Homeschool Nature Study on Cassiopeia’s Chair, Cepheus, and the Dragon Constellations

In this week’s homeschool nature study, we are looking for dragons, a queen’s chair, and kings who sit with one foot on the Polestar up in the heavens. It’s time for another night sky study and learning to identify some late autumn and winter star constellations.

This is a great time to get outdoors laden with blankets and hot chocolate to keep warm and spend a bit of family time gazing up into the night sky, creating precious memories and learning about the autumn constellations.

What You Will Need for This Outdoor Hour Challenge

Grab your copy of the Handbook of Nature Study and download your Winter Continues ebook from the members library.

This week’s lesson can be found on pages 821-822. Have a read through these pages prior to beginning the lesson. Supporting notebooking pages can be printed from the Autumn Curriculum book available for download in the member’s area.

Inside Preparation Work:

• Read the Handbook of Nature Study pages 821-822 (Lesson 225).  Try to share the story of these three constellations with your children either before you go out to view the night sky or if you have a really good memory, while you are looking for the constellations.
• Here are links to the three constellations you will be looking for this week: Cassiopeia’s Chair, Cepheus, and the Dragon.
• Autumn Constellations—scroll down to the “Autumn Constellation Map”.
• Advanced Study: Print this chart out and see how many of the constellations you can see in the autumn sky: Autumn Star Chart.

Video For Older Students

Outdoor Hour Time:

• Take your outdoor challenge time this week during the evening hours. The aim is to get outside and view the night sky, hoping to see the stars if weather permits.
• Use the information, charts, and links both in the Handbook of Nature Study and in the links in the section above to find the Polestar, Cassiopeia’s Chair, Cepheus, and the Dragon. Even if you have trouble finding the exact constellations, this activity can be enjoyable for the whole family. Remember to dress warmly or you won’t last too long outdoors!

Follow-Up Activities:

• The Handbook of Nature Study suggests in the lesson to draw Cassiopeia’s Chair (#1), Cepheus (#5), and the Dragon (#7). These can be done using the chart on page 821 of the Handbook of Nature Study if needed. There is a notebook page included in the ebook for you to use for your sketches if you would like. There is also a checklist on this notebook page you can use as part of the follow-up.
• Advanced Study: Challenge yourself to learn the story of these three constellations as related in the Handbook of Nature Study.
• Advanced Study: Sketch these stars from memory: Polestar, Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Cassiopeia’s Chair, Cepheus, and the Dragon. There is a notebook page in the ebook you might like to use as part of this activity.

Connect With Us on Social Media

We would love to see your photographs of your Outdoor Hour Time. Share photographs of your walk, nature finds, or nature journals. Please tag us @outdoorhourchallenge so that we can comment.