Mini Sextant

Tools like the Sextant, Astrolabe, Quadrant, and Inclinometer, (as well as many others) have been used for navigation for centuries! These devices have helped sailors with their voyages by simplifying celestial navigation- knowing where you are based on the location of the stars. 

Today's craft is technically more like an inclinometer than a sextant, but we're using the more common name to keep things easy.

Begin with a paper straw! This will be used as your sight. 

(Ours have stars on them, which makes it extra cute! It also fits our celestial theme.)

Cut a piece of string to approximately 7 or 8 inches long. Tie one end around the straw, and the other through a metal washer.

Line your protractor up with the string, so that the knot meets the 90 degree mark, pointing straight down.  You will want at least half an inch of straw overhanging the "back" with the rest extending past the "front" of the protractor. 

With the string on the same side of the protractor as the printed numbers, tape the straw firmly in place. We recommend using book tape or packing tape, so that it's clear. 

(Another option is to glue the sight in place with a hot glue gun.) 

That's all it takes to make your navigation tool! To use it, all you need to do is look through the sight. Locate an object you want to spot through the hole of the straw. Hold the sextant vertically, tilting it so the object you are viewing (such as a star) is in line with your sight. Pinch the string against the protractor to hold it in place. You should be able to read the angle of the object you have spotted!

Constellation Coasters

It's time to create some crazy-cute constellation coasters!

All you need for this projects is a blank coaster board, pencil, foam brush, printout, mod podge (we're using matte), and a pair of scissors.

To start, place your coaster board over your print (we just found an image we liked on google), covering the area you want to have visible. If you're using one print for two or more coasters, make sure there's enough space to fit each of them on. 

Trace your coaster board with a pencil, and cut out that section of the print, leaving a thin border around the edges.

Use the foam brush to apply mod podge to the top of your coaster board. 

Smooth your print onto the top of your coaster, working from one side to the other to avoid bubbles. Use the side of your pencil to press the paper down even more, making sure no air is trapped between layers.

Let your coaster rest for a moment to be sure the adhesive is secure. Once it has (at least partially) dried, cover the entire top with a layer of mod podge. You can see from the photo that the foam brush may leave textured streaks. We dealt with this by altering directions between layers (the first layer was brushed top to bottom, the second left to right).

Once the first layer is dry, cover the entire top again. Try to get at least 3 layers covering your coaster to be certain the water-resistant sealing is strong! While these coasters won't be totally waterproof, they can definitely hold up to normal use.

While coating your project, be sure to cover the sides of your coaster as well! This will help to seal the sides, and to hold your paper on securely. 

There it is... a one-of-a-kind, kid-friendly-crafting Constellation Coaster!

Protip: Let the coaster dry for a day or two before subjecting it to regular usage! 

Easy Adhesive Label

This is a nice addition to go with the Galactic Moon Goop Slime we created earlier! It uses a simple technique for label making that can be applied to all sorts of crafts (adding photos to candle jars, labels to kitchen containers, etc.). 

Step one is to simply print the design you want to use as a label on plain printer paper. Anything left WHITE on your label will be removed in this process, so make sure the page surrounding your design is blank. Our Moon Goop design is located HERE, if you would like to print it out! 

Cut out the label design. You can leave a bit of a white border, but you don't want too much excess paper around the design you plan to use. Once it is cut out, place a piece of clear tape (such as book tape or packing tape) over the design- sticky side against printed side. Rub a credit card, fingernail, paperclip, or other solid object over the tape to press the paper against the tape with no bubbles.

Once the paper is secured behind the tape, place it into a bowl of warm water, making sure the paper is fully submerged. 

Let the label soak for 5-10 minutes.

Gently rub the paper side of your label while it is still underwater to remove the paper residue. If it does not roll off easily, let the label soak a while longer.

Once all of the paper is removed, set the label aside (sticky side up) to dry. You can blot it gently with a paper towel, or allow it to air dry. Air drying is safest, as it avoids the risk of removing your adhesive. 

Once the Label is dry, simply stick it to whatever you want! Ours was used for test tubes to hold slime, but the possibilities for this technique are endless! 

Galactic Moon Goop

For our Galactic Moon Coop Slime, we will be starting with a simple slime base- clear glue and liquid starch. The REAL star of this slime is the ultra sparkle glitter we found for it! We are using Hemway Black Holographic, which can be found HERE on Amazon!

To start, add some clear glue to a bowl or other container. We measured about half a scoop from one of these detergent cups... but you can use more or less, depending on how large of a group you're working with (and how large your storage container is!). I'd recommend starting with this amount or smaller, if you aren't sure. It's far easier to add more glue than to correct for too much.

Next, add some glitter! The glitter amount can also be adjusted. This is a matter of personal preference. If you have enough on hand, and only a small batch to make... add more! If you want it less sparkly, or have a large group... a little less works just as well.

We added some colored glitter to our black sparkles, and mixed the glue and glitter with a popsicle stick. 

This is the part where some people get frustrated. Begin adding pipettes full of liquid starch to the glue/glitter mixture. It may take quite a bit of starch, if you have too much glue. Kids often have a tendency to add more glue than they need at the beginning... so be sure to keep this in mind as you measure your materials! 

Repeat this process as needed- adding a pipette of starch, and then stirring. Eventually, your slime will reach a consistency that you can play with! Sometimes it needs a bit of kneading to get to the desired texture- the warmth from your hands, plus the extra mixing is a winning combination.

If the slime is too watery, add more glue. If it's too stringy, add more starch. There's a delicate balance to hit with this craft, but with just a little bit of finessing, you can end up with something super cool!