PRE-SCHOOL IDEA:
Marbled Planets:
Materials: paper plates or foil pie pans, shaving cream, acrylic paint, toothpicks, spoon, white paper (sturdy craft paper preferably but regular works), black paper, child safe scissors, various cups and bowls to trace circles, glue stick, waxed paper, a strip of cardboard.
Step 1: Trace circles onto the white paper and cut out these planets.
Step 2: Squirt some shaving cream onto the plates and spread using the spoon. Then drip two or more colours of paint on top of the cream and twirl with a toothpick to mix them up a bit. Do this to various plates with different colours to create more than one planet.
Step 3: Carefully press the circle onto the paint and carefully lift up and put on a piece of waxed paper.
Step 4: Let the "planet" sit for about a minute and then using a strip of cardboard, scrape the paint off to reveal the marbled look!
Step 5: Repeat for more planets and let them dry completely before gluing to black paper to complete the space scene.
Paper Toy Telescope:
Materials: empty paper towel roll, coloured paper (we used purple), stripes of black paper (or other colour), stickers (optional), glue stick. (Optional paint)
Step 1: (Optional) paint the paper towel roll. We opted not to. Let dry.
Step 2: Wrap the coloured paper around more than half of the paper roll and glue it together with the glue stick. We did not glue it to the paper roll as we wanted to be able to move it as though adjusting a real telescope.
Step 3" Glue the black strips to the roll and the coloured paper and decorate with stickers if desired.
NOTE: I think this would make a fun mini light sabre or make a larger one with more paper.
Space Collage Art:
Materials: coloured craft paper (including black), child safe scissors, glue stick, damp cloth for sticky fingers, (optional) markers or crayons.
Step 1: Help your child cut out various shapes to make a space scene. A circle could be the moon or various planets. Other shapes can make rockets and UFOs.
Step 2: Have your child set the scene on the black paper and then when he/she likes what it looks like glue each piece on.
Step 3: (Optional): Embellish the picture with markers or crayons by drawing on the rocket or the moon.
SCHOOL PROJECT:
Space Mobile:
Materials: Coat hanger, thread/ yarn/ fishing string, coloured paper, child safe scissors, glue stick, damp cloth for sticky fingers.
Step 1: Fold various pieces of coloured paper in half and have your child draw planets, stars, the sun, a rocket etc. on one side of the folded paper. Basic shapes work well. Circles make planets (you can give your child cups or coins to trace), a rectangle for the rocket ship, a crescent for the moon.
Step 2: Cut out the shapes for your younger child or have your older child do it himself/herself. Be sure to cut through the folded paper to make two of the same shape.
Step 3: Cut out various sized pieces of string or yarn.
Step 4: Apply glue to one of each set of shapes and the tip of one piece of string over the glue. Put glue on matching shape and place on top of the string/other shape. NOTE: If you forgot to cut out two sets of each shape then use a hole punch to thread string through instead of gluing between paper.
Step 5: Tie the other end of each string to a coat hanger.
Step 6: (Optional) You can have your child decorate the cut outs either before or after the mobile is made with markers and crayons (or to be even fancier with glitter and white glue or glitter glue).
Planet Model:
There are so many different ways to do this. The most common is the paint styrofoam balls. My youngest opted to recycle and dove into our craft recycle box to see what we could find.
Materials: old Christmas ornament, construction paper, newspaper strips, paint, wooden skewer, egg carton, play-doh, glitter, spray paint (optional), acryllic paint, paint brushes, white glue, plastic up, wax paper, old paint brush, newspaper, old clothes or art smock, glue gun.
Everyone's planet will be different but here's how we made ours...
(Please excuse the poor quality of the photos. My camera was broken and my old phone took horrid photos.
Step 2: Let this dry and then give it a base coat in white. Let this dry and then paint it the colour of your planet. We needed blue. Added step: we then took the ornament into the garage and spray painted it on newspaper a bit to give it a mottled look and sprinkle glitter on the still wet paint.
Step 3: We stuffed the ornament with kleenix to keep our wooden skewer in place and then used play doh and hot glue (adult step only) to keep it together.
Step 4: We used a paper egg carton as the stand and painted it black with glitter to represent space. Then we hid play doh underneath to press the skewer into it and keep the planet floating.
Step 5: We created the ring with a paper plate rim (center cut out) and clued newspaper strips around it to flatten it and make it thicker to work with. Once dry it was painted a base colour and then black to be space. Then my son used gold paint to paint a ring. We glue gunned (adult step) a broken toothpick to the planet and carefully place and taped the ring to the toothpick giving it a floating appearance.
Step 6: You can place the finished project in front of a black cardboard stand but we used a blanket for the photo.
For other space and astronomy themed craft ideas check out these Theme Days:
Space
Milky Way Art: A 3 Step Craft!
Materials: black paper, white paint, old tooth brush, something to pour paint into (we used a plastic cup), newspaper to protect your working surface, old clothes or art smock.
Step 1: Dip the paint brush into the paint.
Step 2: Flick the toothbrush bristles with your fingers facing the black paper to allow it to splatter onto the paper.
Step 3: Let it dry and voila you have a milky way picture! Use it for other crafts like the marbeled planet or leave it as it is.
STICKER COLLAGE:
Materials: Various Valentine stickers, coloured paper, markers and/or crayons (Optional).
Step 1: Let your child pick the colour of paper he/she wants to use for this craft and him/her various stickers to make either a collage or a scene.
Step 2: If your child so desires have him/her add details or embellishments to the scene.
For My son's 6th Grade Space project he was assigned Uranus.
Crafts
Let your imagination blast off with some of these space crafts!