Find books at your local library that will help you identify astronomical objects and events. Bringing along a pair of good binoculars is a terrific way to see greater detail, and there are books specifically dedicated to the use of binoculars while star gazing.

Being far away from artificial light is essential for a clear view of the night sky, so choose your location carefully. Be aware also of the artificial light you may be using yourself such as flashlights because it can take a half hour for your eyes to adjust for optimal sight. Using a red flashlight or making sure any light you are using is as dim as possible will help.

Everyone will learn more and have more fun if you are comfortable so bring appropriate clothing if the evening may be chilly. Also consider bringing chairs, snacks, drinks, and any other items that make the experience a more pleasurable (and memorable) one.

Venus: Venus was named for Rome’s love goddess. Venus was thought to be the most beautiful planet of all and was named Venus for that reason.

Mercury: Mercury was given its name because it seemingly moved so fast. Mercury was the God of travel for Romans.

Earth: Earth is the only planet not named for a God of Rome or Greece. Earth originates from the Anglo Saxon word erde and evolved into Earth from that word.The whole story can be found at http://infinitynow.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/r-i-p-steve-jobs-the-astrology-of-apple-ceo-by-tara-greene/

Mars: Mars received its name due to its red color. Mars means God of War to the Romans, which is why they named the planet Mars.

Jupiter: Romans named Jupiter after one of their most revered Gods. Jupiter’s large size inspired the name.

Saturn: Saturn was named by the Greeks for their God of farming who was the father of Zeus.

Uranus: This planet received its name from the Grecian God of the sky.

Neptune: Due to Neptune’s blue color, Rome named Neptune after the God of the Sea.

Pluto: Pluto was given its name because of its farthest location. Rome named Pluto after the God of the underworld who has the ability to become invisible.

The Earth is the densest body in the solar system.The full explanation can be found at http://www.livescience.com/16233-primordial-gases-deep-earth-reveal-planet-formed.html That means it’s the heaviest out of any of the planets and that has to do with the many layers of our planet. The core and the mantle are the heaviest out of the layers, with the crust being the lightest. The crust contains all of the land and oceans that are visible on earth, so that gives you an idea of how heavy the mantle and core must be to hold everything up.

Earth has one satellite, or one piece of rock or debris that spins around us. We all this sattelite the Moon and we see it nearly every night. Although we are not the largest planet in the solar system, there are still a lot of very interesting things about the Earth to learn. Knowing where we are in the solar system is important to help us learn about what’s around us.

Huntsville, AL: An unlikely spot for one of the biggest space centers in the world but Huntsville is also the most interactive place on the list. There’s a full-scale rocket right out back and tons of things to touch and explore inside the space center itself.

Kennedy Space Center: The flagship of the NASA space centers, Kennedy takes some advance planning to get into. Book your tour ahead of time and remember that it’s so high tech it may be more impressive to your older kids than the younger.

Houston Space Center: Houston is the largest of all the NASA space ports and there’s a great interactive tour offered every day of the week. There’s a lot for kids to see here and a lot of history, too.

One great way to explore the solar system and the planets is to make a model of them. This gets some hands on experience while learning. You can build this out of food and then your children are able to explore and learn through their taste buds.

Another great way to get them excited about learning is to take them on a trip to the local planetarium. Not only will the field trip be exciting, but the will lots of fun and never know they are learning!

If you’re low on funds then try making a mural that everyone is involved in. You can assign groups and each group has to come up with a different way to represent one of our planets; as well as the moon.

With a little imagination and a lot of fun, you can get kids interested in learning. And you can teach them all the important things they need to know.

There they will get to enjoy not only being around other children, but also being able to learn while having a heck of a lot of fun! At space camp they often have simulators as to what is like to be an astronaut. This seems to be a favorite among many children. And where this may seem like just a lot of fun, they are also learning about 0 gravity and what the astronauts actually experience.

Often times you will find that they will even bring out a little space food for the children to sample. Normally they are a little excited, but also a bit nervous because of how bland it looks. But shockingly surprised to find out it’s not that bad!

So if you haven’t considered letting your children go to space camp this summer then I suggest you take a second look at it.

There is a solid middle line where both can be explained. If you are looking for a heavenly outlook on science then I suggest you take the bible as well as your science book and you merge the two. Explain to your children that God create all that we see and feel, and all that we don’t. This doesn’t mean that you need to do away with that science book.

With that science book you can help your child explore all the wonderful things God created for everyone of his children. So pull both out and explain to them first how everything came about, making sure they understand fully. Then pull out that big science book and explore together all the wonderful things about our solar system.

One of my favorite places to teach children about our planet is our local conservatory or planetarium. Not only does this serve as a great outing or field trip, as well as being exciting for the children, but it also is a great educational resource! With this they get to experience our solar system with their hands, senses, eyes and ears! Heck you could even incorporate some taste in there and get all five senses. Another great way to study the solar system is have a night under the stars. You can bring s’mores and your telescope and make learning fun again!

With a little imagination and a little effort you can make learning a fun thing and have children ready and waiting to learn.