![]() To find the Little Bear or the Little Dipper, go to the upper left-hand star of the pot of the Big Dipper. Can you see the group of stars which look like a cooking pot? The square is the face of the bear and the handle of the pot is a long tail of the bear. Use the big stars and star groups as guides. Really reach up.Ģ5 degrees is your thumb and pinky extended. Hold your arm outstretched towards the sky. The easiest way to navigate your way through the night sky is to use your hand as a ruler. Astronomers, people who study the stars, measure the distance between stars in degrees. Now it’s time to find those stories in the sky. The activity below lends itself nicely to all three books.Ĭonstellations and Star Legends for Kids: Sky Navigation Activity There is one more book in the series that we’ve been reading called The Story of Orion: A Roman Constellation Myth by Thomas Kingsley Troupe. Sitting just beside her is king Cepheus and their daughter Andromeda which can be seen in the autumn. Upon the queen’s death, she was banished into the night sky where she sits and suffers chained to her throne and forced to hang upside down for half the year. Queen Cassiopeia didn’t escape the wrath of the gods, however. Perseus was able to save Andromeda from her cruel fate by revealing the hideous head of Medusa to Cetus, which instantly turned the great monster to stone. Perseus, son of Zeus, came to the rescue just in time, swooping down upon his winged horse Pegasus. Sadly, the king and queen duly chained Andromeda to a rock by the sea. They were advised by an oracle that the sacrifice of their daughter Andromeda to Cetus was the only way to appease the god. Nereus was so angry that he sent Cetus, a sea monster, to ravage their kingdom. “My daughter’s beauty is much greater than all of your Nereid daughter’s combined,” boasted the Queen to Nereus, god of the sea. Together with her husband Cepheus, they had a very beautiful daughter Andromeda. Her name was Cassiopeia ( Kass-ee-oh-PEE-uh). Once there was a very boastful Queen who reigned over the country of Ethiopia. The Boastful Queen or The Story of Cassiopeia by Thomas Kingsley Troupe To the left of the bears is another eventful story from Greek/Roman Legend Callisto is Ursa Major (the Great Bear), and Arcas is Ursa Minor (the Little Bear). Coming to his son’s aide, Zeus rescued Callisto and placed both her and their son Arcas, who he turned into a bear, into the sky together. When he discovered that his mother was the bear, he was struck with grief. Not realizing it was his mother, he shot at the bear and luckily missed her. One day while Arcas was out hunting, found a bear. ![]() Hera, Zeus’s very jealous wife, turned Callisto into a bear. In Greek legend, Zeus and Callisto, a mortal woman, had a son called Arcas. The Cherokee Indians believe the handle of the Big Dipper represents a band of hunters pursuing the bear from the time he is high in the sky in spring until he sets below the horizon in autumn. One of the oldest star groups, called a constellation, is made up of seven stars, known as the Big Dipper or the Great Bear. The stories include a great bear, a little bear, a king, a queen, and their daughter. Our first books is the Story of the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper in a book called The Story of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor: A Roman Constellation MythĮvery night of summer there are dramatic stories being played out in the night sky. Constellations and Star Legends for Kids: Book Recommendations ![]() Here are three wonderful Kidlit books and one activity to help Homeschoolers & Distance Learners discover Constellations and Star Legends in the night sky (in a memorable way). It is also filled with legend, lore, and chances to educate the next generation on the vast beauty of our starry skies.īooks are an amazing way to catch the interest of kids. ![]()
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