Strong Start Early Care and Education is an early childhood development center that uses an inquiry-based curriculum. We believe that when children are encouraged to be inquisitive and to explore their world they become problem solvers and lifelong learners. We think that learning should never stop so when you have your kids home for the holiday it’s a good idea to keep their minds working on inquiry-based projects. It will help keep them occupied, involve you in their education and give you a great opportunity to do something together!

The Winter Solstice

Observing the winter solstice, which occurs on December 22 this year, is a great way to teach kids about how our solar system works. You can make this a whole year lesson with kids by also observing the summer solstice and the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. You can do this every year so that as a child’s capacity grows, so will their understanding of basic astronomical principles. The Winter solstice happens because the earth is on a 23.5-degree tilt. The tilt stays in one direction even as the earth goes around the sun. This trip around the sun take a year, of course, and the path we are on is not quite a perfect circle. It’s actually elliptical and so we are farther away from the sun when we are at one point- the winter solstice and closest at the summer solstice.

Check back next time when we continue this conversation and in the meantime call for a visit to our great facility.