Lisa Harvey-Smith is an award-winning astrophysicist, Professor at the University of New South Wales, and author of Under the Stars, an illustrated guide to the night sky for kids. In 2018 she was appointed as the Australian Government’s Ambassador for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Today, Lisa Harvey-Smith is on the blog to give us her tips for homeschooling during the coronavirus lockdown and how you can keep kids and their imaginations engaged. Read on!
Lisa Harvey-Smith
Millions of Australian families are currently educating children at home due to Covid-19 restrictions. This new normal has prompted me to reflect on my own home education from ages 11 to 16 (my high school years), and think about how it helped me to develop a love of learning that has stayed with me throughout my life.
Home education for me was a pleasure, and nothing like ‘school at home’. My days were free from lessons or organised activities. There were no timetables or tutors. My dad’s philosophy was that an education is not something that is imparted by someone else, but rather it should be driven only by you.
Without being taught, how did I learn?
In the mornings, I watched educational TV programs from the BBC (think ABC Education in Australia). I read the classics and pored through National Geographic magazines bought from op shops. I played violin, mandolin and guitar, worked through maths or science books, walked or cycled for hours in the countryside with Dad, discussing nature and soaking in the natural world. I read and wrote poetry.
My dad has no formal qualifications, but that wasn’t necessary in our model of learning. We talked endlessly, questioning and debating the politics of the day. There was no pressure to do anything in particular, just to gain a rounded understanding of the arts, sciences and literature that would enable me to follow whatever passions I developed.
Because I was in control of my own destiny, I chose to learn.
One of the subjects I fell instantly in love with was astronomy. Dad and I decided to go outside one evening and attempt to find the planet Mars, which had featured in a newspaper article that day, saying that you could see Mars without the help of a telescope. After much compass-wrangling we spotted it – a glowing orange orb high up in the sky. I was amazed, awed and hooked. That moment changed my life and put me on the path towards being an astrophysicist, a fascinating career that has taken me to countless countries around the world and enabled me to engage in research exploring billions of years of our universe’s history.
How can parents encourage children to expand their horizons whilst they have so much schoolwork to do? That’s a great question, and one that has no simple answer, especially if parents have jobs and household chores to keep up with. The key is to give children those little sparks, to encourage interests in a broad range of subjects they might not cover in the school curriculum.
Here are some tips for sparking your kids’ imagination (and your own!):
Light up your child’s imagination with a book. Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Bedtime is packed with short stories exploring our cosmos and answering questions from ‘why is the sky blue?’ to ‘what happens when you fall into a black hole?’. For teens and adults, dive into the future of our cosmos, in When Galaxies Collide.
Download a night sky app on your phone or tablet and embark on a star or planet hunt! Stargazing apps like SkyView (basic features, free) or Sky Guide (loads more features, $1.99) are great for finding planets, constellations, meteor showers and the International Space Station. You simply hold your phone up to the sky and – ta-da! – it tells you exactly what you’re looking at.
Get into astrophotography with your smart phone. There are many great apps that enable you to start photographing the moon and stars, the space station and capturing spectacular star-trails as the earth rotates. My favourite is NightCap Camera, which is $4.49. It’s easy to use and the results are really satisfying.
These activities are a great way to encourage children to think beyond their everyday worlds and imagine an infinite universe of possibilities. By feeding your child’s sense of wonder and scientific curiosity, not to mention giving them activities that encourage patience and persistence, you will set them up for a better future.
Enjoy!
—Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Bedtime by Lisa Harvey-Smith & Mel Matthews (Melbourne University Press) is out now.
Under the Stars
Astrophysics for Bedtime
Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Bedtime transports curious kids and inquisitive adults on an incredible journey through the night sky.
Explore our solar system from the comfort of your cosy bedroom. Find out why the sky is blue. Fly around a black hole and peer inside! Learn why Jupiter has stripes...
Ten Terrifying Questions with Fred Watson! 
Celebrate National Simultaneous Storytime 2021 – in space! 
Read a Q&A with Lisa Harvey-Smith on The Secret Life of Stars!
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