I'd like to share a formula I've been working on to create a deep and abiding interest in astronomy. It involves magic, personalizing, repeated exposure, secret knowledge, tools, and family sharing. (And surprise, it also involves Stars-So-Bright.). I've been testing it for a while, and it REALLY WORKS!

Let's face it - for most people, especially kids, astronomy seems boring. This is even more true if you live in the city where you can't see the real stars. Experiencing the true joy of astronomy requires a lot more than an occasional peek through a telescope. If we want to really interest kids on astronomy, we need to be a little sneaky. It's kind of like fishing. We need to first hook their interest, and then gradually reel them in. Magic is the hook.

Step 1: MAGIC
Most people, and all children, find magic fascinating. Seeing the stars magically appear from nowhere on your bedroom walls and ceiling grabs the imagination and tickles your fancy. Some of the libraries where I've donated planetariums conduct their weekly storytelling sessions in the same rooms. Should the storyteller be foolish enough to forget, the kids always clamor to see the stars at the end of the storytelling session. They don't want to learn about astronomy - they love to see the stars magically appear on the ordinary ceiling. That's our hook.

Now we need to make them care about the pattern of the stars. One of the best ways to make people care is to make it personal.

Step 2: PERSONALIZING
To do that, we create a planetarium with a special, personal meaning. We link it to a date that is important to them. That can be the stars as they appear on their birthday, or Christmas, or any other meaningful date. Once you establish personal meaning, you progress past magic. Because it's personal, the pattern now matters. It's important to know how the stars on this important date are different from all the other days. That is, it's important to learn the constellations. We've started to reel them in.

Step 3: REPEATED EXPOSURE
Learning the constellations isn't easy if you only see the stars once in a blue moon. On the other hand, I know a two-year-old who can identify the Big Dipper and the North Star at the end of the Little Dipper. That's because he magically sees them as they appear at Christmas, the most important day of the year, EVERY NIGHT in his own bedroom. It's magical, it's personal, and he sees it every night.

Step 4: SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE
One thing kids love is special knowledge. (Tthat's true for kids of all ages!) Knowing the constellations, their positions, and the myths underlying them is very special because they can point to the sky and explain things to their friends that even their friends' parents don't know!