MATERIALS:

4 boxes with lids (suggest filing boxes or large shoe boxes)
glow in dark planet stickers
black construction paper
glue

DIRECTIONS:

These are simple materials to make. Get 4 pieces of black construction paper and glow in the dark planets. Make a scene of the night sky as it may look throughout the night. For instance at 9 pm the moon may be rising in the east. At 1 am the moon has moved to the west; at 3 am the moon is even closer to the western horizon and at 6 am the moon is no longer there.

Although the stars do move (or actually the Earth moves); we have found that the students will not be able to recognize the movement. So we put a square grid of stars in the background, so that students can recognize the movement easily.

The grid recommended in the text reflects a movement of Orion. You may want to use different grids. Remember you can change the construction paper. If the students can detect the non-moving grid easily, you may want to try the more complex one. Below are examples of moving and non-moving grids.

EXAMPLE OF BACKGROUND THAT DOES NOT MOVE

EXAMPLE OF BACKGROUND THAT MOVES