Children by their nature are curious, and therefore want to know everything.  I believe that we should teach them everything about the world around them.  The best way to expose kids to knowledge is by having hobbies.

Astronomy is one of the easiest hobbies to start for the beginner.  All you need to do is go outside on a clear night and look up.  You don't need expensive telescopes and star charts, and one of the best tools a beginner can use is a pair of binoculars.  I'll bet that most dads have a pair lying around the house collecting dust.  This is also a good way to spend "quality" time with your child.  Who knows, maybe you will learn something about what's out there too.

Astronomical clubs are a great way to really learn about space.  Amateurs find more comets and asteroids than the pros.  How?  Because there are a great number of amateurs out there every night, looking up and recording what they see.  Just about everyone on earth has heard of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet.  This is the one that smashed into Jupiter during the Summer/Fall of 1994.  Who found this comet and tracked it?  Two AMATEUR astronomers, David Levy and Carolyn & Eugene Shoemaker.  Even Galileo didn't get paid for studying the sky.  He did it because he wanted to know what was out there.

There are some wonderful web sites for the amateur astronomer to get information.  Most cities have an astronomical club or society that loves to get kids interested in the hobby.  Astronomy really has no age restrictions.  There are kids as young as 12 or 13 that make their own telescopes (with help from parents or their astronomy club), and the elderly (some 90+) that still use telescopes on a regular basis.  All you need is a desire to look and learn.

To find a local astronomy club in your area, check on the web.  Most are listed at  Yahoo! .
 
 

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