Looking up at the stars can be relaxing whether viewing them in the night sky, at a planetarium, or

as projections onto your bedroom ceiling. Not just beautiful, stars and groups of stars have their

place in history and mythology. In this activity, your child will observe stars and see how these

points of light can be grouped together to form pictures. Your child will also hear and retell a few

traditional constellation stories while shining an image of a constellation on a dark wall.

For centuries, cultures have imagined groups of stars forming pictures of animals and people, both real and mythical.

These star pictures, called constellations, helped farmers keep track of planting and harvesting seasons, sailors navigate across oceans, and storytellers to tell their traditional stories such as myths and folklore.

Many of the constellation stories we know today come from the Ancient Greeks, who learned them from ancient civilizations. These constellation stories tell the tales of ancient gods, heroes, and mythological creatures.

While You Play

Before starting this activity, ask your child to remember the last time she looked at stars. Did she see individual stars or did she group stars together to form pictures? After the activity, ask your child if it is now easier to notice or put together groups of stars to form pictures. You can also talk about which of the four constellation stories you’ll learn about is your child’s favorite and why.

The Science Behind the Fun

Earth and Space Science:

Your child is learning about the stars and their

position in the sky as part of a constellation.

How to Make Flashlight Constellations

Flashlight Constellations

On Ready Jet Go, Jet’s friend Mindy

is fascinated by the stars and

constellations. In this activity, your

child can learn more about several

well-known constellations.

• Printed constellation stories and

pictures

• Flashlight with a round opening for

light; the constellation cutouts are

sized for a 1-3/4” flashlight opening

and a 2” flashlight opening – you

can print the page larger or smaller

to fit your flashlight

What you’ll need

Step 1Together with your child, read the four constellation stories.

Step 2Use scissors to cut out each of the circles showing the constellations.

Step 3Glue the circles to cereal box cardboard to make them sturdier. Once the glue is dry, use scissors to cut out the constellation circles again.

Step 4Carefully pierce a hole in each star spot on the constellation circle. (An adult should complete this step using a pair of scissors or a push pin.)

Step 5Place the circle inside the front edge of the flashlight so that the light shines through the pierced points on the paper. Make sure the picture is facing the flashlight so that is shows correctly on the wall.

Directions

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• Scissors

• Thin cardboard from a cereal box

• Glue

• Something to pierce the paper such as a push pin, thumb tack, or nail

Flashlight Constellations

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The contents of this release were developed under a grant from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. The project is funded by a Ready To Learn grant (PR/AWARD No. U295A150003-16, CFDA No. 84.295A) provided by the Department of Education to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; All rights reserved; Ready Jet Go! and the Ready Jet Go logo are registered trademarks of Jet Propulsion, LLC. © 2017 Jet Propulsion, LLC; PBS KIDS and the PBS KIDS Logo are registered trademarks of Public Broadcasting Service. Used with permission.

More ways to playReady Jet Go!

• Night of a Bazillion Stars Song Sheet Visit: pbskids.org/readyjetgo/media/pdf/songsheets/NightOfaBazzilionStars.pdf

• Night of a Bazillion Stars Video Visit: pbskids.org/video/ready-jet-go/2365665179

• Constellation Connect the Dots Visit: pbskids.org/video/ready-jet-go/3001495354

• Mindy’s Constellation Exploration Game Visit: pbskids.org/readyjetgo/games/mindy/index.html

Step 6In a dark room, shine the flashlight onto a wall so that you can see the points of light creating the constellation.

Step 7As each constellation is shown on the wall, have your child retell the corresponding constellation stories you read together earlier.

Step 8For each flashlight constellation, talk about what other shapes or animals that constellation could represent. Can your child make up a new story to go with that constellation?

Step 9If possible, go outside and observe actual stars in the night sky or use the Ready Jet Go! App Space Explorer pbskids.org/apps/ready-jet-go-space-explorer.html. Encourage your child to group together stars and make up a new constellation story.

Directions continued

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© Public Broadcasting Service. All rights reserved.

Major funding for the series is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

READY JET GO!: © 2017 Jet Propulsion, LLC. Ready Jet Go! is a registered trademark of Jet Propulsion, LLC.

This document may be printed for personal, noncommercial purposes.

pbskids.org

Ursa Major is also known as The Great Bear. Ancient Greeks tell the story about a beautiful girl named Callisto who was turned into a bear by a mean goddess. A tracker tried to catch the bear, but the Greek God Zeus saved Callisto by placing her up in the night sky where she was safe.

The story of Ursa Minor, or the Little Bear, comes from the Ancient Greeks. Arcas was a great hunter. One day while hunting in the woods, he came across a great bear. Little did he know that was actually his mother, Callisto, who was under a spell. Arcas was about to catch the great bear, but the Greek god Zeus, stopped him just in time and turned Arcas into a little bear so he could be with his mom. Zeus placed the two bears into the sky to keep them safe and protected.

In Greek myths, Leo the Lion lived outside an ancient city called Nemea. For many years, Leo would scoop up people from Nemea and no one would stop him. One day, Hercules went to stop the lion and won. Everyone who the lion had caught was set free. Zeus made Leo a constellation in the night sky to remind people of the story of Hercules and Leo.

The Ancient Greeks tell the story of a wild bull named Taurus who had a bad temper. One day he trampled a field of wild flowers and Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, got very sad. Taurus apologized and they soon became good friends. From then on, every spring, Persephone would ride on Taurus’ back and the two of them would make the flowers bloom as they walked by.

URSA MAJOR

URSA MINOR

LEO THE LION

TAURUS THE BULL

For more printables, go to pbskidsforparents.org

FlashlightConstellations

Stories and Patterns

Choose the size circle that fits on your flashlight lens. Flip the picture so it’s facing theflashlight.

Taurus

Leo

Ursa Minor

Ursa Major