Flying Through Space
installations
A cardboard rocket big enough to climb inside
A galaxy-sized week of rockets, sensory tubs, marbled milky ways, and deep space collage. Big, glittery, and unapologetically cosmic.
Introduction
The first morning of this theme, three kids stopped and squealed in the doorway. The rocket was at the front of the studio, the cardboard one we'd built from a car part box the panel beater next door gave us, big enough to stand up inside. One of the little artists, completely earnestly, asked how much a ticket was to go up in it.
That's how I know a theme has landed, when the kids commit fast! Space is always near the top of my Smudge list because it gives permission to go BIG. Big cardboard, big paint, deep black paper, metallic everything, and oh so much glitter. There's no right answer to what a galaxy looks like, so every piece the kids made was wildly different. What's in this guide is what we ran across the week. Some of the activities you can squeeze into an afternoon. Others (the rocket especially) take more setup, but they're worth every minute. Do them all, do a few, or pull one out as a rainy Saturday rescue.
Pick and choose what works for you. Nothing needs to be done in order, or all in the same week.
A cardboard rocket big enough to climb inside
Liquid watercolour, rock salt, and a bit of magic
Black beans, tiny astronauts, and stars that glow
A whole tiny world in a cake box
One of the most satisfying processes on earth
Black skies and shimmery planets
Coloured water, floating stars, and bio glitter
Cardboard rockets with an astronaut hiding in the window