Paper plates are an easy to find and inexpensive material to use to create astronauts. Use a snack size paper plate and have the plate be the helmet for the astronaut. The children can paste their own picture in the center, draw a face, finger paint it or use any other material they like. The plate can be left white, or it can be painted with silver paint to make it look like metal. The astronaut paper plate can also be pasted onto a black piece of construction paper or poster board decorated as outer space. Add a body using white construction paper and decorate it with markers, crayons or paint.
Children can make their own astronaut helmets to use during role play using a square card box or a brown paper bag. Both of these materials can be painted with silver paint. After the helmet dries, parents or teachers can help the children cut a square or circle opening for the face. If using a brown paper bag, the edges can also be cut to look rounded like a helmet. The helmet can be decorated with stickers, markers, paint or the name of the child.
The Making Friends website says that bean bag animals, teddy bears or dolls can be used to make astronauts children can play with. These astronauts are made using crumpled pieces of tin foil. Children need to open the pieces of tin foil and then wrap them all over the body of the bean bag animal, teddy bear or doll. Transparent tape can be used to keep the tin foil pieces together. For the helmet of the astronaut, children can use an empty plastic container that fits on the head of the toy, such as a candy container or a small plastic food container.
Astronaut oxygen tanks can also be used for role play and are easy for children to make, according to the Silver Spoon Murals website. Use milk jugs, juice jugs or other big bottles for the tanks and use string for the shoulder straps. Packing tape or other strong tape can be used to keep the jugs and string together. Parents or teachers should measure the string and cut it to make the jugs fit like a backpack for the child when the string is attached to the top and bottom of the bottles. Paint the tanks white, then decorate them with stickers, markers and the name of the child.