We’ve been learning about constellations as part of our homeschool curriculum lately. My kids are always much more excited about hands-on activities so we came up with this project to recreate some of our favorite constellations.

This simple constellation activity for kids can be used to recreate some of your favorite constellations, or for younger kids, to create some made up ones of your own. All you need is some basic supplies that you probably already have around your house.

Materials

• Piece of Cardboard
• Sharpened Pencil
• Black Construction Paper
• Flashlight

Instructions

I love to incorporate books into any projects that I do with my kids. It’s a great way to really learn a concept or extend some of your favorite books by combining it with a hands-on activity. Some of my favorite science books for kids are the Let’s-Read-And-Find-Out-Science series. I would buy every single one of them if I could.

For this activity, we started by reading The Big Dipper, which is a Stage 1 book in the series. This was a great lead in to the activity and introduced my kids to the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and the North Star, which are often the easiest things to find in the night sky.

My kids wanted to make their own Big Dippers so we started by studying the shape of the constellation in the book.

To make this project, lay a black piece of construction paper down on a piece of cardboard. The cardboard will give you a bit of a cushion and allow you to make puncture holes with your pencil.

Use a sharpened pencil to make holes in your paper in whatever shape your want your constellation to be. You can have your kids copy a real constellation and learn the name of it or make up one of their own.

When your kids have gotten their constellation just the way they want it, have them take their paper and a flashlight into a darkened room. Shine the flashlight behind the paper (this may take two sets of hands) and watch as your constellation lights up.