Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The Heavens Declare

I love living in the country.  The natural world is a constant companion, the view from every window a delight to the eyes.  I rejoice when I see our animals frisking in the pasture as spring comes in with its gentle breezes and sunshine.  But one of my favorite times to be out is on a clear night.  Praise wells up inside me as I look up and see the heavens declaring the glory of God.  Tears came to my eyes last night as I was walking by the pond to lock up the chickens.  I noticed the reflection of a sliver of moon in the water.  Looking up, I was awed by a spectacular display of the stars. 

There is nothing that can compare with time spent outdoors reveling in the creative power of  God.  Sometimes we want to dig deeper and study more about these heavenly bodies we are observing.  Here is a list for all ages.

Janice VanCleave's Astronomy for Every Kid is a good resource for experiments for middle school students.

H.A. Rey, known for the classic Curious George stories, has given us two gems to teach us about the heavenlies, The Stars and Find the Constellations

One of my favorite science series for younger children is the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out series.  These are excellent in explaining concepts in a way that children understand without dumbing down.  There are several titles to teach about the heavens.  All of these titles are authored by Franklyn Branley.  Many have been reprinted or can be found inexpensively.

The Sun:  Our Nearest Star
The Planets in Our Solor System
The Big Dipper
Shooting Stars
Journey Into a Black Hole
Comets
What the Moon Is Like
The Moon Seems to Change
A Book of the Milky Way Galaxy for You

Seymour Simon is known for his stunning photography and has several books which give us a glimpse into outer space. 

The Christmas Sky by Frankly Branley is an interesting look at what might have been happening in the heavens to create the Star of Bethlehem. 

The trusted Landmark series offers these titles to help us experience what it was like to go into space.

Walk in Space by Gene Gurney
Americans Into Orbit also by Gene Gurney

Author Dava Sobol has gained a great deal of respect for her science titles for older students. The Planets and A More Perfect Heaven are two titles that have been highly esteemed. 

A study of astronomy would not be complete without including biographies of great men and women who brought their knowledge to the forefront.  People like Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Halley and others offer great knowledge and inspiration.

A word about evolution...  Often Christian parents are hesitant to delve deeply into books which may come to different conclusions as to the origin of the universe.  There are organizations such as Answers in Genesis which have given us a wonderful gift of a Biblical perspective.  I love what Jan Bloom says when reviewing science authors who may not view these topics through a creationist's lens.  No one, absolutely no one can rob God of His glory.  He is our All in All.  Read with discernment.  The heavens do indeed declare the glory of God. 

Look up.











6 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you, Shannon. Enjoy your new adventure! Praying for a smooth transition!

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  2. May God bless you richly for providing Christian homeschoolers with great resources! How many families currently use your library? Do you accept donations of books for your library? Are you registered as a nonprofit!
    Your blog is a great blessing and I am following it by Google Friend Connect. Linked up with you at Book Nook -- hope you'll stop by Saved by Grace for a visit and consider following!
    Love in Christ,
    Laurie

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  3. Thanks for visiting, Laurie! I currently have 26 families who drive as far as an hour and a half each way. I'm not a non-profit. This is just our passion of sharing our personal collection. My patrons pay a nominal membership fee which helps some and the Amazon affiliate link helps a bit. Most comes from my pocket which is, unfortunately, much too shallow. Erasmus' quote, "When I have a little money, I buy books. If any is left over I buy food and clothes" is quite literal in my case. :) I look forward to gleaning from your site!

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  4. We also like the Let's Read and Find Out Science Series and Answers in Genesis. Thank you for sharing with us on the Art of Home-Making Mondays!

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  5. What a useful list! And I love your thoughts at the end. Thanks for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday on Mommynificent.com this week!
    Tina

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