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Children love stars. Even more so, they enjoy searching for stars in the night sky. As a parent, you may want to teach your child a thing or two about constellations. To get started, you can show them how to find the North Star and explain to them the historical significance attached to it. Of course, this is something that science teachers may be interested in introducing to students as well.

There are many tricks for finding the North Star. Here are three steps in finding it that you should consider teaching to young children:

1. The easiest way to find the North Star is to first locate the Big Dipper – which is located in the northern part of the sky. As the name suggests, this looks like a big dipper, or ladle as the children may call it. It is a large formation of seven stars that are easily recognized because of their brightness and the formation.

2. Once you have found the Big Dipper, finding the North Star is simple. Find the two stars that form the edge of the Big Dipper cup, away from the handle. These are known as the pointer stars because when lined up they point directly at the North Star.

3. Follow an imaginary line through the stars and end up at the North Star.

Does it get any easier than that?

A lot of people think that the North Star is the brightest in the northern sky. Actually, it is not very bright, but it is easy to find because the stars that surround it are fairly dim relative to the North Star. For first timers, you should take the time to show them the way. This may not be easy to do the first time around, but once your children know what they are looking for it will become second nature to them to find it.

If you are interested in teaching your students or children about stars, it makes good sense to start with the North Star. This is among the most well known stars, so it is a great starting point. From there it becomes simple to point out all the other formations that are in the sky, including the Bear (formally known as Ursa Major), whose seven brightest stars form the Big Dipper.

While you are teaching how to find the North Star, it is a great time to explain its historical significance back to the time of Christ, through Columbus following it to find the New World and the slaves following it to find their way north on what became known as the Underground Railroad. A few of the other details that you may want to discuss include: star lives, star births, star deaths, and the significance of the stars in the sky.

There are lesson plans based around constellations and stars for children of all grade levels. No matter if you are dealing with first grade students or those in the upper grades of high school, the right lesson plans will help you get on the right track.

When teaching children how to find the North Star, make sure they are well aware of the three tips above and how to follow the steps from start to finish. With these tips, finding the North Star is a simple task. Some nights it will be easier to see than others, but for the most part you should able to find what you are looking for.

Finding constellations can be a lot of fun. By teaching children how to find the North Star at an early age, you can get them excited about astronomy and other related subjects.

Grace Mckenna writes on a wide range of topics concerning teaching, the school system, and particularly how the internet (aka the World Wide Web) impacts teachers and their interaction with the school, parents and children. More of her articles can be found at http://www.HomeroomTeacher.com