There are three rare occurrences to take place in the sky this month, do you know what they are? With The Classical Astronomy’s February issue of Celestial Almanack, you will!
I’m not inclined to understand astronomy. I mean, I must not be. I look at the night sky and see the dots of light that pierce the blue-black blanket but cannot distinguish much more than the moon and possibly the Big Dipper {or is that the Little Dipper??}. I think you get the idea that I’ve not branched out in this area…and if not, I’ll say it again…I’ve never approached the subject of astronomy. Never more than marveling at the beauty that I see when I look up.
My lack of understanding or perfect eyesight doesn’t keep me from wanting to understand astronomy, to see more of God’s amazing creation. The Celestial Almanack from Fourth Day Press is a great resource for igniting the desire to learn more about astronomy. It is recommended for ages 11 and up but I think that this can be used with the entire family {some adapting would be necessary for the younger ages of course}.
From the opening pages of this little almanack {it is a monthly publication} I was intrigued. This is an illustrated guide to the sky. You really should see a preview of this almanack.
What I liked about this:
- First and foremost- Beautiful illustrations of the sky, both day and night. Also, the different viewpoints of the sky. These made it extremely easy to spot the constellations. I saw Orion {not just the belt!} for the first time *ever* –not in a photo- using this.
- There is a lot of information in such a small space! It is 21 pages. I learned that ‘declination’ and ‘right ascension’ are the coordinates {measured in hours not degrees} for finding positions in the sky. And there’s much more!
- There are activities throughout this but it doesn’t feel like ‘work’. They range from one to three stars, I believe, to show the level of complexity.
- The calendar at the start of the book includes happenings that I would not think to put on the calendar. For example, Trial of Galileo (1633) on February 13th {quite fitting to be in an astronomy guide though} or “Only Nixon can go to China" (1972) on the 21st. There are also little things such as “Read Moonfinder to your kids!” on the 24th.
And some other things I enjoyed:
- I could put it on my Kindle Fire. This may seem somewhat non-related to the guide itself but I disagree. The format allows me to have it in color wherever {within reason} that I wish to take it. On page 8 of this almanack is a representation of the night sky the first week of February. Having this on my Fire allows me to take it outside and actually see what is being pointed out.
- The antique look of this publication. It isn’t ‘antique’ looking throughout but I enjoy the bits that are included.
- Jay Ryan is in Cleveland, OH…that’s where we are! Just the location makes this guide a bit more ‘applicable’ to our family.
I’m looking forward to the middle of the month when we will see Jupiter dip lower on the horizon. And I wouldn’t know this expect I read about it in The Celestial Almanack.
Overall, this is a wonderful resource! It can be purchased for $3.00 as a download and I think it is a very good deal. Other items from Fourth Day Press include the January issue of the Celestial Almanack, Signs and Seasons curriculum, and more.
Short of my including a photo of my jaw dropping when I could pinpoint Orion in the sky {which I was tempted to do but the batteries are dead}, I cannot tell you with enough words how this has been a great resource for me.
You can read what others had to say about this at the TOS Crew blog.
***Disclaimer: I received this download from Jay Ryan of Classical Astronomy via TOS Homeschool Crew free in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given. All opinions stated are my own. See Disclosure/Policies.***
but the websites most likely won’t be alphabetized…sorry for any confusion! 
This program is available for free {the Express edition} or for purchase {the Deluxe edition}. On the site you can access lists that have been made by other learners/contributors to help learn a new language. The Express edition allows you to read, hear, write and track your progress. The Deluxe edition has more support and also more resources than the Express edition. 
Well, that isn’t entirely true. They read. A lot. Percy Jackson books mostly. Would that count as historical fiction? They are well versed by now in mythology. 
}, and some other books. That consumed the three of us for hours. 
Lee can probably wear them but they look so tiny 
My m-i-l is only a tad over 5 feet tall. 
