Paint Stick Solar System Project for Kids

Explore the solar system for kids with this super cute, fun, and easy paint stick solar system project for kids. Your child will love this out-of-this world science art project that will aid in learning the names and order of the planets. This solar system project ideas project is a perfect hands-on science activity for your preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade students.

Solar System Project for Kids

Recently my 8 year old read about Neil Armstrong, so I had outer space on my mind and decided to work on the names of the planets and their order in our solar system. To do so, we made a Solar System Project for Kids using a paint stick, paint, and clothespins to label the names of planets for kids. This is such an easy-to-make solar system project ideas that preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 students will all enjoy making!

Whether you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler – you will love adding this planets for kids activity to your solar system unit!

Solar system project ideas

To make this fun solar system project for kids, you will need a few simple materials your probably already have on hand in your home:

paint stick
various colors of paint
paintbrushes
clothespins
markers

Obviously, our planets are not drawn to scale. This activity was intended to help my son memorize the names of the planets, their basic appearance, and where they are located in relation to one another.

First I brought out the book, Planets by Ellen Hasbrouck. We read through the book and searched online to learn a few more facts.

Solar system projects ideas

After reading the book, we brought out our paints and paint stick to begin creating thiskids solar system project. First paint the paint stick black. After a few minutes, begin painting the solar system. We started by painting the sun at the top our paint stick and then using various colors of paint, painted each of the planets down the paint stick.

Mercury– Orbits the sun in 88 days!
Venus– Although second from the sun, it is the hottest planet in our solar system.
Earth– Our home planet and the only one with liquid water on its surface and life.
Mars– Has an ever present red tint due to mineral called iron oxide on planet’s surface.
Jupiter– Is the stormiest planet in the solar system and is also the largest.
Saturn– Surrounded by a series of rings.
Uranus– Orbits the sun lying on its side.
Neptune– Composed of mostly gas, is the last planet in our solar system; was discovered in 1845!

Solar system art project

Once your paint stick solar system is compete, let it dry. In the meantime collect 8 clothespins and markers.

Solar system painting ideas

On each clothespin write a name of a planet.

Once everything has dried, have your child match each of the planets by clipping the correct clothespin onto the coordinating planet on the paint stick.

Solar system craft project

This paint stick solar system was such a neat art and science project! Not too mention, the clothespins work on fine motor skills, which I love to try and sneak into all our learning activities. It is a great tool to work on the names of the planets and planet order; makes for a great busy bag activity, and will look pretty cool hanging up in our school room!

Solar System Activities

Looking for more fun, hands on science activities to teach kids about astronomy or to round out your solar system for kids unit. You will love these hands on solar system activities and lessons:

The Sun for Kids
Moon for Kids & Astronauts Too
Inner Planets for Kids (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars)
Outer Planets for Kids (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)
Pluto, Asteroid Belt, Comets, and Stars
Yarn Solar System
Paint Stick Solar System Project
Pipe Cleaner Constellations – fun hands on constellation activity for kids
Simple Galaxy Science Project
Looking for more fun, engaging, creative, and memorable moon projects for kids? You will love this 50 Moon Crafts & Activities for Kids collection with the best ideas from the whole internet!
TONS of really cool Solar System Project Ideas for kids of all ages

Free Solar System Printables

Plus, don’t forget to add these free solar system worksheets and printables to your lesson plan:

HUGE pack of Free Solar System Worksheets for elementary age kids
Solar system worksheets for kindergarten with solar system themed math and literacy activities for preschoolers, kindergartners, and grade 1 students
Simple Astronaut Coloring Pages
Space Worksheets for Kindergartners
Solar System Colouring Pages to read, learn, and color the solar system
Printable Constellations Book for children to learn about stars and the patterns they make in the night sky
Cootie Catcher Constellation Printable
Free Constellation Flashcards
Moon Phases Worksheets
Planets Printable Book for students to learn about all the planets in our solar system
Moon Phases Printable Mini Book for kids to learn about the phases of the moon

Science for Kids

Looking for lots more fun, science experiments for kids? You’ve GOT to try some of these outrageously fun science experiments for kids! We have so many fun, creative and easy science experiments for elementary age children:

100 Amazing Food science experiments for kids – arranged by type of science
Colorful Capillary action science experiment (also known as walking water)
Amaze kids with these 12 Hands on Science experiments with batteries
24 Epic Solar system science projects to try this week
Fun Water balloon science experiment that explores density
50 Fun Preschool science experiments the whole family will want to try
Simple Galaxy science project
Easy and Fun Dancing Raisins Experiment
Learn about weather as you find how to make a weather vane
Eye opening Eye science experiments
Easy-to- make Air pressure science project
Amazing POP rocks science experiment is one of our all-time favorite science experiments we like to do during the summer are
Stunning Chromatography Flowers are so pretty you’ll forget it was as science project!
How to Make a Lava Lamp – super easy and SO cool!
30 Simple machines science projects kids will want to try
Easy, fascinating, and colorful project answering Why do Leaves Change Color Experiment

Free Printable Animal Classifications for Kids Cootie Catchers
19 Edible science experiments – which delicious project will you try first?
HUGE Free Solar System Unit (coloring pages, hands on science projects, worksheets, and more!)
Pipe Cleaner Constellation Activity (As seen on Good Housekeeping!)
Teach kids about conductivity with this fun squishy circuits projects
Amazing, Heat Sensitive, Color Changing Slime
Life Cycles for Kids (from penguin to sunflower and spider to turkey we have LOTS of life cycles to explore and learn about)
EASY, Colorful Oil and Water Science Experiment
Kids will be amazed as you change colors of white flowers with this Dying Flowers Science Experiment
This super cool Lego Zipline is fun and simple to make
Human Body Project
Check out this super cool look INSIDE a Volcano Project
Exploding Watermelon – science experiment that explores potential and kinetic energy with a big WOW moment!
Memorable Life Size Skeletal system science project – includes free printable template
Find LOTS more Easy Science Experiments for kids of all ages!