Many youngsters enter a stage where they have a driving interest in astronomy and space science. This can often be a bit frustrating for parents and relatives because they don't know just what to buy. Take heart: what follows is some terrific gift ideas that work great for Christmas, Kwanxa, Hanukkah or whatever holiday you care to celebrate!

There are a number of terrific books out for kids of all ages. There is an entire series of books out called the "Starting with Space" series. Published by Kids Can Press, there have been two titles released recently. They are "The Planets (ISBN 1-55074-512-3) and "The Stars" (ISBN 1-55074-524-7.) The other books in the series are "The Sun" "The Moon" and "The Earth." The series is geared for young readers from about 7 to 10. They provide imaginative text which adds a bit of history for perspective along with earth and space science. The books are well illustrated with many NASA color photos and images from the Hubble Space Telescope and Mars Pathfinder. To better demonstrate basic concepts, the books contain a number of fun hands on activities for the kids to try out.

If your child has a small telescope and fancies the moon, then I highly recommend "Welcome to the Moon" by Robert Bruce Kelsey (ISBN 87961-245-2.) With this book and a small telescope, kids can explore the moon, looking for particular features that are most interesting. Illustrations help the kids identify the features. The book teaches the history and geology of the moon as if it were an exciting mystery unfolding.

For the daytime astronomer, you'll want to get a copy of "Making a Clock Accurate Sundial" by Sam Muller (ISBN 87961-246-0.) This book takes topics like the Earth's tilt and orbit and makes them a fun concept which is easy to learn because the material is presented so well. Kids can construct a basic sundial from well written instructions. There are also some additional activities using a globe which help teach the concepts of Daylight Saving's time, latitude and longitude, time zones and lunar motion.

For star gazers of all ages, you can't miss with "365 Starry Nights" by Chet Raymo (ISBN 0-13-920520-9.) This book is truly a time honored classic which provides a different celestial object to view for every night of the year. It explains (in down to Earth language) the basic concepts of stars and constellations. This is a book which will be treasured for a long time!

For the action oriented space cadet, you might want to consider the Micro Machines National Geographic Collection. Figurines include moon explorers and space pioneers. There is a Saturn V moon rocket and launch pad and all of them can be stored in a space helmet shaped carrying case.

In the line of board games which are also educational, try MOONSHOT:The Game manufactured by the Galactic Attic. The goal is to be the first player to successfully complete missions to the moon. But doing so requires some basic understanding os space science which is taught as the players work their way from launch pad to orbit to the moon. Playing cards for the game include fuel and other supplies as well as some unexpected things like alarms and other goodies to surprise and challenge the space traveler.

Holiday Interactive provides a number of exciting CD ROMs for the astronomers who like to be close to their computer too. History of Spaceflight is a 50 minute slide show narrated by the late astronaut Alan Shepard. From early Chines rocketry to the Cassini spacecraft heading for Saturn you'll get a great perspective on where we've been and where we're going. Deep Space is a narrated slide show which introduces the universe from asteroids to the most distant galaxies imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope. And finally, Our Solar System is a narrated slide dhow which great high resolution images of the solar system objects.

The items I've mentioned should be pretty easy to locate in local book stores, toy stores and software stores. You can also get them on-line at the StarrySkies Bookstore. Add that celestial touch to the holidays for an aspiring astronomer near you!