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How to Make Solar System Arts & Crafts

Preschoolers are fascinated with the solar system and will soak up anything you tell them about it. When you're teaching 3-to-5 year olds, make sure you do a variety of different activities that appeal to each child's different learning style and developmental level. Crafts make an excellent hands-on activity that will reinforce what you have taught the children about the solar system in other ways. These crafts give the children practice gluing, cutting and drawing faces, in addition to reinforcing information about the solar system. After the project is finished, you can talk about the topic of the project (sun or galaxy) during circle time.

Things You'll Need

  • Sun Paper Plate
  • 1 paper plate per child
  • Yellow paint
  • Paint brush
  • Yellow construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Googly eyes, 2 per child, optional
  • Glittering Galaxy Project
  • Black construction paper, 1 piece per child
  • White glue
  • Glitter or sand
  • Star sticker, 1 per child
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Instructions

  1. Yellow Paper Plate Sun

    • 1

      Paint the back of a regular white paper plate with the yellow paint. Let it dry thoroughly -- for at least an hour. You may need a longer drying time if the kids used thick layers of paint.

    • 2

      Place the child's hand on the construction paper and trace it. Repeat 7 or 8 times. Cut out. You will use the hand prints as the sun's rays.

    • 3

      Glue the hands on the front, non-painted side of the plate. The palms should go on the plate with only the fingers sticking out from behind it. The hand prints can overlap, if necessary. Continuing all the way around the plate. Let dry, about 20 minutes, depending on how much glue the child used.

    • 4

      Glue the googly eyes onto the dry yellow side of the plate. If you don't have googly eyes, you can just draw the eyes onto the plate. Draw the mouth and nose.

    Glittering Galaxy Project

    • 5

      Draw our galaxy onto a piece of black construction paper using either pencil or white chalk. It should be a large circle with five slightly curved arms coming off of it. Space the arms around the entire outside of the circle. Some younger children may need help with this.

    • 6

      Apply white glue to all of the lines in the galaxy drawing, including the circle. Fill the middle of the circle in with glue.

    • 7

      Sprinkle glitter or sand over the entire picture. Be sure to get all of the glue covered. Shake off what does not stick into the trash can. Let dry, about 30 minutes depending on how much glue was used.

    • 8

      Locate our solar system and mark it with a star sticker or small star drawing. Label it "Our Solar System." Younger children may need assistance with this. An older child can help.

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