Ricemonsters love the twinkly night skies, especially when they spot a magical shooting star dart across the sky! However, when Ricepuffy is tucked up in his bed, he is a little afraid of the dark. That’s okay, though because we’ve made a constellation light DIY for him so he can see stars in his room!

What is a constellation? A constellation is a group of stars in the sky that make up a pattern; you can see these when you look up to the sky at night. There are 88 constellations in the sky in total, and some of the most famous ones are called Orion’s Belt, Taurus, Hercules and the Plough. The group of stars are named after mystical gods, hunters, princesses and beasts that star in the old stories of Greece.

How long have people studied the stars in the sky? People who study the stars are known as astronomers. They have been studying the stars for many years; 5,000 years in fact! People have been using the stars to make their way on long journeys, determine dates of celebrations and even built big pyramids that pointed up to them. The first recorded people to study the stars were the Ancient Egyptians. The Ancient Egyptians were fascinated by the movement of the Moon and stars; they even made a calendar to help them study them!

How do I make my own constellation light? Follow the easy instructions below to make your constellation jar today. You can spend a fun day making your own constellation light to play with in the dark. You could also look at getting your own Ricepuffy monster plush friend if you want a little buddy to comfort you during the night… they’re great pals to have if you’re feeling a little scared because they’re just so cuddly!

You will need the four templates printed on white paper (download here), a pair of scissors, a glue stick, some empty toilet paper rolls, a needle, a flash light.

Constellation projector DIY

Cut out all of the templates with a pair of scissors. Put a piece of cardboard or another soft material under the templates and poke hopes through the white dots using a needle. Constellation projector DIY

Glue the magic night template on a roll of toilet paper, make sure it is glued along one edge of the roll. Cut the part of the roll that is sticking out in little strips as show above.

  • Put glue on the inside of the cut strips and glue your paper head onto it as show above.
  • Repeat steps 5-9 with the three other constellation templates.
  • Now you can look through the roll to see the constellation or shine a flash light through it against a wall!