Telescope Craft and Outer Space Vocabulary Review

Children make their own telescopes from paper towel rolls and clear plastic cups. Then, they use their telescopes in an outer space vocabulary review. 

Telescope Preschool and Kindergarten Craft

What you need:
Paper towel rolls
Clear plastic cups
Duct tape
Tin foil

What you do:

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

Give each child a paper towel roll and a clear plastic cup. Show them how to attach the two items securely with duct tape.

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

Then, give each child a sheet of tin foil and have children center their paper towel/cup combinations over the foil sheets.

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

Have children wrap the paper towel/cup combinations in the tin foil to complete their telescopes. Use the telescopes in the following outer space vocabulary review and chant. 

Outer Space Vocabulary Review and Chant

Once children have been exposed to several books that introduce outer space vocabulary words (i.e. the planet names, comet, asteriod, meteor, etc.), place pictures of the different planets and space items on the wall. Hand out a telescope to each child. Introduce the chant and explain that after reciting the first part, you will call out one child's name. That child will respond by chanting back "I'm looking at __________."  Let children try to find the picture of the planet, etc. Repeat the chant several times until everyone has had an opportunity to respond.

Telescope Chant

Adapted by Erin Lassiter, KidsSoup, Inc.
(Tune: Did You Ever See a Lassie?)

Whole Group

We're looking through our telescopes, our telescopes, our telescopes,
We're looking through our telescopes, oh, what will we see?

One Child

I'm looking at _____________!

Space Word Wall Activity

Look Up Into the Night Sky
Jolanda Garcia, KidsSoup, Inc.

Take your telescope and look up into the night sky. (Let children pretend to look through a telescope.)
Which planet can you see slowly moving by? 

Call out one child's name. That child will name a planet, the moon, or the sun and point to it on the planet word wall.

Solar System Word Wall Cards (KidsSoup members only)

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

Refer to our Planet Facts Cards (KidsSoup members only) to share some facts for each planet with the children.

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

View more space preschool and kindergarten activities, crafts, and games

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

KidsSoup Resource Library

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root