Outdoor Skills · Ages 6 and up

Stars and Sky

Track the Moon, find the North Star, and learn the star pictures of each season.

On a clear night the sky is a map, a clock, and a storybook all at once. The 1911 Handbook for Boys described the stars “as seen with the naked eye,” and the 1913 book How Girls Can Help Their Country showed how to tell time by the stars. All you need is your eyes, a dark spot, and a little patience.

Things to try

In any order, at your own pace. Tick what you've tried if you like keeping track; ticks stay on this device.

Keep a Moon journalEvery clear evening for one month, draw the Moon's shape and note the time and where it is in the sky. Learn the names of the phases. A good goal: you have a month of drawings.
Find the Big Dipper and the North StarOn a clear night, find the Big Dipper. Follow the two stars at the front of its bowl, the “pointers,” upward to the North Star (Polaris). A good goal: you can show a grown-up which way is north using the North Star.
Track the Sun safelyNever look straight at the Sun. Instead, mark where the shadow of a pole or post falls at the same time each week for a month and watch it change. A good goal: you can explain how the Sun's path shifts with the seasons.
Learn five star picturesLearn five constellations or star patterns from the table, as many as your season allows. Sketch each one with dots and lines. A good goal: you can find five in the real sky.
Make a star viewerPoke a constellation's pattern into the bottom of a paper cup or a can with a pushpin, then hold it up to a lamp or point a flashlight through it onto the ceiling. A good goal: you've made viewers for three constellations.
Spot a planetCheck a sky calendar to see which planets are visible this month, then find one. Planets usually shine with a steadier light than stars. A good goal: you've found a planet and written down where it was.
Watch for meteorsWith a grown-up, watch a meteor shower such as the Perseids (peaking around August 12) or the Geminids (around December 13–14). Lie back in a dark spot and count. A good goal: you've watched for at least 20 minutes.
Measure light pollutionLook through a paper-towel tube at the same part of the sky from two places, such as your porch and a darker spot. Count the stars you see each time. A good goal: you can explain why one place showed more.
Host a star partyInvite your family out for a star party and show them the North Star and two constellations. A good goal: someone else can find the North Star after your lesson.

Star patterns by season (evening sky, Northern Hemisphere)

Pattern	Best season	How to spot it
Big Dipper	All year (highest in spring)	Seven bright stars shaped like a ladle; part of the Great Bear
Cassiopeia	All year (highest in fall)	A W or M shape on the other side of the North Star from the Big Dipper
Leo	Spring	A backward question mark (the lion's mane) with a triangle for the tail
Summer Triangle	Summer	Three bright stars: Vega, Deneb, and Altair
Scorpius	Summer	A curving hook low in the south, with the reddish star Antares
Orion	Winter	Three stars in a row make the belt, between four bright corner stars

Read about it in the old books

Teddy Rook Book is not affiliated with or connected to any scouting or youth organization. These pages are free ideas to use however you like.