International Space Station

Tonight I had read that we were going to be able to see the International Space Station overhead right before the kids went to bed.  I tried to remember the time and even thought to set a timer, but never did. Luckily, my six year old chose to read Little Bear tonight and while reading the story, Little Bear Goes to the Moon, I jumped out of bed, and forced everyone outside to look at the night sky.

At first all I could hear were complaints about how cold the boys were in their pajamas, but once we spotted the International Space Station moving across the sky, I didn't hear anymore complaints.  We explained to the boys that astronauts live in the Space Station so that they can learn all different kinds of things about space.  Once my three year old heard this he told us that he wants to do that.  I am not surprised!

When the International Space Station was out of sight we went in the house and I looked for our space book that describes the space station.  I don't know how I found it so quickly, but I did and the boys were thrilled to see the illustrations of the International Space Station, astronauts, and solar panels.

See Inside Space is an informational lift the flap book by Katie Daynes and illustrated by Peter Allen.  The pages in this book are sturdy, colorful, and full of all kinds of information on space.  There is a whole page that folds out to show the planets in the solar system, another page that shows a timeline of important events in time that shaped our knowledge of space, and even a small booklet that holds information on when to look for certain stars and constellations in the sky.  The back of the book also includes a link to more information on space.

After looking at the book, my husband went to the NASA website to find some more information and photographs of the International Space Station.  Amazing!

What a fantastic teachable moment tonight!