Astronomy Crafts for Kids
Astronomy: It's a fascinating topic for kids--covering the sun, planets, stars, meteors, outer space, and other big and faraway things. These extraterrestrial bodies present many craft ideas to enthrall the young space enthusiast.
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Paper Plate Sun
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The youngest children will enjoy creating a paper plate sun. Help children paint a paper plate yellow using washable paint.
Next, help children trace handprints onto yellow construction paper. Cut out the handprints (enough to encircle the paper plate), and glue them to the outer edge of the paper plate to create the sun's rays.
As a finishing touch, children can add googly eyes and can paint a mouth to create a friendly sun face.
Glittering Galaxy
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We live in the Milky Way galaxy (along with billions of other stars and heavenly bodies). Children can create a sparkling galaxy using black construction paper, glue and glitter.
On the piece of black paper, instruct children to roughly sketch their "galaxy." An idea for a galaxy shape can approximate a spider: a central body with several "legs" coming out.
Trace the outline with glue, and sprinkle glitter over the glue. Allow to dry before shaking off excess glitter. Voila--a new glittering galaxy!
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Solar System Model
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Every kid should have the opportunity to create a model of the solar system. Gather foam balls in a variety of sizes to simulate the sun and the eight planets (nine if you count Pluto). Alternatively, children may cut circles from cardboard to represent the planets instead of using foam balls.
The largest circle should be the sun. The sun is vastly larger than any of the planets in real life, but for this craft just make sure that the sun is the largest. Uranus, Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune can be made slightly smaller than the sun. The other planets are smaller still. Add rings to Saturn (these can be made from paper or pipe cleaners).
Tape a piece of yarn or string to each planet. Attach the other end of the string to a circle (the cardboard from a frozen pizza works well). The sun will be in the center and then Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
Add another string to the center of the cardboard circle, and hang the model from the ceiling. Enjoy the view of our solar system.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit astronomy image by FotoWorx from Fotolia.com
