• Home
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Meet Sarah
  • Playful Days
  • Shop Resources
  • Search

How Wee Learn

Out of the box learning ideas, playful art, exploring nature, and simple living - that is How We Learn!

  • Quiet Time
  • Letters and Numbers
  • Art
  • Science
  • Get Outside
  • Shop

Constellation Cards and Myths for Kids

August 30, 2019 by Sarah 11 Comments

We are getting into a nice rhythm for our new home school year.  Right now in Science we are learning about the Solar System – and I am happy to report, my kids find it just as cool as I do!  After watching a star show in the planetarium at our local museum we decided to make some constellation cards to go with our newly learned Greek constellation myths.

Now some of the Greek constellation myths are a little intense. So we chose 4 of our favourite’s that are very kid friendly. I have included all 4 constellation myths with the FREE PRINTABLE of these constellation cards. I hope your little ones love them as much as mine!

These constellation cards and myths for kids are awesome for a constellation unit! With FREE PRINTABLE CARDS! Poke out holes, shine a flashlight, and share the myths! Such a fun science activity about constellations and stars. #howweelearn #constellationactivities #scienceactivities #freeprintable

The kids chose 4 constellations (well, 3 constellations and the Big Dipper) which we researched and then wrote our own (very simplified version) of constellation myths for kids.  Madeline thought it would be cool to make constellation cards to accompany the myths.  So we did – and they were super simple and have been so much fun!

Here are the constellation cards, myths, and instructions:

These constellation cards and myths for kids are awesome for a constellation unit! With FREE PRINTABLE CARDS! Poke out holes, shine a flashlight, and share the myths! Such a fun science activity about constellations and stars. #howweelearn #constellationactivities #scienceactivities #freeprintable

To make the constellation cards:

we looked at pictures of the constellations from some books we have out from the library.  I (subtly) suggested simple constellations to research so we could make the constellation cards without too much trouble.  I drew dots where the stars were forming the constellation in thick paper.  Madeline used a toothpick and poked out the holes.  That’s it! OR even easier, just print out my constellation cards included in this post!

To use the constellation cards:

To use the constellation cards we held a flashlight in front of the cards in a dim room.  The room doesn’t need to be dark (but it is fun that way too!).  We played with the distance of the light from the card, and the card from the wall to make our constellations bigger and smaller.

Here are our constellation myths for kids:

The Constellation Myth of Ursa Major for Kids

constellation myths for kids

Zeus, King of the Gods, fell in love with Callisto and had a child named Arcas.  This made Hera, Queen of the Gods upset.  She turned Callisto into a bear. 

One day, Arcas went into the woods and found his Mother the bear.  She greeted him by going up on her back legs, but Arca thought this meant he was under attach so he readied his bow.  When Zeus saw this he turned Arca into a little bear and grabbed both Callisto and Arcas into the sky to keep them safe.

The Draco the Dragon Constellation Myth of the  for Kids

constellation myths for kids

Draco represents Ladon, a hundred-headed dragon.  He was guarding a golden apple tree for Hera, but was put to sleep by Hercule’s playing music.  Hera punished him by sending him up to the stars.  Where he still sits today.

The Cassiopeia Constellation Myth for kids

constellation myths for kids

This constellation was named after Queen Cassiopeia.  She was placed in the sky along with her daughter (Andromeda) and husband (Cepheus) because she often bragged that her daughter was more beautiful than the sea nymphs.

The Big Dipper

constellation myths for kids

(though this is not a constellation it is Sammy’s very favourite – so a constellation card was clearly necessary!)

The big dipper is called an asterism, which is a pattern of stars – not actually a constellation.  It is part of the constellation Ursa Major and looks like a saddle on the big bears back.

Learning about constellations was so much fun!  I love that these constellation cards were Madeline’s idea.  It is wonderful to see wee ones so interested in Science!  I have always found Space, the Solar System, and constellations so fascinating.  I am thrilled that my kids do too.

These constellation myths are excellent for language development, summarising skills, and imaginative thinking too.  And they were fun for the whole family!  All 4 of my kids were sitting in a dark room tonight shining light through the constellation cards while Madeline re-told the myths before bed.  That makes this Mama very happy.

You are welcome to print your very own FREE set of constellation cards right here. I have also included the myths for you. You may wish to print them and glue them on some cardboard so they last. Poke out the holes, shine a flashlight, and dream the night away! Get the Constellation Cards Freebie!

These constellation cards and myths for kids are awesome for a constellation unit! With FREE PRINTABLE CARDS! Poke out holes, shine a flashlight, and share the myths! Such a fun science activity about constellations and stars. #howweelearn #constellationactivities #scienceactivities #freeprintable

Get The Constellation Card Freebie Here

Thank you so much for reading friends! 

Sarah

You Might Also Like these awesome Constellation Activities for Kids!

Great constellation activities for kids. Fun ways to explore space at home!

 

 

 

Filed Under: Explore, Grade School, Life, Natural Living, Other Learning Fun, Science, Science

« Back to School Crafts
The trouble with fine motor skills »

Comments

  1. Chelsey says

    January 9, 2014 at 10:39 pm

    Ooh, I love this!! Lucy has been so curious about constellations lately. We often go once it’s dark and look at the stars. She will just go crazy for this!!!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      January 10, 2014 at 2:21 pm

      That’s wonderful Chelsey! So glad you like the idea!

      Reply
  2. Carrie @ Crafty Moms Share says

    January 17, 2014 at 7:38 pm

    I love this idea!! I will definitely have to do this with my daughter at some point. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      January 18, 2014 at 8:08 pm

      Thank you Carrie! And thank you for hosting!

      Reply
  3. maryanne @ mama smiles says

    January 19, 2014 at 10:41 pm

    I love these! Thanks for sharing with the Afterschool linky! Pinned, and featuring your post tomorrow!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      January 21, 2014 at 2:08 pm

      Thank you so much Maryanne!

      Reply
  4. Lynette Christensen says

    February 28, 2015 at 6:24 pm

    Two fun constellation books which may not be in print any more are Find the Constellations by H.A. Rey (author of Curious George) and The Glow in the Dark Night Sky book by Clint Hatchett.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      March 4, 2015 at 7:47 pm

      Thank you for the suggestions – we will have to look for these next time we are at the library. Always appreciate recommendations!

      Reply
  5. Jenny says

    June 11, 2015 at 10:30 pm

    Thank you for the simple, straight forward explanations of the constellations. Just right for youngsters. They get the idea that there is a story behind each group of stars.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      June 15, 2015 at 9:24 pm

      Nice and simple, and not too spooky! So glad you thought so as well Jenny. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!

      Reply
  6. diego says

    June 7, 2017 at 7:20 pm

    ES genial!! puedes enviarme mas?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 512 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video, document, spreadsheet, interactive, other. Drop file here

Visit my Sponsor Oak Meadow

Follow How Wee Learn

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
For every step of your journey
  • For Ages 3-5
  • For Ages 4-6
  • For Ages 6-8
  • For Ages 6-12
  • For All Ages

Shop Resources


Copyright © 2023 · How Wee Learn · Privacy Policy · designed by blogger boutique · Genesis Framework

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
2841 shares
  • 38