Get ready for a trip to the moon! This quick kid’s craft is a fun addition to any space party or for all your outer space lovers.   Use kid’s photos and turn them into little astronauts or, draw in your own face.  Try our companion project, Paper bowl flying saucer. 

 

What you'll need:

• Astronaut printout

• Rocket pattern

• 1 pipe cleaner                                                     

• Optional: photo of   your child’s face

• Scissors

• Glue stick

• Stapler

• Construction paper or cardstock

• Pencil

• Optional:  laminator

How to make it:

1. Print out the Astronaut printout.  If you are using a child’s photo for the face, choose one where the head is approximately the size of the oval in the spacesuit.  Trim away the background leaving just the head and glue it to the astronaut.  If you do not have a photo, use pencils, crayons, or markers to draw in your own astronaut face.

2. For the standing astronaut:  Glue your astronaut to construction paper or cardstock and trim away the excess paper.  Optional:  laminate  and trim away the excess lamination

3. For the spacewalker astronaut and moon:  Paste ½ of your astronaut to construction paper or card stock and trim out your shape.  Sandwich the pipe cleaner between the two papers and glue the papers together.   On the other end of the pipe cleaner, tape your moon shape onto the end.   Optional: Laminate your walking astronaut & moon.  Choose a piece of lamination that is just a little larger than the size of your astronaut & moon and place it in the carrier for the laminator.  Run it through and trim away the excess lamination around your astronaut, moon, and pipe cleaner. Do not laminate your images without using the paper carrier.

4. For the rocket: 

   • Cut out your rocket shape from card stock in your choice of colors.  Cut out the circle for the window. 

   • From orange cardstock, cut out the flames and make the slits.  To get the curved edge on the flames, wrap the cut ends around a pencil to form a curve.  Tape the flames to the bottom of the rocket piece.

   • Take your pipe cleaner with the astronaut and moon and bend the pipe cleaner in the center.  Attach it to the outside of the rocket on one of the outside edges using a stapler. 

   • Form a tube with the rocket body overlapping by about ½ inch and staple it together in the back.  Attach the rocket wings to the back also with a stapler right above the flames.

   • Form a cone with the top of the rocket shape, taping it together.  Attach it to the rocket top with tape.

5.  Insert your standing astronaut into the bottom of the rocket.  It should nestle right inside the window.  You can secure it with a bit of tape to keep it in place.

6. To make the pipe cleaner holding the astronaut on the outside of the rocket wavy, wrap the pipe cleaner around a pencil a bit and then slide the pencil off.