Solar System Costume Ideas

eHow may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.
Hula-hoops ready to be painted black.
Image Credit: michaklootwijk/iStock/Getty Images

Uniquely creative costumes can attract a great deal of attention at costume parties, Halloween events, parades and even school functions. With some imagination and creativity, costumes can be created from unique concepts, like the solar system. A solar system costume can also be a fun and exciting way to teach young students about the planets while keeping their attention.

Advertisement

Understanding the Solar System

Video of the Day

To create a costume of the solar system, it is important to know a little information on the subject. The solar system includes the sun, and eight planets. In order of their distance from the sun, the eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. When creating the planets for a solar system costume, authenticity comes from using appropriate colors. Paint Mercury gray, Venus yellow, Earth blue, green, brown and white, Mars brown-yellow, Jupiter light blue and orange striped, Saturn yellow with gray rings, Uranus light blue, Neptune dark blue and Pluto a cloudy gray. Also, choose spheres that represent the various sizes of the planets, which are, from smallest to largest, Pluto, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter and the Sun. Earth's moon, if you choose to include it, is about twice the size of Pluto.

Advertisement

Video of the Day

Hula-Hoop Solar System Costume

Use a hula-hoop to serve as the solar system frame. Start by decorating a sweat suit to appear as a galaxy. Cut out small white stars from felt and glue them on with fabric glue. Once the stars have dried, outline them with silver glitter or glow-in-the-dark puffy paint for added detail. Next, create the frame for the solar system, using a hula-hoop that is big enough to fit around the costume wearer, but not overly large. Spray-paint the hula-hoop black and let it dry. Instruct the costume wearer to hold the hula-hoop around his middle, a little above the waist. With the hula-hoop in place, tie a string of clear fishing line to the front left side. Knot the end of the fishing line to a safety pin and attach the pin to the left shoulder of the sweatshirt. Cut three more lengths of fishing line and attach the strings to the front right, back left and back right sides of the shirt. When all four lines are attached, the strings should be taut and the hula-hoop should be level all around the body. Finally, create the planets, sun and moon by painting Styrofoam balls the appropriate colors and string the planets from the hula-hoop with fishing line.

Advertisement

SImple Solar System Hat

Using a black baseball cap, paint white stars with puffy paint. Let it dry. Next, cut circles out of white craft foam to represent the planets, sun and moon. Make the circles different sizes to represent the size of each planet. Use markers or paint to add color to the craft-foam planets. Once the planets are dry, glue each planet around the cap in their order in relation to the sun. This is a simple costume that can be thrown on in a flash, but helps visualize the solar system.

Advertisement

Be a Planet

Choose your favorite planet and recreate it in papier mache. Start with an extra large balloon, big enough to make a papier machine ball that you can fit your torso inside of. Cover it with several layers of papier mache and paint it to look like your chosen planet. Cut out arm, leg and head holes and cut a slit up the back so you can get inside.

Advertisement

references

Report an Issue

screenshot of the current page

Screenshot loading...