Space Scoop: Astronomy News for Children

Life has just become much easier for parents and educators dealing with enthusiastic children curious about astronomy! ESO has teamed up with the educational project Universe Awareness (UNAWE) [1] to produce Space Scoop — versions of its latest Science and Photo Releases that are written specifically for children aged between 7 and 11 years old.

In a world where children are sometimes more technically savvy than grown-ups, Space Scoop is meant to feed their curiosity about the Universe, by allowing them to access ESO releases in their own language.

“Astronomy is an incredibly dynamic subject; ESO astronomers continue to uncover new clues about how the Universe works, and we want to share the excitement of this journey of discovery with a younger audience,” says Lars Lindberg Christensen, Head of ESO’s education and Public Outreach Department.

Parents can also use the service to read about the latest discoveries in astronomy and explain them to children who are younger than seven years old or who do not use computers on their own. Space Scoop is also great a resource for the classroom, where teachers can share and discuss the latest discoveries with pupils or direct them to a reputable online source of information that they are sure to understand.

Space Scoop will be available online at the same time as the original version of a release, so children can learn about the latest developments in astronomy as they happen. To view the child-friendly release, look out for the Space Scoop icon on ESO’s press releases. You can also subscribe to Space Scoop by sending an email to [email protected].

Notes

[1] UNAWE is endorsed by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). It aims to use the beauty and grandeur of the Universe to encourage young children, particularly those from an underprivileged background, to have an interest in science and technology and foster their sense of global citizenship from the earliest age. Although UNAWE was only founded five years ago, it is already active in 40 countries and comprises a global network of almost 500 astronomers, teachers and other educators. The European UNAWE programme is funded by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013).

Courtesy of European Southern Observatory

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