Dr. Kenneth Hicks
Dr. Kenneth Hicks, Professor of Physics & Astronomy at Ohio University, authored a column in the Columbus Dispatch headlined “It’s a challenge, but isolation gives parents a chance to figure out what excites kids to learn.”
…What interests your child (or a young relative)? Some students love to be outdoors; others hate to be outdoors, but love playing games. For me, I have always been motivated by a love of nature and a love of numbers. I can’t say why these things interest me, but as I’ve already said, each child is unique.
Many children will get excited by astronomy, but it’s an interest that needs to be nurtured. Looking at the stars is fun, but it becomes more interesting if a student is taught to look for patterns in the stars, such as the constellations.
Luckily, there are nice phone apps that help identify the constellations. Just download, point the camera skyward and enjoy. Have your child keep a notebook with drawings of what the constellations look like, and where they are in the night sky….
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