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If you watched the opening ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics last Friday, you probably were impressed by the constellations! Learn how to make your own constellations with an oatmeal box, a flashlight and some imagination. (A constellation is a group of stars in a visible pattern — well, it’s visible to some people anyway.) First, gather your supplies.
Get a round oatmeal box. Cut out the bottom so both ends are gone. Set it on a black piece of paper, trace about 2″ wider than the box and cut out. Put the black circle over one end of the box, and tape or rubber band on. Draw a constellation with chalk on the black paper.
Use a pointy object – a pen, paper clip, safety pin — and make holes in the paper for each star’s location.
Get a flashlight. Turn the lights out. Shine the flashlight into the oatmeal box and point to the ceiling or wall. Voila — check out your constellation. Make more than one with new pieces of paper. Happy star gazing!
For more fun learning about constellations, check out these links.
- Constellation game – I LOVED this.
- Arty the Astronaut. This site is a wealth of solar system fun – if you click Explore and go to page 4, you’ll find the constellations.
- Constellation Coloring Pages from Crayola.
- Printable space coloring and activity book from the U.S. Post Office.
Melissa Taylor is a mom and educator from Denver who is passionate about playful learning. Thanks for visiting the site!
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this sounds like it will be beautiful–yet is so simple– thanks for continually providng awesome ideas!!
What a great way to learn about constellations. Elaborate on this idea and make it into a fun reading and writing session:
1) Have the children read (or read to them) stories about the real constellations. It can be a few short sentences to get them thinking. Then,
2) Have the children write a story about their “original” constellation.
Ilene,
Great ideas, thanks for your comment!
Melissa