5 Constellations Kids Should Know

In association with Oliver Jeffers new Here We Are book

Oh my, we have a lovely lovely STAR CRAFT for you today. If you love stars and what learn about the main 5 Constellations in the northern hemisphere, read on!!!! With the help of my lovely friend Hattifant, we have created a Constellations Luminary Printable – focussing on the main 5 Constallatiosn Kids Should Know.

You can print it out at home, assemble it, prick some holes, add an electirc tealight and off you go. Whether you want it as small bedside go to sleep luminary (please do switch them off though) or star gazing through your window, or going for a “midnight” walk.. these little Paper Constellation Maps are the perfect size for small (and big) hands. Use them at home, in the classroom or for homeschooling… but above all. ENJOY the wonders of the night sky!!

Here We Are, by Oliver Jeffers

Get a copy here US/ UK

(affiliate links)

Today’s post was inspired by Oliver Jeffers brand new book Here We Are… a book dedicated to his son and created to help Jeffers explain the world to his new born son! Not an easy task.. but we all need to start somewhere. And we all do it in our own personal way. As a children’s author and illustrator, explaining to world to his son, of course has to be via beautifully illustrated book. Here We Are is a work of genius (am I being sycophantic enough??), but seriously, explaing the world in simple terms and illustrations is no easy task. How do you break down our beautiful yet complicated world – in terms of both the world itself and the animals and people that live in it? How do you make it simple enough for our children to understand and enjoy? Well… you will need to get your own copy of Jeffers’ book and find out!

As you know, we are great Oliver Jeffers fans.. and have previously made Oliver Jeffers’ crafts – including the Lost & Found Boy and Penguin (and umbrella) and the Long Way Home Plane and Spaceship. Today we decided to create a Constellation Luminary Craft perfect for Star Gazing and learning all about the main 5 Constellations Kids Should Know!

Star Gazing: Constellation Luminary Paper craft

Do you know the stars we live under?! I am sure you already know that those little lights you see in the sky at night time are not just lanterns but luminous balls of gas, mostly hydrogen and helium. And the stars we see do not just move around but in fact create a pattern – a constellation – that we can go look for and recognize time and time again.

This we often call “star gazing”!

So, we created a little “helper” to take with us to find 5 constellations that are pretty famous and with a little practice easy to find – our Constellation Luminary!

Get your printable today, make your own and then go with mom & dad on a little night walk to find the following constellations:

• Ursa Minor & Major (also called small and big Dipper)
• Orion
• Cassiopeia
• Sagittarius (the so called Tea Pot)
• Scorpio

Constellations Craft – Supplies needed:

(includes affiliate links for convenience)

• printable – choose from
  • labelled Constellations Luminary or
  • plain Constellations Luminary
• scissors to cut out the cube
• scoring tool to score the lines to help with folding
• tape/glue if you want to make your cube more stable
• needle or similar to prick little holes for stars into box
• LED candle light to put inside the box (you can get some online here US/ UK)

How to assemble your DIY Constellations Luminary

NOTE: you may have to cut out a little bit of the flaps of the “top” of your box to allow the stars to shine through fully. The lid flaps are hard to “prick” through when not glued in place.

This craft is pretty straight forward! We will make a box with tiny holes! ^_^

1. Print out the template and cut out the box.
2. Fold the box along the lines. It might be easier to score the lines first!
3. Stack the box together and add glue/tape if necessary.
4. With a thick needle prick holes into where stars are illustrated. You can make smaller and bigger holes to show what stars shine more brightly.

And then all that is left to do is to add the LED candle light (DO NOT USE A REAL CANDLE!), close the box and turn of the light!

Happy crafting and do let us know how many constellations you were able to find!

More Constellations Resources:

Use a shoebox to make an easy Shadow Box Constellation Map by Rainy Day Mum

How to make constellation cards by Kanelstrand

And finally, how cool is this DIY Constellation Project by Playground Parkbench!?