Thus, the students will be able to appreciate the singular nature of the Earth in the Universe and the importance of its preservation. Presently, however, this purpose cannot be fully achieved because the relevant topics are scattered over several subjects, such as geography, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and philosophical education. Also, the present curricula in Europe do not fully exploit the natural curiosity of young children for astronomy-related topics, and thus limit what can be achieved at a later age. In that phase, the teaching should concentrate on the place of the Earth in the Solar System as most of the astronomy-related questions that preoccupy children derive from daily experiences caused by the movement of the Earth, the Moon and the Sun. Models should be used extensively to aid the students in obtaining a three-dimensional understanding of the world around us.
Simple observations are necessary to relate the teaching to the real world.
It is felt that this is the minimum all people should know about astronomy. Beyond the age of 14, we also propose astronomy for all students continuing with their education. It is the long-term goal of the EAAE to study the possibility of assembling a universal astronomy course based on the above topics. With the acquisition of more knowledge about all the natural sciences, the same type of course, but more complete and comprehensive, could be given towards the end of school. The course would illuminate astronomy as a human endeavour, with associated doubts and lack of answers, the interplay between experiment, observation and theory, the philosophy of science, the scientific method and the interaction between science, technology and society.