Our star The Sun
By Kelvinsong - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23371669
As we dove into the topic of astronomy, we first took a look at our very own star: the Sun! We learned what happens inside of our star to get a general idea of the nature of stars. The girls are all very inquisitive scholars, and we covered A LOT for one lesson!
They had great questions and interesting insights. They showed their creative sides while building their own models of the sun using modeling clay. Each produced a model that is accurate, but unique! They seem to almost immediately understand that we want to ignite the very genuine thinking process that each child has to go through to discover and find answers, build hypothesis and listen to their own thoughts. We would like each of your girls to value what and how they think, therefore stress collaboration rather than competition, thinking together rather than shouting answers towards an adult.
Next week, we will extend beyond just the star at the center of our solar system. We will begin to look at the relationship that gassy furnace has with other objects in our solar system.
Questions to ask your scholars:
- What is the process that generates heat and energy at the center of the Sun? Hint: It's the name of the process that forms Helium, Lithium and all other heavy elements from Hydrogen.
- How does the temperature of the Sun change as you move away from the center and into the Corona?
- Just what is the Corona? Follow up: What is a solar flare and what are sunspots?