Invitation to Create Stars & Constellations with Loose Parts

To continue learning & exploring more about space + science this month, we set this invitation where the children created their very own galaxy full of stars & constellations. After reading this book we learned that stars are giant balls of hot gas of glowing gas held together by their own gravity, some twinkle due to Earth's atmosphere, bend lights from them, stars can be different colors with hotter stars appearing blue or white & cooler stars appearing red or orange,  & constellations are just patterns of stars that people have imagined for centuries & were named by ancient cultures, the names often refer to animals, mythical creatures, or people. 

We set out a tuff tray that we covered with a sparkly tablecloth, provided a tinker tray filled with acrylic rocks, pom poms, colored sticks, translucent pebbles, crystals, stars, & led lights. Each child got a thick cardstock paper and were invited to create their own stars & constellations. 

Providing loose parts to create inspires children with endless opportunities of wonder, curiosity, & out of this world creativity. Since loose parts are dynamic in nature, it brings about the authenticity of formulating ideas while offering children an open-ended experience that stimulates their mind & imagination. As they manipulate the materials, children are allowed to develop their own ideas while making connections of how the world works, through self-expression they gain confidence, and throughout all of this they enjoy the learning process because their curiosity was ignited and they were able to let their  creativity shine in their exploration.