What’s in Your Night Sky?

Materials 

1. Shoeboxes for each child (no lids)
2. Scissors
3. Aluminum foil
4. Masking or duct tape
5. Photos of starry nights
6. Toothpicks
7. Small flashlights
8. Dark location

Instructions

1. Prepare shoeboxes by cutting a hole in the bottom of each one large enough for a hand to fit through. Cover each child's box tightly with a piece of foil and secure it on all four sides with tape. Mark the boxes with the children's names.
2. Show the children a variety of night sky photos and pictures. Ask the children to talk about the night sky.
3. Let the children make their own "night sky" using the foil-covered boxes.
4. Demonstrate how to poke holes in the foil over the opening in the box with a toothpick. Each poke represents a star. Then show them how to put a flashlight inside the box and project their stars in a dark spot.
5. Encourage the children to talk about patterns or shapes that they see in their skies, and what they see in the skies that their friends made.