Cost can be a prohibitive factor in many interests but not astronomy for kids when in the beginning it doesn't have to cost you a cent - so if you are interested, read on. Now that the thought of a free hobby has peaked your interest further, just what do you need to start it? Fortunately not much but it is very good to have a star chart at hand which can be found in books that show you Star Charts or something referring to the Zodiac. Some charts are simple and easy to follow but you can easily get much more complex versions that illustrate far more. You can find them at any Planetarium or Observatory and the cheaper the better as you only need one to show you the brightest stars because the rest you can fill in yourself.
If you intend to spend any money on a telescope, do not buy a cheap one - it really will be waste of money and won't help you enjoy your new interest at all. Imagining you buy one of these, the revolution of the earth could make the star vanish from your screen in such high speed that you could completely lose track of it and start your search from where you started. There is no need to be disappointed by this, the star will back the following night so instead of putting the scope away, focus it on another. If you're ready to buy, a Meade telescope is very good.
My second suggestion which can make star gazing a distinct possibility night after night is to beg, borrow or buy the usual 10x50 set of binoculars. This can enable you to view the total constellation, the star bunches, the moon along with several other planets. Luck is also on your side as almost every school, but certainly each town has a library and this is your best resource for free literature on the stars, star gazing, the Universe and the Solar System.
Look for books that contain star charts, preferably pull-out versions and don't worry if the book is quite old because the stars won't have changed. Before you go into too much depth, locate the Southern Cross or Scorpio in the book and then see if you can find it in the night sky. The location of the Southern Cross is the south and as night moves on, you can see the Orion traversing over your head from East to the West. Just keep in mind that sometimes it won't be visible when you look for it as it will rise later or in the early morning.
In case you are thinking that perhaps this demands a lot of reading, I do not think so, but as you continue probing deeper into the stars, you would naturally want to have more details about them, like where and when they were born, what their destination is and so on. Such information is available in plenty of childrens books which are full of some rudimentary information on the subject. So in reality all you need to start star gazing is a star chart in the early days which should present you with enough to peak your interest. Once you have decided whether this is for you, then and only then invest in a decent telescope because this is when your real star journey will begin. Again, buy a Meade telescope when ready.
The ideal telescope for the newly beginner or amateur astronomer is a Meade.
