Salt Painting Our Solar System
The sun is the center of the Earth’s solar system, giving light to the planets as they orbit around it. As Jet and his friends will tell you, getting to know the solar system is key to learning more about our universe. Help your child learn about our place in space with this art project.
Materials
Directions
Before you begin, look at the solar system printable with your child. Talk with your child about the planet he lives on and the other planets in our solar system. How far are the planets from the sun? Are the planets closer to the sun warmer?
Draw a round circle with glue. This will be the sun so make sure it is the largest circle. Fill in the circle with glue. Make eight additional glue-filled circles on the paper to represent each planet in our solar system. Add glue rings to Saturn and Uranus.
Pour a layer of salt directly on top of each glue circle.
Use food coloring or droppers filled with liquid watercolor paint to color each circle of salted glue. Start with 2-3 drops and add more as needed. You can decide whether to use one color or to mix colors to decorate each planet. For example, Earth has both blue and green colors, while Mars is red.
Let the salt paintings dry, label the planets, and hang up your solar system painting!
Explore Further
Talk with your child about how sun’s energy affects the characteristics of each planet. Planets that are closer to the sun are hotter and drier, while planets farther away are icy and cold. As you read books about space or watch video clips together, ask: What tools do scientists use to gather information about outer space?
Take your child to look at the sky at night, and point out subtle differences in the stars: color, brightness, size. Can your child notice any of the other of the objects in the night sky?
Science
Arts