Fern Michonski / Fern’s Music
Pre-School Music Education Expert: The Children’s Advocate for Love and Kindness, Inspiring Creativity and Joy.
June 6, 2012—The Venus Transit—2012
Yesterday was an incredible day for anyone interested in outer space and the rotation of the planets in our solar system. We witnessed the Venus Transit-2012.
It took Venus nearly seven hours to pass in front of the sun, looking like a small, dark circle floating across a big yellow ball!
Transits happen when a planet crosses between the Earth and the sun. Only Mercury and Venus can do this because they are the only planets closer to the sun than the Earth. According to the National Geographic Daily News, since Mercury has a relatively tight orbit, it circles the sun fast enough that we see its’ transit every 13 to 14 years. However, transits of Venus are exceedingly rare, due to that world’s tilted orbit. After the 2012 Venus transit, we won’t see another until 2117. That’s 105 years from now!
Looking out into the starry cosmos is nothing short of awe inspiring and I believe it is very important to encourage our young children to develop an interest in what lies beyond our Earth. What is the Milky Way? What is the solar system? What might be out there, deep in outer space? These are all questions children should learn about and ponder. The problem is preschool children are not yet able to think abstractly. Contemplating the universe and all that might be in it is certainly very abstract. When I really think about the whole concept of an infinite universe, it makes my head hurt. So, how does one go about getting preschoolers excited about exploring outer space, or understanding outer space on a very simple level, when they think concretely?
Some ideas are putting up pictures of the planets and the sparkly stars. NASA has plenty of those we can find online. Once children have an idea of what outer space looks like, you can encourage them to make their own sparkly cosmos drawings. Making the various planets out of paper-mache or clay and hanging them up with the sun in the middle is another exciting craft that gets the concept across. You can also take a trip to your local library and find various picture books about space.
However, as I’ve mentioned in the past, music helps children to remember. It puts a tune in their heads they will not soon forget. I wanted to teach my preschoolers about space and really get them excited, while keeping it at their level. That’s why I wrote my CD, “Fern, the Stars and the Planets.” I wanted them to learn. But I also wanted to make them wonder; I wanted them to explore the cosmos with their imaginations and consider the possibility of aliens, friendly aliens, not angry, mean creatures determined to wipe out the Earth. “Fern, the Stars and the Planets” celebrates cultural diversity on an intergalactic scale, delivering musical messages about living in harmony and peace with our fellow inhabitants. It puts a creative spin on our solar system and a happy smile on children’s faces when they imagine meeting friendly little aliens who say, “Widgy-Wodgy” when they meet.
So, when you are teaching your children all about the world we live in; don’t forget to teach them about the universe our planet spins in. Perhaps the little child sitting in that highchair in the kitchen will be our next astronaut, soaring out into space to meet and greet a new creature, unbiased and full of love. Please enjoy this song from my CD: The Carousel in the Sky.