Explore What Saturn’s Rings Are Made of With 3D Art
Jet and his friends travel all the way to the planet Saturn where they explore its rings. Curious to know what the rings are made of, they move the spaceship closer to observe. With the help of Face 9000, they learn that Saturn’s rings may have been formed by pieces of passing comets or broken-apart moons of Saturn. Instead of cookies and flowers — as Sunspot suggested — the rings are a moving collection of dust, ice and rocks.
You and your child can explore the rings too! Create a model of Saturn and its seven bands of rings using different materials. As you create, notice the similarities and differences of Saturn’s rings and the materials you’ve chosen to use for your 3D art.
Materials
Directions
Using the diagram of Saturn’s rings, explore what the bands are made of with your child. Ask your child questions, “What do you notice about the rings? Do we have materials like those in the rings here on Earth?”
Next, have your child explore the materials. Talk about how your materials are similar and different to those that make up Saturn’s rings. For example, ice is found in Saturn’s rings. Ask your child, “What material could we use that’s similar to ice? How is the material similar to ice? Rocks are also found in Saturn’s rings. Which material could be like a rock? How is the material like a rock?”
Place a small bowl or cup in the center of the cardboard. With a marker, trace the bowl or cup and color the circle. This is your planet, Saturn.
Draw seven circles around your planet Saturn about an inch apart from each other. Leave space in between the circles. You will fill the gaps with different craft supplies to create each ring.
Choose a material and discuss how each feels. Ask your child, “How does this material feel? Is it smooth? Rough? Bumpy? Cold?” Glue the material to the rings, either on a single ring or on multiple rings. Each ring of Saturn is made up of multiple materials, so you can add texture and dimension to your rings with a variety of materials.
Continue selecting materials to add to the rings with your child. Discuss along the way how each material is different or similar to the materials in Saturn’s actual rings.
When you’re finished take a photo of your 3D art and share it with family and friends.
Explore Further
Invite your child to make 3D art of the planet Earth. Ask your child, “What materials could you use to represent the water and land found on our planet? Why did you choose these materials?” Earth doesn’t have rings, but it does have a moon orbiting around it. Help your child explore further by discussing what materials you could use to represent the moon.
We hope you had fun together! Snap a photo of you and your child doing the activity and share it with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. We’d love to see how it turned out!
Want more “Ready, Jet, Go!” activities? Check out the Moon Phase Box craft and the Observe Shadows With a Solar System Mobile activity to continue the fun!
Author: 
Science