Constructing Planets
Collect the materials needed to construct the planets. It is best to have everything laid out in front of you as you are doing this project. 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.
Stick a skewer into each one of the styrofoam balls. This will help you paint them. Don't stick the skewer all the way through the ball, instead, just put it through about halfway. 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.
Cut out Saturn's rings. You will need to trace circles on the styrofoam sheet to do this. Smooth out the edges of the rings using the rounded side of the teaspoon. 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.
Add detail to your sun and first few planets. You can do this by painting the styrofoam balls with the craft paint. Hold each planet by the skewer handle as you do this for a less messy craft. 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 gas giants and dowel rod. These planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. 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.
Let the planets and dowel dry. They will need to be 100% dry before you hang them on the mobile. 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.
Put Saturn together. Saturn is more complicated than the other planets due to its rings. 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.
Putting Together the Solar System Mobile
Cut the string that the planets will hang from. You will need to cut these at different lengths so the planets hang at different levels. 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.
Attach the string to each planet. You will need to do this to hang the planets from the dowel rod. 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.
Tie the other end of each string for each planet to the dowel rod in planetary order. The sun should be first on the left end of the dowel. 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.
Suspend the mobile. You will hang it using more of the black yarn or string. 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.
Researching and Gathering Supplies
Find objects to use to suspend the planets. You can find these items at the craft store along with your other materials. 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.
Gather the tools you will need to put the materials together. You will also want to have these readily available during construction. 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.
Gather other supplies. These will help you in painting the planets. 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.
Research the planets. If you want to use this for a school project, you cannot just turn in a mobile and barely know the names of the planets. Learn the planet's names and order: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Some models may include Pluto as a planet, but scientists have recently classified this celestial body as a Dwarf Planet. Make sure you have some information on the sun, which is the center of our solar system.
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