Local people, did you know you can go to the West Chester University Planetarium? They have monthly events open to the public BUT you have to get tickets, which are quite affordable at $5 (They sell out fast!). You can’t take your family to see a movie for that price! Plus you never know if our next scientist is growing up in your home, just waiting to have their interest piqued by an event like this. They also accommodate field trips so if your family is part of a homeschool group why not organize an outting? We paid $2 per ticket for ours.
Have fun learning about the night sky at your local planetarium with your family then go home and see what you can find in your own backyard or neighborhood park. Today we learned where constellations got their names, what planets we can see, how to tell the difference between stars, planets and airplanes (I have no idea how many itmes my kids have screeched THAT STAR IS MOVING!). We also learned more about how the position of the sun throughout the year affects our seasons. Over all it was an excellent learning experience.
One of the things I thought was really amazing was the technology they use. She explained that most planetariums now use digital software to run their planetarium but they still have the old equipment. I personally thought it was pretty cool to see the “outdated technology”. It just has so much more of a WOW factor hearing about the cables and gears and lights that run the show than the new little “computer boxes”.
The program was great for adults and my 8 year old loved it. The 6 year old was great through most of it and the 4 year old made it but was a bit bored about 30 minutes in.
You can check out dates, times, and details HERE.
Not local? Check your local university to see what opportunities they may have to offer or if they can recommend a planetarium in your area.
Some not so inexpensive planetariums but great trip experiences are –
Hayden Planetarium – NYC
Clark Planetarium – Salt Lake City
Adler Planetarium – Chicago
Griffith Observatory – Los Angeles
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