Star gazing is an easy way to teach yourself how to recognize the stars and constellations. Gather a few items, wait for a clear night, and you'll be ready for this science project for kids: the incredible universe.
What You'll Need:
Star chart
Clear night
Flashlight
Piece of red cellophane
Step 1: Get a star chart, and learn about the night sky. You can find one in many books at the library.
Step 2: On a clear night, go outdoors and see if you can find the constellations in the sky. The stars move throughout the year, so you'll see different constellations at different times of year.
Step 3: Look for the starting point for star-gazing, usually the North Star, also called Polaris. It's the only star that does not move. To find the North Star, find the Little Dipper. The last star on its handle is the North Star. Another way to find the North Star is to locate the Big Dipper and trace an imaginary line from the two stars in the dipper's front edge, leading up from the dipper. The North Star is along this line.
Step 4: Once you've found the North Star, try to locate the other constellations. Use a flashlight to refer to your star chart. (Cover the flashlight with red cellophane so you can still see the stars when you look back up at the sky.)
Keep reading on the next page to find out how you can fill your umbrella with constellations.
Umbrella Full of Constellations
Create your own private planetarium with an umbrella full of constellations. Find them, mark them, and save them to look at again another day. Have fun with this science project for kids: the incredible universe.
What You'll Need:
Clear night when the moon is invisible or very small
Black umbrella (that it's OK to mark up with chalk)
White chalk
Star chart
Step 1: Open the umbrella, and hold it over your head.
Step 2: Point the tip of the umbrella at the North Star. (Use a star chart to find the North Star.)
Step 3: Look up at the underside of the umbrella. You may see the stars shining through.
Step 4: Use white chalk to mark on the umbrella each place where you see a star. (This will be easier if someone else holds the umbrella for you.) If you can't see the stars through the umbrella, just look in the sky and mark the stars in the same positions as you see them in the sky.
Step 5: When you've marked all the stars you can see, take the umbrella inside. Compare your marks to a star chart. What stars and constellations did you mark?
Step 6: Draw lines connecting the constellations, and label them with their names.
Go to the next page to find out how you can turn constellation punch-outs into a star theater.
Star Theater
You'll be the star when you learn the shapes of some constellations and put on a show for the family with this star theater!
What You'll Need:
Empty steel cans (such as soup or coffee cans)
Pliers
Tracing paper
Book of constellations
Pen
Scissors
Pin
Masking tape
Hammer
Thin finishing nail
Flashlight
Black cloth (optional)
Step 1: Clean the cans, and use pliers to flatten any sharp points.
Step 2: Lay the end of the can on the tracing paper, and draw circles with a pencil.
Step 3: Lay the marked tracing paper on a picture of a constellation in a book, and trace a constellation inside of each circle, using dots to represent stars. If a constellation won't fit in the circle, you can try drawing it free hand.
Step 4: Cut out the circles, and use a pin to poke a hole where each star is marked.
Step 5: Turn each circle over so the constellation is backward, and tape one to the closed end of the steel can.
Step 6: Use a hammer and a thin finishing nail to punch a hole through each pin hole. (Always be careful when using a hammer!) Remove the paper.
Step 7: Write the name of each constellation on a piece of masking tape, and attach each piece of masking tape to the can it represents. This is so you can remember which constellation is which.
Step 8: Shine a flashlight into the open end of the can to shine the constellation on the ceiling. You can shroud the open end of the can in black cloth to shut out excess light when you put on a star show for your family.
Have you ever wondered how big the solar system is? Go to the next page of science projects for kids: the incredible universe to find out by making a scale model with peas, fruits and nuts.
