Space Stations & Dioramas

Space Stations and Dioramas are great ideas for kids projects when you've got some fun shaped packing foam or cardboard. Whether you're going to get Medieval or Futuristic will inform your choice of decoration.

Kids recycling projects Materials can be found everywhere. Laser guns can be made from specialized plastic pieces taken out of and old VCR, or drawn on and cut out of cardboard. Old broken toys are great! Sometimes you can salvage a ray-gun with lights and a noise from one that gat stepped on and was headed to the trash.

We can use existing miniature spacecraft or soldiers (or princes, princesses and ponies), or make them out of cardboard. Above is a simple space station with lasers drawn on heavy white card-stock and a few vehicles. The Red car and white tank were folded over like a greeting card, drawn on with a sharpie, and painted in the case of the car. They each took 2-5 minutes to make. It's not just fun doing projects with kids, it can teach valuable lessons in techniques and values.

Glue guns are really useful in the making of these toys. The glue creates strong immediate bonds. Apply the glue either directly to the item, or in more delicate efforts, make a puddle of hot glue and run the edge of the surface desired to be glued through the puddle. Teach your child right away to respect the gun, cause it can burn. Hot glue keeps burning after it gets stuck to you. That being said, my son is 6 and uses the glue gun under my supervision. We've had an accident, it clearly hurt (all night). Mostly I do the glue gun work while he "holds something in place" or is concepting. The trick is to keep a dialogue going and continue to include them wherever possible. Remember, all over the world little kids are sewing your shoes on industrial machines; and their parents aren't supervising. Kids can do a lot, and more the earlier we start with them. Stay in your comfort zone, try new things.