Stargazing Made Fun

A Nighttime Surprise (Crayon Resist Art):
Give your child a white crayon and ask him to draw stars all over a white sheet of paper. Tell him to press down hard! When he's drawn as many as he'd like, he can brush on a black wash (thin black poster paint diluted with water) over the entire sheet of paper. What a surprise—the night sky is revealed complete with twinkling stars!

Shining Stars:
Here's another easy craft for perfect for younger kids. Invite them to dip star-shaped cookie cutters into poster paint and press them on paper to make prints. If you'd like, you can let them sprinkle glitter on the wet paint to make their stars shine! (Glitter can cause eye irritation, so supervise kids carefully.)

Food for a Starry Night

Celestial Snack:
Make finger sandwiches. Using a star-shaped cookie cutter, cut stars out of slices of bread. Spread on the filling of your choice: cream cheese, tuna salad, peanut butter, etc. Serve the sandwiches with chicken-and-stars soup. Provide star-shaped cookies for desert.

NOTE: You might be able to find paper goods with a celestial theme. If not, decorate your own napkins, plates, and cups with sticker stars in all colors.

Astronaut Pudding:
Put a heaping tablespoon of instant pudding (any flavor your child likes) in a small zip-lock bag. Add one-quarter cup milk. Zip the bag closed and squish it until the pudding is mixed. Cut a small hole in the bag's corner and let your child suck the pudding out just like the astronauts do. No utensils, no mess!

Starry Night Punch:
In a tall glass, mix four ounces seltzer and six ounces orange juice. Slowly pour in one-half ounce Grenadine syrup into the center of the glass, allowing the syrup to settle on the bottom (which it naturally does, thanks to its greater density). Make star-shaped fruit peels by using a small (aspic) star cutter and on lemon and lime peels. Garnish the glass by sliding the slices of the star peels onto the rim of the glass.

All-Star Pizza Pie:
With a small star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out stars from slices of your child's favorite kind of cheese. You can also cut stars from pepperoni using a star aspic cutter. Invite the kids to decorate a frozen pizza with the edible stars. Bake the pizza according to the instructions on the package. Happy stargazing and bon appetit!