Officially, there are 88 constellations covering the entire sky in the northern and southern hemispheres. Currently, 14 men and women, nine birds, two insects, 19 land animals, ten water creatures, two centaurs, a head of hair, a serpent, a dragon, a flying horse, a river, and 29 inanimate objects (some constellations contain more than one creature, therefore the count is a bit higher).
Most, if not all, don’t resemble the figured they are supposed to represent. More symbolic than literal.
The constellation system that we use today was created by the ancient Greeks. The oldest description comes from a poem written in/about 270 B.C. by the Greek poet Aratus, called Phaenomena.
Today, we are continuing our reading, learning more about the many constellations in our night sky.
We also are making our own!
Here is what you’ll need:
- Pictures of constellations
- Marshmallows
- Toothpicks
Pretty simple activity for the youngest of kids. Just insert the toothpicks into the marshmallows, sort of like connect the dots, and keep going until you form something.
Kids will get a kick out of the stories behind the constellations. They may even create a connect with some of them.
My 5 year olds middle name is Orion. He loved the stories about the great warrior/hunter in the stars.
Keep reading in our book, we get the constellation Scorpius, or Scorpio, which happens to be my sons zodiac. We learned that Orion was a bit arrogant and that a scorpion was sent to kill him. After Orion was killed, a healer treated his wounds and Orion was alive once more.
My son, the clever kid he is, showed me a mole on his ankle… that’s where the scorpio got him. He is alive to day thanks to that healer. 🙂
Love the stories kids come up with. Don’t forget to share your creations with us on social media and let us know if your children come up with any stories/constellations of their own.
You can get more information in the constellations at space.com
-C
Books with a Chance of Traveling 