January 29, 2025

Pipe Cleaner Constellations – a Hands-on Constellation Activity

Calling all space lovers! Whether you enjoy star-gazing on a clear summer night or are in planning mode for an upcoming solar system unit or astronomy study, this hands-on STEM activity will help your kids learn about constellations, stars, and the patterns stars form in the night sky! Using a few simple manipulatives, your child will enjoy this fun, constellation activities where they will make Pipe Cleaner Constellations with preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade science students. This makes a great summer science activity or a fun constellation activity for all year long!

Pipe Cleaner Constellations

A constellation is a fancy term for a grouping of stars that make up some sort of picture. They are often named after mythological characters, people, or objects. Just think of constellations as a giant game of connect the dots! Long before maps and GPS systems, people used the groupings of stars in the sky to help them navigate to where they wanted to go and keep track of the different seasons. Pretty neat, huh?! Your children will have fun exploring the patterns stars make with this hands-on constellation activity for kids! After exploring about constellations for kids through books and websites, allow your kiddos to build a few popular constellations with pipe cleaners and beads! This pipe cleaner constellations is a simple STEM activity and fun engineering and science activity the kids will love. And because it is hands-on and involves critical thinking and many other skills, I am hoping it’ll help your child remember the constellations in the sky for when they are out star-gazing at night. This is a fun, hands on science activity for preschoolers, kindergarteners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, and grade 6 students.

Constellation stem activity

Start out by grabbing the constellation flashcards (click link) and scroll to the bottom of the post, under the terms of use, and click on the text link that says >> _____ <<. The pdf file will open in a new window for you to save the freebie and print the constellations flashcards.

Constellation activity

Whether you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler this is such a cute, clever science project that makes a perfect addition to your astronomy for kids or solar system for kids unit. Hands on learning activities are always a great way to keep kids engaged and help them retain what they’ve learned. This educational activity is great for science centers, summer learning, school at home, summer camps, and more.

Constellation activities

To try this fun, hands on constellation activities you only need a few simple supplies:

Provide your child with several pipe cleaners and beads. We used some star beads found at the Dollar Store, however, regular pony beads would work, too!

STEM activity for students learning about constellations with a creative Stars Activity

Constellations activity

With the supplies and flashcards ready, it’s time to build away and try this constellation activities for kids! We found it easiest for this stars activity to string the correct number of stars onto the pipe cleaner first and then used the flashcard to help guide us in where to bend and how to shape the pipe cleaner.

Of the three, the Ursa Minor was probably the most difficult to put together because we had to add the beads and then bend and twist the pipe cleaner to create the dipper part the correct way. If you choose more difficult constellations to create as a constellation crafts, provide more pipe cleaners and possibly some scissors to help make the correct shapes.

fun, hands on activity for teaching kids about constellations as part of a Solar System for Kids

Constellation activities for kids

This fun constellations activity is a great for kids to begin learning about all the different constellations in our night sky. Hopefully it will spur their natural curiosity to want to look for these constellations the next time your are camping or sitting around the campfire. And maybe they will be able to tell you what you are looking at!

Solar System Activities for Kids

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 Activities for Kindergarten – learn about the sun and how the planets orbit around it including a fun planets game for kids!
Moon Activities for Kids & Astronauts Too – make oreo moon phases, DIY telescope, learn about the astronauts who landed on the moon, and more!
Inner Planets for Kids (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) – Use our free planet worksheets and fun hands-on activities like Mercury craters, Venus’ melting rocks, layers of the earth, and Erupting Mars Volcano
Outer Planets for Kids (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) – combination of hands-on solar system projects and solar system printables; gaseous Jupiter, Saturn Rocket, plus cloudy Uranus and Neptune.
Pluto, Asteroid Belt, Comets, and Stars for Kids – make a FUN constellation projector, cold Pluto ice cream project, and grape constellation project
Yarn Solar System Project – fun, unique, and easy solar system model that is cheap and so pretty!
Paint Stick Solar System Project – easy-to-make solar system model for kids that doubles as an activity for learning the names and order of the planets
Pipe Cleaner Constellations – fun hands on pipe cleaner constellations activity for kids
Simple Galaxy Science Experiments
Looking for more fun, engaging, creative, and memorable moon projects for kids? You will love this 50 Moon Activities for Kids & Crafts 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
Planet worksheets for kindergarten with solar system themed math and literacy activities for preschoolers, kindergartners, and grade 1 students
Simple Astronaut Coloring Pages
Space Worksheets Preschool
Free Constellation Activity Sheets
Solar System Coloring Pages to read, learn, and color the solar system
Printable Free Constellations Printable pdf for children to learn about stars and the patterns they make in the night sky
Cootie Catcher Constellation Activities for Kids
Free Constellation Cards
Moon Phases Kindergarten Worksheets – HUGE pack!
Planets Solar System for Kids pdf 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
Look Inside a Volcano 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!
Simple Ice and salt experiment
Simple Light Bulb Experiment

Kristina

Kristina once thought of going into education, but changed her mind a few years in to her degree. Ironically, she now has her hands full as a homeschooling mother of four. With children of various ages from infant to 7, she shares a variety of educational and play activities for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and early elementary aged children on her blog,