Art Activity: Galaxy Painting
What will your galaxy look like?
Activity best for children age 2 and up
We are located on a planet called earth in a solar system that is located in a galaxy called the Milky Way. Galaxies are made up of gas, dust, matter and billions of stars all held together by gravity. To see the Milky Way at night, you need three things: a very clear sky, minimal light around you, and no moon. If you see the Milky Way, you’ll notice that it looks like a hazy glow of light in a huge arc. Sometimes you might see pink colors in the Milky Way – that’s because there are other galaxies that have pinkish colored gases. In this art activity, we recreate a painting of a beautiful galaxy.
Materials You’ll Need:
Black paper
Assorted acrylic paint colors
White acrylic paint
Sponges
An old toothbrush
Optional: glitter
Guiding Questions:
What do you see when you look up at the night sky? Do you see anything besides stars?
Directions
STEP 1
Use a sponge to lightly dab your colored paints onto the black paper. Add as much or as little paint as you’d like, but make sure to leave some empty black space.
STEP 2
Dip your toothbrush in the white paint. Using your finger, pull back on the bristles of the toothbrush and release them, creating a fine mist of paint.
STEP 3
Continue adding the “gasses and dust” with your sponge and “stars” with your toothbrush until your galaxy is complete! If you’d like, add some glitter while your paint is still wet.
Grown Ups-Are you looking for more ways to extend your child’s learning? Check out these extension activities to build upon today’s STREAM activity!
Reading Connections:
Share your galaxy paintings with us on Instagram by tagging @sdcdm320!
Questions about this activity? Email education@sdcdm.org
