Learning about the Galaxy has been so much fun for my kids and me. We have enjoyed every step of the way and there is still more to come. This week get dove into making these Galaxy Jars.
From start to finish these took about 10 minutes or so to do. We feel what was so neat about these Galaxy jars was that we did the exact same steps to each jar but they came out totally different.
Related:Â Astronauts and Space Shuttles Printable Workbook
Galaxy Jar Kids Activity
What you need
Craft Paints, pink, blue, black, purple
Cotton Balls– We used almost 200 balls for 4 jars.
Water
Glitter, silver
Craft Sticks, optional
 Related: DIY Space Themed Telescope for Kids
How to Make the Galaxy Jar
Fill your mason jar 1/4th of the way with water. Add a generous amount of glitter to the water. Squeeze your first color of paint into the jar. We kind of did a circle swirl.
Put the lid on the jar tight and shake- Mixing the color and glitter together.
Remove lid and use the cotton balls, stretched out thin, in the jar. We used craft sticks to maneuver the cotton to the edges. Be careful not to press the cotton into the jar. You want it to be loose versus compacted.
Once the cotton soaks up the majority of the water, fill the jar about 1/3rd of the way with more water. Add your next color and a little more glitter if you desire. I grabbed the mouth of the jar a few times and twisted it, kind of spinning it a little to get the color to mix. The color pattern we used was: blue, pink, purple, black, (optional pink or blue on top).
Add more stretched out cotton balls to the new color water. Continue to repeat these steps until you reach the top of the jar.
Finish the top with cotton balls, do not compact down. Screw on the lid. (Optional- we tipped our jars upside down to mix it and spun them in circles. You do not have to do this but it is pretty neat to see it all mix)
More Galaxy Unit Posts
- Moon Phases Learning Craft for Kids + Printable Worksheets
- Solar System Planet Model for Kids
- Learning About Planets Printable Workbook
What You Need
- Mason Jar
- Craft Paint pink, blue, black, purple
- Cotton Balls
- Water
- Glitter silver
- Craft Sticks optional
Directions
-
Fill your mason jar 1/4th of the way with water. Add a generous amount of glitter to the water. Squeeze your first color of paint into the jar. We kind of did a circle swirl.
-
Put the lid on the jar tight and shake- Mixing the color and glitter together.
-
Remove lid and use the cotton balls, stretched out thin, in the jar. We used craft sticks to maneuver the cotton to the edges. Be careful not to press the cotton into the jar. You want it to be loose versus compacted.
-
Once the cotton soaks up the majority of the water, fill the jar about 1/3rd of the way with more water. Add your next color and a little more glitter if you desire. I grabbed the mouth of the jar a few times and twisted it, kind of spinning it a little to get the color to mix.
-
Add more stretched out cotton balls to the new color water. Continue to repeat these steps until you reach the top of the jar.
-
Finish the top with cotton balls, do not compact down. Screw on the lid. (Optional- we tipped our jars upside down to mix it and spun them in circles. You do not have to do this but it is pretty neat to see it all mix)
Sarah Bailey says
OK now those are some awesome jars, I sort of want to get hold of one and just shake it to see what happens!
stephanie parrell says
This is such a beautiful craft idea to do with the kiddos. Love this so much might even try it myself some sunday afternoon!
katriza says
This is so neat! My kids are huge fans of slime and I know this wouldn’t be any different! I’ll have to try this with them soon!
Kate Andrews says
This is seriously cool. Do you have to have a kid to do something like this? Because I really just want to do this for myself. Love it!
Marissa says
NO! I took all the ones my kids made and put them in my room. Ha! They really are pretty neat.
Garf says
This is a nice activity for kids. I need my nieces and nephews would like this.
Joanna @DIY Project says
This looks really awesome. Have to try this galaxy jar out.
Reb says
so, you just leave the cotton balls in there?
Marissa says
Yes! They become part of the ‘galaxy’ and hold the color.
Agatha Milne says
It is a very good recipe.