Basically, I love all things astronomy (here's another kids' craft and a storytime), so it was only a matter of time before I got an actual astronomer in here to talk about constellations.
[Insert picture of Astronomer lecturer here...]
Yeah, I forgot to take a picture. So you'll just have to believe me.
Anyway, I was able to find a willing expert astronomer from our local astronomy club. He talked to the kids for about fifteen minutes on some popular constellations and their history. Here's some visual stimuli:
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| from Wikipedia |
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| from Wikipedia |
And with that introduction, the kids were free to begin our craft: constellation viewers!
Super simple, but lots of fun. The kids loved it. Here were the supplies needed:
The steps to make them are pretty easy; I got the idea and the instructions from Momma Owl's Lab. Basically, choose which of the constellations you want, cut out the circle and glue it to some black paper. On a piece of cardboard (or something to stop the pin), the kids poked out the holes for the constellation. The we rubber-banded the paper to the toilet paper tube. They could also be decorated with markers and stickers.
Here's the view:
Pretty cool, right?? They're TOTALLY awesome and I love them.
The constellation sheet comes from space.about.com, but they're backwards. Which is to say, they're correct, but since we're looking through the tube at the back, they needed to be inverted. So I went ahead and made a sheet where the constellations are inverted, but their titles are still readable.
So I would say this program was a total success. The kids made a couple of viewers in the time they had at the library, but they also could take home the rest of the constellations and make more there.
Also, books were available for check-out!
Written by H. A. ReyNightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe
Written by Terence DickinsonScholastic Discover More: Night Sky
Written by Giles SparrowA Child's Introduction to the Night Sky Written by Michael Driscoll, illustrated by Meredith Hamilton
Hi there! I am not seeing the link to print the sheet. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi! Click on the image of the paper itself. Then you can download and print--it's a high-resolution image. Thanks!
DeleteNice post.Thank you so much for sharing this post.
ReplyDeleteSo I clicked the photo but it doesn't give me an option to download it. Can you help please!
ReplyDeleteAfter clicking on the photo, right-click the image and select the option "save image as..." You'll get the full resolution page saved right to your computer!
DeleteIf you have a touchpad mouse, use two fingers to click on the photo to pull up the menu to "save image as..."
DeleteDoes that answer your question?
What a great idea! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi! For what age do you recommend this activity?
ReplyDeleteWe did this activity with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, but I'd say it has a pretty wide range of appeal! Grade-schoolers, in general
DeleteAnd for the rest of the world, what age is that?
DeleteAround ages 8 - 12 years old
DeleteHi! I am a Children's Librarian in Florida and I am totally going to do this for my story craft this summer. I think my 6-8 year olds will enjoy this and it is not supply heavy. We have everything for this activity. Thank you so much for sharing. ^_^
ReplyDeleteThank you for the constellation sheet. This is perfect for one part of the Girl Scout Brownie space badge.
ReplyDelete