Does the Milky Way look like chocolate milk or is it caramel-filled? What is another name for the North Star? What well-known constellation is found within Ursa Major?

These questions and many more are being answered for area youth in the Surry Arts Council’s Arts Alive summer program. This year the program’s theme is Reach for the Stars and that is exactly what the participants are doing.

During the first week of the program, 3- through 5-year-olds danced and sang their way across the stage, made crafts and saw the stars close up with the help of an inflatable globe they could crawl inside.

The children make different crafts each day including decorating T-shirts and bags to making bears and crowns. All of the crafts have to do with the constellations they are studying during the week.

They are also learning songs like “Catch a Falling Star,” “Puff the Magic Dragon” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” They even learned a song about going on a bear hunt and a coyote who wanted to dance with the stars.

“Everything deals with constellations and myths,” said Margaret Griffin.

Even the group names are related to the stars. Cephus was the king of Ethiopia and is represented in the stars along with his wife, Cassiopeia, and their daughter, Andromeda. Draco is a dragon who guarded the garden of the Hesperides which contained the golden apples stolen by Hercules. Juno, the queen of the gods, placed him in the stars for his loyal service. The bears represented Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, more commonly known as big bear and little bear. Ursa Major also contains the Big Dipper.

One of the biggest thrills for the children was the Star Lab on loan from 4-H. The arts council purchased a constellations cylinder to use in the lab, allowing them to project the constellations across the dome after the children crawled inside.

“That is loads of fun. You’ll have to try it!” exclaimed Taylor O’Brien, one of the participants.

They also learned about the Milky Way Galaxy. While it does appear white in the sky, like milk, it does not take on a chocolate hue as was thought by one of the participants.

While the first week was for 3- through 5-year-olds, the second week of the program, which runs from June 22-25, is for 6- through 11-year-olds and promises to draw a large number of participants.

At the conclusion of the two weeks, participants will come together on Thursday night for a parade down Main Street beginning at 6 p.m. They will travel down to the amphitheater where they will enjoy hot dogs and perform the songs they have learned during the week on the stage. There will even be a kazoobie show thanks to Rick Hubbard where every participants will get a kazoo.

For more information about Arts Alive, contact the Surry Arts Council.

Contact Morgan Wall at mwall@mtairynews.com or 719-1929.