Photo: Microsoft Clipart

CRAFTS

A Three Step Craft

SCRATCH-BOARD NIGHT SKY:

Materials: Hard paper (construction paper or the inside of a cereal box which is what we used), crayons, black paint , paint brush, waxed paper to cover work space and to let the project dry on, paperclip of toothpick to scratch.

Step 1: Have your child colour the paper all over with crayons. Orange and yellow would make a more traditional night sky, but perhaps your child will want to use rainbow colours. The only colour that won’t work for this craft is black.

Step 2: Using acrylic paint, paint the entire paper black (yes, over the coloured crayon). Let it dry.

Step 3: Once the paint is dry, give your child a tooth pick and have him/her scratch star shapes onto the paint (the paint will peel away leaving the coloured crayon to show through). You may need to show younger children how to draw a simple star shape.

Now you can display the art or glue it in your Family Theme Day Scrapbook. This would also make a great card to give to someone special for a birthday or a thank you. Simply glue it onto card stock folded into a card!

There are many crafts to be made inspired by the night sky, stars and constellations!

Which ones does your family want to try?

Star Ornaments:

Materials: five popsicle sticks or craft sticks, white glue, sequins, waxed paper, embroidery thread or colourful pipe cleaner.

Step 1: Lay out a sheet of waxed paper.

Step 2: Arrange the five popsicle sticks into a star shape (see photo) and glue in place using white glue. Let it rest to dry on the waxed paper.

Step 3: Once the glue dries (this could take a while) your child can now decorate as desired. Your child can paint the sticks, use markers, or glue sequins as we have done.

Step 4: Let this dry again and once dry use embroidery thread to hang or a piece of colourful pipe cleaner.

NOTE: this would make a great Christmas Tree decoration!

Star Zentangle:

NOTE: Zentangle is a type of doodling that I just love. You create beautiful images by using repetitive patterns and is really relaxing. Even if your child thinks he/she cannot draw, trust me, he/she can create Zentangle Art. Here is a great website that https://www.zentangle.com/ that explains it all and by exploring it your family can get some ideas.

Materials: Print out my Large Star Template, a pencil, black fine tip marker (or other colours).

Step 1: Show your child some examples of Zentangle before he/she begins. Then have your child draw lines (straight or curved) to create different segments inside the Star Template.

Step 2: In each of these drawn segments your child can now create his/her own patterns or copy ones he/she may like from online viewing. There are no mistakes in Zentangle. Let the pattern come alive and be whatever it will be. Younger children may want to stick with easy doodles like polka dots, wavy lines, squares or mini triangles. Suggest hearts or flowers or leaves. Or stick with the night sky theme and draw stars and moons inside. Anything goes!

Step 3: Your child can either cut out the zentangle or leave it on the page. The cut out zentangle can be mounted on construction paper and hung as a decoration or it can be glued to cardstock to create a card.

Step 1: Have your child cut out the Star from the Template and then trace around it on the yellow construction paper.

Step 2: Cut out a star from the yellow construction paper.

Step 3: Punch three holes in the star. One hole will be punched in two of the points that are side by side, and a third in between the two.

Step 4: Have your child thread the colourful ribbon and then help him/her tie a know to keep it in place. If a knot won’t work you could always tape the ribbon onto the star.

Step 5: Punch another hole on the top of another point directly opposite the points with the ribbons and thread the string or yarn through this one, tying in a knot to secure.

Step 6: Now the star is ready to hang from your child’s ceiling with the ribbon acting as the trailing star dust on your shooting star!

A Three Step Craft

GLITTERY STARRY NIGHT LANTERN:

Materials: Jar, hairspray, LED lights, glitter.

Step 1: Spray the inside of the jar with hair spray

Step 2: |Add glitter inside jar and shake with the lid on.

Step 3: Add LED tea light and put lid back on. Turn off the lights and see it twinkle!

I found the instructions here: http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/dig-wedding-centerpiece-starry-night-luminaries.html

SHOOTING STAR:

Materials: A copy of my Large Star Template, yellow construction paper, child safe scissors, hole punch, colourful or glittery ribbon, yarn or string.

our first attempt at a starry lantern

Bedroom Planetarium

Materials: A cylindrical container with a lid (like oatmeal, chips, or chocolate milk powdered mix), a flash light that can stand upright on it’s own (light pointing up) and that will fit in the container, Coloured paper, star stickers (optional), small nails (adult use or older child), glue stick.

Step 1: Measure the paper and trim if needed to fit around the cylindrical container. Glue the paper on to the container.

Step 2: Now your child can decorate the container using stars or markers. Likewise your child could decorate before gluing for a steadier work surface).

Step 3: (Parent or older child step) Press holes into the plastic lid of the container if it is a solid colour. However, if your lid is clear as ours was, then you can cut out discs using construction paper (must be hard paper...soft didn't work) and poke holes in those. These will be the stars. You can try a constellation or make up your own. If your child wants to participate more in this step he/ she can draw dots on the lid to show where he/she wants to holes.

Step 4: Turn the flash light on and place in the container.

Step 5: Put the lid on and turn off the lights. Time to star gaze!

VARIATION: Save lids from other (similar containers) and poke new constellations or designs onto them to switch out the light show.

Wish Upon a Star Art:

This is a multi-day craft!

Materials: Canvas (from dollar stores), acrylic paint in hues of purple, paint brushes, white glue mixed with equal parts water (or modge podge glue), black permanent markers, scrapbook paper or bits of wrapping paper with designs, coloured construction paper, child safe scissors, exacto knife (optional and for adult use only), cutting board (optional), gold or yellow paint.

Day 1: Have your child paint the entire canvas in hues of purple. Let it dry. Meanwhile cut out the letters WISH from bright construction paper. I let my kids choose their font and then enlarged it, printed it and lay it on the construction paper on top of a cutting board to cut out using an exacto knife. If you have one of those fantastic scrapbook machines that cut out shapes and letters from paper use that…it would be much easier.

Day 2: Have your child choose the paper to use as the star. You can use the Large Star Template for the star. Help your child cut out the star and the streaks. Now your child will glue the word WISH and the star to the canvas. I found that using a mixture of water and glue works best. Create your solution in a paper cup. Try adding equal parts at first and then mixing with a craft stick add water or glue to get to a consistency that you like. Modge Podge Glue would work as well.

Day 3: Once this has dried your child can add embellishments using a black permanent marker (like a Sharpie). We outlined the paper cut outs. We also used gold paint to paint some streaks to make it look like a shooting star. Don’t let your child forget to sign the painting.

Optional but highly recommended: Add a coat of gloss to the canvas to seal it and make it last for years to come!

Stars and Constellations

Another Three Step Craft

TIN FOIL STARRY NIGHT LANTERN:

Materials: Jar, thick tin foil, a safety pin or push pin (adult use or for older kids), LED lights.

Step 1: Cut out a strip of tin foil and then measure and fold/cut to fit inside the jar.

Step 2: Use a newspaper or a magazine to rest the foil on and stick the pin through to create pinpricks to represent the stars. You can create constellations or just pin all over as we did. The more holes the more stars will appear.

Step 3: Roll the strip to fit in the jar (you may need to trim any excess) and put a LED light inside. Turn off the lights and see your stars appear!

Starry Night Luminaries:

NOTE: We first tried to make a Starry Night Lantern as one of our Summer Jar Projects. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you would have seen the end result which was pretty messy. We used star stickers and then painted over them with a white base (acrylic) and then added more stickers and painted over everything with glass acrylic paint in dark blue. Maybe it was the mixing of paints, maybe it was the stickers, but they wouldn’t peel off properly. I had to try to scrape some off using an exacto knife. It was a messy looking lantern in the light, but decent enough in the dark.

In an attempt to improve on this I looked to Pinterest!

Star Stencils:

Materials: Print out my Many Stars Template, construction paper or an old cereal box cut into large squares, cutting board and exacto/craft knife (adult use only), white or black paint, black paper, waxed paper, newspaper or old plastic tablecloth to protect your work station, a craft or kitchen sponge.

Step 1: (Parent Step) Put the construction paper (I recycled a cereal box) on a cutting board and lay the star template on top. Carefully carve out one of the stars on each of the squares of construction paper to create many star stencils.

Step 2: Have your child rest the stencils (one at a time) on the black paper and then dab the sponge into the paint (which will be squirted onto the waxed paper). Show your child how to hold the stencil down (you may need to help little hands) and then gently press the sponge inside the cut out space pressing over the cut lines.

Step 3: Carefully lift the stencil off the paper to reveal the star!

Step 4: Repeat with the other sized star stencils.

Step 5: Let dry and then display or glue into your Scrapbook.