Dry ice can help illustrate a comet.
You can enhance science study involving the sky by including art projects to extend the lesson. Art encourages students to look closer at the subject, and they can recreate comets, stars, constellations and clouds using art supplies. Students from preschool through high school can benefit from the combination of art and science.
Painting the Night Sky
After a study of the night sky, including constellations and satellite images, have students paint a version of the night sky on a sheet of black construction paper. Let them take inspiration from the realistic images, or include famous night sky reproductions -- such as Van Gogh, Munch and Matisse -- for students to use for ideas. Finish by having students write an artist's statement describing what they painted.
Winter Constellations
Hang images of common constellations found in the winter sky. Assign each student, or group of students a particular constellation. Pass out black and blue construction paper and aluminum foil. Poke holes in the construction paper in the pattern of a constellation. Place aluminum foil behind the construction paper to represent the stars. Use a pencil tip or ballpoint pen to make some holes larger to illustrate bright stars. Write the name of the constellation on each finished project.
Sky Science Journal
As a class project create a monthly moon book. Place a calendar of the moon on the front page. Assign a day to each student for them to draw the moon as homework. Place the images in order to build a book showing the changes of the moon. Encourage the students to be creative and use a variety of materials to create their moon picture, such as crayons, paint, chalk, collage items or a combination of supplies.
Make a Comet
Since this sky science lesson involves dry ice, only allow students to make comets under supervision. Be extremely careful when handling the ice, as it burns the skin. Use heavy rubber gloves and tongs. Place the ice inside three heavy garbage bags placed inside each other. Hold the top and then use a mallet to crush the dry ice. Cut open another heavy plastic garbage bag and use it to line a mixing bowl. Pour 2 cups of water in the bowl and then add a spoonful of the following ingredients: ammonia, dirt or sand, and dark corn syrup. Stir and then add the crushed ice. Continue mixing as the material freezes. Lift the garbage bag out of the mixing bowl and form into a snowball shape. Unwrap the frozen comet. Set it out on display so the class can watch it melt and turn from a solid to a gas.
Cloud
Have students use cotton balls to illustrate three different cloud formations. Draw the clouds on a sheet of construction paper before gluing cotton balls in place. Label the cumulus, cirrus and stratus clouds on different sheets of paper. Let the students finish filling in their pictures with crayon details. They can add flowers, birds, airplanes or an image of their choice.
