Creating Constellations
Recommended For: Ages 5 and Up
Badges: Pictures in the Sky, Space & the Past
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Download this activity as a PDF - no electricity needed.
A constellation is a group of bright stars that form patterns in the night sky. Different cultures have noticed these stars in the sky and have imagined different figures to be represented by the patterns. Each culture has created their own stories to explain how these imaginary figures appeared in the sky.
In this activity, you will make your own constellation and create a story for it.
You Will Need
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Two different color markers (we recommend red and blue)
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Paper
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Pencil
Wonder
What are constellations?
Where did they come from?2
Watch or Read
Learn about stars and constellations in one of these educational videos:
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You can read:
>The Sky is Full of Stars by Frankyn M. Branley
>Wishing on a Star: Constellation Stories and Stargazing Activities for Kids by Fran Lee
>Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations by Jacqueline Mitton
>Once Upon a Starry Night: A Book of Constellations by Jacqueline Mitton
Explore an interactive sky map here: https://staratlas.com/
Make
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First, you need to make your own night sky. Use a piece of paper and randomly draw four to five dots with a red marker and any number of dots with a blue marker. The red dots represent bright stars. The blue dots will represent faint stars.
Create
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Use a pencil to connect the dots into an imaginary animal or shape.
Imagine
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Make a story to explain how the imaginary animal or shape got into the sky. Use your imagination!
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Wonderlog
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Want to complete this task towards collecting a Wondernaut badge? Share with the Wondernaut community by posting your constellation and the story with us in one of two ways:
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Taking a photo of your constellation, and sharing it with your story as a written comment
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Make a short video of yourself showing us your constellation and telling your story.
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