For years amateur astronomy has fascinated both mankind, but kids astronomy is probably the most rewarding, especially if it is your kids that you are teaching. The nighttime sky has been a source of wonder, even before telescopes were developed. Many things have sprouted up around the night sky such as superstitions, the constellations and even telling of ones future.

The mystical side of astronomy continues to make people look up at night and day viewing the sun, moon and the vast number of stars, and even though science and common sense tells us that these celestial bodies can’t possibly influence our lives, we all check our horoscope and we all have either lied down on a blanket at night or thought about doing so and just stared up at the stars.

There are several tools that you and your kids will need for observation, and believe it or not, many of them are not that expensive, and easy to get. The most obvious thing offhand is a telescope, but you can even get away with a good pair of binoculars for a while. If you choose to buy a telescope, you can even get one with light filters and digital cameras built right in.

Another must have is a star chart. With this, you will be able to tell where all of the known constellations are as well as most of the known celestial bodies such as stars, planets and far away galaxies. Many of these charts will even tell you when certain objects are visible complete with dates and times so you can plan your evening ahead of time.

The last thing you should have is something to use for an observation log. It doesn’t matter if it is a computer or a note pad; keep track of what you are looking at at all times. You never know when you might come across something new and interesting. The universe is a big place.

With these tools you and your kids can become armature astronomers, but even before you purchase these tools, you can just use a simple blanket and just observe on a clear night. Kids astronomy is a great hobby and will bring your whole family together.