Get kids thinking about space with this fun and engaging Nebula in a jar activity. Have them create a beautiful nebula themed craft they can admire.
What is a Nebula?
A Nebula is a beautiful cloud of gas and dust in outer space, visible in the night sky either as an indistinct bright patch or as a dark silhouette against other luminous matter. Click here to read more about nebula from Nasa’s Space Place.
​Supplies for Nebula in a Jar
- Jar or container
- Tempera paint in a variety of colors
- Water
- Glitter
- Cotton balls
How To make a Nebula in a jar
Start with a clean and dry jar. I used mason jars but any transparent jar or container with a tight sealing lid will work. First, put a few big squirts of one color tempera paint into a bowl. Next, add a few drops of water to the paint to make it thinner. Stir the paint and water until mixed well. Pore the liquid into the jar.
Take a handful of cotton balls and stretch them out so they are no longer balls. Then, push cotton into the bottom of the jar. The cottons will absorb the liquid. Keep adding cotton balls until you have some white remaining on the balls. To finish the layer sprinkle some glitter into the jar.
Then add another color tempera paint to the bowl, add a few drops of water and stir. Add the mixture to the jar on top of the cotton. Next stretch out more cotton balls and add them to the jar until you have just a little white remaining. Add glitter.
More Space Activities
If you like making a Nebula in a jar you may like “weight on the moon”. This activity challenges kids critical thinking skills as they use our reference sheet to try and estimate how much something would weigh on the moon.
You may also like “Outer Space Madlib”. This activity promotes language skills as kids create a hilarious out of this world story using parts of speech.
