time he is not with his friends in front of a computer. He helps the grownups with their problems with the Internet and sets up the website for their town. He also is the one to find, through the Internet, a lawyer to volunteer his services for the problems that are sure to crop up in their strife for a new, independent life.
The town becomes a unit and they might as well adopt the Musketeers' logo -- one for all and all for one. The children surely live by that. To read their story, go to my website, www.rocsanneshield.com. You will find an excerpt of "Save Magic City"; if you are intrigued to hear more, you can purchase my book there as well. Save Magic City is also available for purchase at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.
"Save Magic City" is an excellent book for adults who want to teach their children the importance of caring for each other and the environment they live in. My book makes great reading and you will, I hope, tell others about it too.
About the Author, Rocsanne Shields Rocsanne was born in Romania many years ago, when communism was still the way of life in her country. She desired to escape the communism and find more about a freer way of life in the West. For this, she left Romania as a tourist, and never looked back. Her education includes Geological Engineering and Construction Estimating, thus being able to find work wherever she went. During all these years she wrote short stories, mostly about the people she met, finding them extremely interesting. But always she was sure she will write a novel someday.
We hear a lot about “space” in the pop media, but we mostly see pretty pictures taken by the Space Shuttle or the Hubble Space Telescope. Meanwhile, a lot of people would like just go outside and look at the night sky, to explore the mysteries of astronomy with their own eyes, rather than just look at pictures on the computer.
Learning the sky poses many challenges, particularly for the total novice. For people who live near big cities, the sky isn’t much to see from their own backyards. Most of the stars are hidden behind the glow of the streetlights, and only a handful of the brightest stars can peek out feebly through this haze.
Also, most average people today don’t know a lot about the sky. We hear that astronomy is the oldest science, and has a long, rich tradition, but we don’t hear very much about that, or how to understand and appreciate that history. Maybe you’d like to learn about the sky with your homeschooled kids, but have no idea where to begin. What’s a mom to do?
First, Do Your Homework!
The first thing you can do is try to find out what’s up there! Familiarize yourself with the constellations for the current season before venturing outside. You’ll want to find an effective depiction of the sky that will help you get a sense of which stars are actually visible. Useful tools include star maps, computer programs, and live planetarium shows. Be careful when selecting a star map! Many maps do not adequately indicate which stars are brighter than others, so you have no way of telling the difference. Other maps present complicated “connect the dot” patterns between stars, and this only adds to the confusion when you can’t see such patterns in the night sky. Avoid the common “star finder” planispheres, since these don’t give an accurate impression of the sky and are confusing for a beginner to figure out. A very good star map is included in each issue of Sky & Telescope magazine, available on most newsstands and bookstores. Also, you can also learn a lot by experimenting with astronomy software. An excellent program is Stellarium, which can be downloaded for free at http://www.Stellarium.org. Also, there is much to learn from a live planetarium show, which usually includes a demonstration of the stars currently visible in the evening sky. By reviewing the brightest stars and their patterns beforehand, you can learn to recognize some constellations before stepping outside! There are only first-magnitude stars, which are the brightest. These stars have names that are usually indicated on the star maps. Get to know the stars by name! Can you learn 15 stars over the span of a year? If so, you can learn a lot of constellations! Learn What You Can From Home
Can you see any stars at all from your house? If so, pick a clear, warm, moonless night to pitch a blanket in the backyard for a family star night. Otherwise, go to a nearby park or other open place. With everyone laying down and looking up, spot the constellations you learned from the star map. Identify the brightest stars and use those to find the patterns of the constellations.
The Big Dipper and Orion are the most famous constellations. If you know these or any others, start with those and then learn the ones nearby. For example, if you already know the Big Dipper, try to find nearby Cassiopeia! Or if you know Orion, try to learn nearby Taurus and Gemini.
If you learn the “neighbors” of the constellations you already know, you can expand outwards into the whole sky. As the seasons pass and new constellations roll into the evening sky, you can rack up quite a number just by learning the neighbors of the neighbors!
Don’t worry if you can’t find every single constellation shown on a star map. There are some “fill-in-the-blank” constellations, formed of faint stars, that are hard to spot even from a clear, dark rural sky. Most star maps include these faint constellations, which adds to the confusion for beginners. If you focus on only the constellations that have bright stars with names, you can learn a whole lot without trying very hard.
Here’s a tip for mom! If you’re busy with everyday homeschooling, delegate the star-finding chores to dad! A lot of dads are interested in astronomy, and this is one subject that dad can tackle to get more involved with the family’s home education.
Here’s another tip! If you have little kids, get them looking! Little kids are very observant and notice things that adults miss (especially the dads!) They are also very good at recognizing shapes and patterns, and they can teach the older kids and the parents!
Best tip yet! Don’t run out and buy a telescope. Learn the stars first, and look through someone else’s eyepiece before deciding to buy. Instead, buy a pair of binoculars. You can use binocs to look at the sky and also other things like birds and sporting events.
Planning a Stargazing Outing
Once you’ve learned to spot a few constellations from home, head out somewhere under the real dark skies! Does your family like to camp? Plan to add some stargazing to your next campout! If you can learn some constellations from the city, you will be ASTOUNDED at how bright they appear from under some pristine, velvety-black rural skies. Also, you might have better success spotting all those faint “fill-in-the-blank” constellations shown on the star map that you couldn’t find from home.
When planning a rural astronomy event, it is crucial to schedule around the phase of the Moon. Even a little moonlight spoils the velvet-black quality of the night sky. Never plan sky watching around the Full Moon! Instead, plan an event near the New Moon, or at least after Last Quarter, when the Moon rises late at night. These Moon phases are indicated on most wall calendars. Also, try to plan around meteor showers, which are excellent sky sights!
For a one-night sky experience, find a local astronomy club in your area. Such clubs are everywhere, and most have monthly public telescope observing nights. These clubs include many veteran astronomers that would LOVE to give your family a tour of the sky and answer everyone’s questions. Ask about scheduling a night for your entire homeschool group to attend. Spend time looking through their telescopes before deciding to buy one of your own.
 Astronomy ResourcesThere are a great number of astronomy resources for learning the sky. You can start with Sky & Telescope magazine, which has been helping people learn the sky for over 70 years. Visit their website at: SkyandTelescope.com. Also visit their “Community and Organizations” page to find an astronomy club, planetarium or observatory near you
Classical Astronomy is an astronomy site especially for Christian homeschoolers. Stay informed of upcoming astronomy events by subscribing to our FREE email newsletter. Also, check out Signs & Seasons, our homeschool curriculum that includes information for learning the constellations. Visit ClassicalAstronomy.com and find us on Facebook!
Thanks to all who commented (entered) the drawing for iPhone apps from Kiboomu!
The following three people won ALL FOUR of these fabulous apps just by leaving a comment! There were nine comments, in total. A random number generator was used to determine the winning entrants. Winners will be contacted this coming week via email. Thanks again for participating! Winner #1: Gayle!
Winner #2: Amanda!
Winner #3: Ali!
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