The upper level courses (both the basic and the advanced) are designed for students in the junior and senior high years:

• Video lessons are longer than the elementary-level videos and taught using language more suitable for teens.
• The concepts taught in the upper level course go much deeper than the elementary course, which is more basic.
• The upper level has weekly outdoor observation activities (often in the late evening or early morning) which are more appropriate for those looking for an observational/lab science. Activities in the elementary course include more hands-on creative projects, better for younger children.
• The recommended reading for the upper level courses is a textbook geared more towards teens. Reading assignments for the elementary course are living books that can be used as read-alouds or assigned as independent reading, geared towards students ages 6-11.

The course officially starts in early September. Students will have access to one new video every week (except for a three-week break around Christmas when there will be no new assignments). Videos go live each week on Sunday morning (EST), but students can watch them any time throughout the week. Once released, each video can be reviewed as many times as the student wants through the end of the course.

Lessons correspond to weekly outdoor observation activities. Because one of the goals of the class is to see the changes and movements in the sky over the course of nine months, the course is paced so students cannot “get ahead” by doing a lot of lessons all at once. Because the sky is always changing, it is important for students do their best to keep up with the assignments week by week.

There are some areas where viewing the stars at night is more difficult because of manmade “light pollution.” And of course, bad weather is inevitable, making star observation difficult or impossible at times. A few things to consider…

• Be sure to always take advantage of good weather. However, most outdoor activities can be postponed a week or so without a problem.

• The course focuses on the brightest, most-obvious constellations, many of which are viewable even in suburban locations.

• When the bad weather doesn’t let up or activities can not be completed due to light pollution, there is an alternative. You can use an online planetarium to complete your assignments. (You will receive instructions for how to do this as part of the course.)

While this class touches on the reasons why God created the stars, it does not get into concepts about the age of the universe or scientific theories about the beginning of the universe. The course does not touch on how to interpret the days of creation in Genesis 1. The focus of the class is to discover the motions of the heavens, not the creation or history of the heavens.

In most states, students need to accumulate at least 120 hours of instruction and course work to receive a high school credit.

We now offer the Experience Astronomy: Advanced program so your child can accumulate these hours. They’ll need to complete all of the following to accumulate the necessary course hours:

• complete all the course lectures

• take all the quizzes and exams

• complete all recommended readings

• complete all outdoor observation assignments as part of the regular course

• attend all live trainings and Q&A events (or watch the recording)

• complete a minimum of 10 of the 20 assignments from the book Experience Astronomy: Going Deeper

Yes, but this course is for those who live in the Northern Hemisphere. We’ve had students take this course in all parts of North America, Europe, and most of Asia. This course is not for those living in the Southern Hemisphere.

This course is a “naked-eye” astronomy course. That means, you won’t need to purchase any telescopes, binoculars, or other specialized equipment for your student.

Though not required, your student would benefit from a small red flashlight. Since students will be outside in the dark, drawing what they see in the sky, a red light will help them see their paper without destroying their night vision. You can easily purchase one online, or there are a variety of apps you can download that will turn a smartphone into a red light. The first class of this course gives students instruction about how to make their own from a regular white flashlight.

It is highly recommended, though not required, that you purchase the textbook Signs and Seasons: Understanding the Elements of Classical Astronomy, by Jay Ryan*. This is the finest textbook on the market for learning about the motions of the heavens.

*Textbook required for Advanced Mastery students seeking high school credit.

Yes, we recently added the option to use this in a co-op. The course is set up slightly different to accomodate co-ops, you can check out all the details here.