Planet Mobile
Introduction
Make a space mobile using the planets for your child to hang in your home.
Materials:
- Hanger
- String
- Paper
- Scissors (*to be used by an adult only)
- A hole puncher
- Crayons or Markers
- *Glitter (Optional)
- *Paint (Optional)
Directions:
- Have your child draw each of the eight planets and the sun sheets of white paper. Help them with the sizes of the planets and look of each one. For example, Mercury is the smallest planet while Jupiter is the largest. Or help them to draw the rings on Saturn.
- The Sun
- Mercury
- Venus
- Earth
- Mars
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
- After they draw each planet have them write the name of each planet on a separate piece of paper.
- *Adults only, cut the planets out for your child. Then cut out the names of each planet.
- Have your child decorate the planets. For example, your child can draw water and continents on the planet earth and make the planet Mars red.
- When the planets are finished have your child glue on the name of each planet with words that were previously cut out.
- When everything is dry, use the hole puncher to make holes on the top of each one of the planets and the sun.
- Take the string and tie a knot around the hole that was made on each planet and the sun. Take the other end of the strings and tie them to the hanger.
- Hang the planets up in the order that they start from the sun beginning with Mercury and ending with Neptune.
- When your child is finished help her find a special place to hang the mobile.
Take it further:
- Pets in Space - Have your child draw an asteroid and stars and a comet. Have her write the words asteroid, star and comet underneath them. Then have her draw your family pets on top of the comet. If you don't have any pets, have her draw her favorite animals on top of it instead. Have her write what kind of animals they are.
- Space Mobile - Have your child use the stars, comets and asteroids to make another mobile. Follow the same steps as you did to make the planet mobile.
Talk about it:
- Talk about the different planets with your child. What makes them similar? What makes them different?
- Does your child know what constellations are? Talk about them. When the stars are out see if you can spot the big and little dipper. Then have your child draw them.
