Space fascinates children and adults alike. Who didn’t want to become an astronaut at some stage in their lives? Who isn’t curious about other planets and perhaps discovering new life out there? Well, this egg carton galaxy craft will not get you any answers but will sure get your children to make them all up. And that’s just the way we like our stories!
Scroll down to see how we put together this sparkly galaxy box.
How to Make an Egg Carton Galaxy
What you need for the galaxy box: an egg carton, black paint (water paint will do), paint brushes, sparkles (all colours and shapes)
What you need for the props: an empty Kinder Surprise egg, bits of cardboard, washi tape, little rocks, an alien, foam balls, paint, toothpicks
Step 1: Creating an Egg Carton Galaxy Box
We started by painting our empty egg carton black all over. We used simple water paint since that was all we had at the time. When you use water paint it can get a bit tricky for kids to find the right balance between getting enough water so you can easily cover your carton with paint and not getting too much so the carton gets mushy. They’ll get the hang of it quickly enough though.
This took a bit longer than anticipated so I highly recommend big brushes. Not a lot of preschoolers have patience to spare!
Once the inside of your box is done, immediately sprinkle it with all the sparkles, glitter, sequins you have. The paint needs to be wet for the glitter to stick well enough. We made two boxes and one had already dried when we added the glitter. The difference was HUGE. To get that beautiful space like look, the paint needs to be wet when you add your glitter, sparkles and/or sequins.
By the way, feel free to experiment with your glitter, sparkles, sequins combinations. It was my 6 year old daughter who just dumped our entire supply into the box which gave an unexpectedly beautiful result!
Step 2: Creating some Galaxy Props
Once you have your galaxy box ready, you might want to add a thing or two to turn it into a little portable space small world if you will.
1. The first thing you need is an alien, or an astronaut, or a little pony that has always wanted to venture out into space. You get the idea, use what you have or let your kids find something they want to use. I think we used an angry little ninja turtle, one of those things that came with something one day and has been floating around play scenes what feels like forever.
2. the second thing you could do is make a space ship. We quickly made one using an empty Kinder Surprise cap. I tapes a few bits of cardboard to it with washi tape and that was that.
3. The third thing we decided to do was make some planet. We had a few foam balls left which we painted, and sprinkled with glitter of course. When you put them on toothpicks you can stick them into your egg carton. It will give the impression of planets orbiting in space. It’s pretty cool alright!
4. The last thing you could add are some rocks, which could be comets. I really liked that idea and it adds another little prop for your kids to use in their imaginative play.
Add whatever you want! It’s all about getting creative with what you’ve got and getting your kids to think along with you. If they think of something else, go with it and see what happens.
Egg Carton Galaxy Play Ideas
Creating an egg carton galaxy is half the fun. Most kids love a good craft and whenever I put glitter on the table my two little ones are in. And this little space craft is a project that kids can enjoy for a long time to come!
Ideas for using this Egg Carton Galaxy:
Your little space man, alien or astronaut can go on many adventures! It would be so easy to play with this space box anywhere or extend it at home with some fabric scraps and a bit more glitter.
2. Quiet Time Busy Box
Let your little one enjoy some time to herself. Find a peaceful spot and let them explore away.
3. Travel Tin
This portable space box fits into any bag! I also promise the glitter is well secured so your car, purse or entire house won’t turn into disco heaven. Let the children entertain themselves while you go out to eat or have to wait somewhere.
4. Storytelling
Grab a book about space and make those stories come alive! Add more props if you need to!
5. Galaxy Unit for Learning
This is a great craft project for a preschool space or galaxy unit. Simple, easy, cheap and with lots of possibilities.
I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as we did. Simple craft and play ideas are most definitely what works for my 6 and 3 year old. Here are some of their favourites: dinosaur jump & wash, fairy busy bag, mini ocean world and exploring loose parts on a mirror.
A special thanks to Anna from The Imagination Tree who inspired me to make this craft. I saw her ocean in an egg carton craft, it got me thinking about all the possibilities of creating small worlds in little boxes. Genius!
Ann*
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