3. Combine water with food dye (about four drops of blue and one to two drops of red).
4. Add water to jar.
5. Screw on lid*.
6. Shake to see the galaxy.
*You may want to glue the lid on.
Further Learning
Stars are actually very large, but they are very far away so they look small. In fact, stars are so far away from Earth that the only reason that we see stars at all is that they are exceptionally bright.
What does it mean when you see a falling star? They are not really stars, they are small dust particles floating in space. They are moving so fast that they burn, leaving behind a glow. Watch this video to learn more.
Questions to Discuss
What would you do with a collection of stars?
What would a world without light look like?
What is a galaxy?
Do you prefer daytime or night time – why?
Guringai Emu in the Sky – Australian Aboriginal Studies, 2014/2, published by AIATSIS
Further Activities
There are Dreamtime stories to explain stars in the sky. For example, emus were creator spirits that used to fly and look over the land. Read more about the stories here
Draw a picture of one of these stories
Here is a famous poem ‘Wishing Star’ Star Light, Star Bright First star I see tonight I wish I may, I wish I might Have this wish I feel tonight
Write your own poem about a star, or a wish you can make on a star.
Draw a picture to go with your poem
Imagine what would happen if the stars in the sky disappeared. Write a story or draw a picture to show what would happen.
Brainstorm a list of songs that are about stars? e.g. “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”, “Catch a Falling Star”
Write your own song about a star – write new words to a familiar melody, or make up your own melody
Read Twinkle by Nick Bland
More activities to try
Behind the Creation of I Wish...Learn about the inspiration and creative process behind I Wish... from Geoff Cobham and Darcy Grant.
