Thirty minutes on a clear night. Find the Big Dipper, follow the two pointer stars to Polaris and learn why the old woodsmen used the sky as a compass.
Dad Field Manual editors · Drafted with AI help · Published Oct 15, 2026
A phone compass or a magnetic compass to checkHave
Paper and a pencil to draw the starsHave
Where: Anywhere with a clear view of the northern sky and not too many streetlights.
Before you start
Stay in a safe, familiar spot, like your yard or a lit park, and tell a grown-up where you are.
Dress warmly. Standing still at night is colder than it feels when you step out.
Don't walk looking up. Stop and look, or lie on a blanket.
02Steps
Pick a clear night
DadChoose a clear evening, ideally with the moon low or away. Get away from bright lights and give everyone's eyes a few minutes to adjust.
Find the Big Dipper
TogetherLook north for a shape like a dipper with a bent handle. The 1911 book calls it the Great Bear, and says it is the most useful star group for finding north.
Find the two pointer stars
KidThe two stars on the outer edge of the Dipper's bowl are the pointers. Point at both with a finger.
Follow them to Polaris
TogetherDraw a line through the two pointers and keep going about five times the gap between them. You land on Polaris, a modest star at the end of the Little Dipper's handle. It is not the brightest.
Face north and check
TogetherFace Polaris. You're facing north. Check with the phone or magnetic compass. East is on your right, west on your left.
Watch the sky turn
TogetherDraw where the Dipper is, relative to a tree or rooftop. Come back in an hour. The 1911 book says the Dipper swings slowly around Polaris like the hour hand of a clock, while Polaris barely moves.
03If it stalls
If you can't find the Dipper, turn slowly until you find any seven-star shape. In some seasons it sits low over the horizon.
Once you've found the Dipper, look at the bend in its handle. A faint small star sits right beside the middle star there; the 1911 book says spotting it means sharp eyes.
Clouds win sometimes. Try a clear night this week.
04Variations
Ages 3–5
Skip the geometry. Just find the Dipper and count its seven stars together.
Ages 6–9
The full plan.
Ages 10+
Mark north on the ground with a stick in the daytime, then check it against Polaris at night.
ColdWear a hat and gloves, and bring a thermos. Keep it to 20 minutes.
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1911 scouting handbook, pp. 81–82. The 1911 book says the Dipper points out Polaris, the one star that stays put while the rest seem to circle it about once a day, so the Dipper works like a clock hand around the pole. It also says Polaris is faint and hard to pick out without the Dipper's help. Project Gutenberg (public domain in the USA) Checked Oct 15, 2026
Finding Polaris from the Big Dipper. NASA says to follow the two stars at the end of the Dipper's bowl out to Polaris at the end of the Little Dipper's handle. Polaris is not the brightest star, it marks north in the Northern Hemisphere, and its height in the sky matches your latitude. NASA Checked Oct 15, 2026
Distance multiple from the pointer stars. NASA Goddard says to extend a line through the Dipper's two guide stars about five times the distance between them to reach Polaris. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Checked Oct 15, 2026
Dad Field Manual · Field card 71 · Classic Field Skills
Find the North Star with the Big Dipper
Thirty minutes on a clear night. Find the Big Dipper, follow the two pointer stars to Polaris and learn why the old woodsmen used the sky as a compass.
Time
30 min
Cost
$0
Ages
5 and up
Where
Yard, driveway or park
Since 1911: The 1911 book says the Dipper's pointer stars lead to Polaris at about three and a half times the gap between them. NASA says to go about five times that gap. Polaris works for finding north in the Northern Hemisphere only.
What you need
A warm jacket and a blanket
A flashlight for walking
A phone compass or a magnetic compass to check
Paper and a pencil to draw the stars
Before you start
Stay in a safe, familiar spot, like your yard or a lit park, and tell a grown-up where you are.
Dress warmly. Standing still at night is colder than it feels when you step out.
Don't walk looking up. Stop and look, or lie on a blanket.
Steps
Pick a clear night. Pick a clear night, get away from bright lights and let your eyes adjust.
Find the Big Dipper. Look north for a dipper shape with a bent handle.
Find the two pointer stars. Find the two stars on the outer edge of the Dipper's bowl.
Follow them to Polaris. Follow the pointer stars about five gaps to Polaris.
Face north and check. Face Polaris and check it with a compass.
Watch the sky turn. Mark where the Dipper is, then look again an hour later.
If it stalls
If you can't find the Dipper, turn slowly until you find any seven-star shape. In some seasons it sits low over the horizon.
Once you've found the Dipper, look at the bend in its handle. A faint small star sits right beside the middle star there; the 1911 book says spotting it means sharp eyes.
