How We Teach Astronomy at Home

(Middle School Edition)

Welcome to Home to Bloom! 🌿
If you’ve got a curious middle schooler who looks up at the stars and asks big questions—you’re in the right place.

In this post (and video), I’m walking you through how we teach astronomy at home, using a blend of free digital tools, hands-on learning, and flexible planning. It’s one of our favorite science units because it’s naturally engaging and full of wonder—and yes, you can do it without a textbook or a telescope.

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Why We Love Teaching Astronomy

Astronomy is the perfect blend of science, imagination, and awe. Middle schoolers are just the right age to start thinking deeply about space, gravity, time, and our place in the universe.

But instead of a rigid curriculum, we build a flexible weekly routine that includes:

• ✨ Crash Course Astronomy episodes
• 📚 Usborne Science Encyclopedia reading
• 📝 Printable activities from Teachers Pay Teachers
• 💻 Weekly pacing and organization through Google Classroom

It’s interactive, visual, student-friendly—and low stress for me as a parent!

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What We Use Each Week

Here’s a breakdown of the resources that make this unit work:

✨ Crash Course Astronomy (Free YouTube Series)

This fast-paced, animated video series covers everything from moon phases to black holes in under 10 minutes. It’s funny, visual, and packed with high-quality explanations that middle schoolers actually enjoy.

We watch one video per week and build our whole lesson around it.

* Click here for a Downloadable link to Hands On Activities for Crash Course Astronomy *

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📚 Usborne Science Encyclopedia (Affiliate Link)

This is one of my favorite science books in our homeschool library. The space and astronomy sections are rich with photos, diagrams, and short, digestible explanations. It’s perfect for visual learners and easy to browse for fun, too.

Sometimes we’ll read a few pages before the video, or use it afterward to dive deeper into a topic.

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📝 Teachers Pay Teachers

There are some amazing Crash Course Astronomy companion bundles available on TpT. They include:

• Comprehension worksheets
• Vocabulary activities
• Quizzes and creative extension ideas
• Both printable and digital options

We use one worksheet per video as a way to reinforce what we watched. It’s a great balance of structure and flexibility.

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💻 Google Classroom

This is how we stay organized.

My husband teaches a weekly science class to a group of middle schoolers, and we’ve added them all to a shared Google Classroom.
We use it to:

• Post weekly video links
• Assign the TpT worksheets
• Ask open-ended discussion questions
• Keep track of progress, even if some kids are virtual

It helps the kids stay paced together, whether they’re learning independently or as part of a group.

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Final Thoughts

Astronomy has been one of our most loved units—because it’s visual, inspiring, and totally adaptable to different learning styles.
Whether you’re teaching just one student or leading a small group, you can build a meaningful science study with tools that are easy to use and fun to teach.

Have questions about how we do it? Let me know in the comments!
And if you’re looking for more creative homeschool ideas, lesson plans, and encouragement, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow along each week.

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Affiliate Disclosure:

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them—at no extra cost to you. I only share products and tools that I personally use or truly recommend.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Thank you for supporting Home to Bloom and helping me continue to share free resources for homeschool families! 🌿