You will need styrofoam balls in the following sizes: 5, 4, 3, 2. 5, 2, 1. 5, and 1. 25 inches. You will need two each of the 1. 5 and 1. 25 inch balls. You will also need a styrofoam sheet that is . 5 inches and 5 x 5 inches. This is what you will use to make Saturn’s rings. Get acrylic craft paints in the following colors: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue-green, dark blue, cobalt blue, light blue, white and black. You will paint your planets with these colors.
Set them aside in the following order: 5 inch, 1. 25 inch, 1. 5 inch, 1. 5 inch, 1. 25 inch, 4 inch, 3 inch, 2. 5 inch, and 2 inch.
Trace the diameter of the 4 inch jar onto the center of the styrofoam sheet with a pencil or pen. Center the 3 inch jar in the 4 inch ring you just traced. Trace around the edge of the 3 inch jar with a pencil or pen. Cut the styrofoam ring out, using an x-acto knife by following along your traced lines. Never let a child use the x-acto or serrated knife. An adult should always do this step.
Put out your paints in plastic cups, and fill a cup halfway with water to rinse your paintbrush. Paint the 5 inch ball bright yellow. This will be the sun. Pick up your next ball. It should be 1. 25 inches and will represent Mercury. Paint this one orange. Paint the next ball (1. 5 inches) blue-green. This will represent Venus. Paint the next ball (1. 5 inches) dark blue, and add green continents. This will be Earth. Mars should be painted red. This will be the next 1. 25 inch ball.
Paint the 4 inch ball with orange with red and white stripes. This will be Jupiter. Add the Great Red Spot on Jupiter in the correct area with red paint. Paint the 3 inch ball yellow and the styrofoam ring orange. This will be Saturn. Get the 2 inch ball and paint it cobalt blue to represent Uranus. Get the 2. 5 inch ball and paint it light blue. This will represent Neptune. Paint the dowel rod black.
Stick the pointed end of the skewer handles from the planets in a large jar and let the planets dry without touching. Clean up your area a little bit while they dry. You can clean your paintbrush, get rid of your paint cups and water, and scraps from cutting the rings from Saturn.
Line the inner rim of the orange painted ring with craft glue. Push the yellow painted 3 inch styrofoam ball into the ring, taking care not to split the styrofoam ring. Set it aside to dry while you construct the rest of the mobile.
Cut the string for the sun the shortest. Make it about 4 inches. Cut the next string two inches longer so the planet will hang a little bit lower. If you cut the string for the sun at 4 inches you would cut the string for Mercury at 6 inches. As you go along, cut each string 2 inches longer. Neptune should thus hang the lowest of all the planets on the mobile.
Remove the skewer from each planet. Tie a knot at the end of each string. Glue the knotted end of each string into the skewer hole on the planet. Remember to glue the smallest string into the sun and the next longest into Mercury and so on. The longest string goes with Neptune. Let the glue dry.
Keep the planets a good distance apart. You don’t want them to touch as they hang. Secure the string or yarn on the dowel with a dot of glue. Let this dry.
Tie a long piece of string to each end of the dowel rod and secure with glue. Suspend the dowel from the strings, playing with the lengths on either end. Make sure the dowel is suspended horizontally, then tie the two strings attached to the ends of the dowel together tightly. Use the remaining ends of the strings to tie the mobile to a hook in the ceiling.
You will need a wooden dowel that is 1/4 inch in diameter and 30 inches long. You will suspend your planets from this using string. Obtain a skein of black yarn or string. This is what you will use to hang your planets from the dowel. Get some thick white craft glue to help secure the planets onto the strings. If you don’t have a hook to screw into the ceiling to suspend your mobile, you will need to get one as well.
Get a pair of scissors and a serrated or x-acto knife. You will need the scissors to cut string and the x-acto knife to cut out the rings for Saturn. Warning: never let a child use the x-acto knife. An adult should help with this. Get a jar or cup with a 3 inch diameter, and another with a 4 inch diameter. You will need to use these to trace onto the styrofoam sheet to make Saturn’s rings. You will need a teaspoon to help smooth out the styrofoam.
Get at least 8 wood skewers. These can be the kind you use for kebabs. You will stick these into the styrofoam balls to act as a handle for less messy painting of your planets. Find a couple of plastic cups for water and paint. Obtain a stiff paintbrush for painting the planets.
Learn the planet’s names and order: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. [7] X Research source Some models may include Pluto as a planet, but scientists have recently classified this celestial body as a Dwarf Planet. [8] X Research source Make sure you have some information on the sun, which is the center of our solar system.
