During our session, we explored the concept of navigating by starlight. We first learned about the history of this skill. We discussed the Odyssey and the lore of Polynesians, as well as various techniques used to measure the parameters of the sky to help align with constellations. We then created our own take-home star maps.

We had a challenge instead of an activity. We established Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western horizons in the room. I strategically placed objects around the room and placed a point A and point B for each student. Students then worked in pairs to give each other directions from point A to point B, using only numbers of steps and the location of constellations on their star maps. Though there was a bit of a learning curve, by the end of the lesson, every student had mastered the technique!