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Kinetic Sculpture: A Celestial Mobile

  • Young Adult
  • Grades 1-3

Create a kinetic, or moving, sculpture to hang in your room!

Materials


  • Paint Brushes Triangle Handle
  • Glitter Fuzzy Sticks
  • Acrylic Paint Jars, 24 Assorted colors
  • 3/16″ Round Dowels 16 Pack
  • Hole Punch
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Wax Paper
  • Card Stock
printDownload Template

Instructions


Step 1. Gather your supplies.

Kids Craft Mobile

Celestial Shape Mobile

Step 2.

Draw your celestial shapes onto card stock or use our template. Click the “template” button to download our free designs! Cut out the shapes.

Kids arts and crafts mobile

Step 3.

Paint the pieces.  Tip: These pieces will be hanging and spinning so make sure to paint both sides. Allow to dry.

Mobile craft for kids

Step 4.

While your pieces are drying, paint (3) Wooden Dowels.  Tip: Place a piece of wax paper under the Wood Dowels to keep them from sticking as you paint. Leave on the wax paper and let dry.

Kids craft mobile

Step 5.

Use Glitter Glue to decorate your pieces.  Remember to add Glitter Glue to both sides. Tip: it is best to wait until the front side dries before putting Glitter Glue on the backside.

Kids craft mobile art activity

Step 6.

Wrap a Glitter Stick around one end of a painted Wood Dowel. Bring the end of the Glitter Stick  across and attach to the other end of the Dowel to create a loop for hanging your mobile.

Moveable mobile craft

Step 7. 

Attach the other (2) Wood Dowels using Glitter Sticks, as shown, to create your mobile structure.

Celestial Sculpture Mobile

Step 8.

Punch a hole in the top of each of your painted celestial shapes.

Celestial Shape Mobile

Step 9.

Use Elastic Cord to hang the shapes on the dowels. Tip: You may want to vary the length of cord used for a fun design. Also be aware that some adjustments may be needed while hanging to keep the balance.


Further Discussion: 

Kinetic Sculptures are sculptures where movement by natural or mechanical means, is essential to the art piece.  The proper balancing of the pieces within the sculpture itself plays an important role in how the sculpture will be viewed when complete. For example the celestial mobile relies on all the pieces weighing the same so that they balance evenly.  In some Kinetic Sculpture, the pieces might have different weights to create an asymmetrical look.  When discussing Kinetic Sculpture, it is useful to introduce children to artists that have shown examples of Kinetic Sculpture in their work, such as Alexander Calder, Man Ray, and Bruno Munari.