Activity set – Space and Aliens
Introduction: Story – Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman.
1. Wax Crayon Painting
Needed: paper, white wax crayons, watery paint, paint brushes.
Children draw an alien from the story using white wax crayons. Ensure they press hard with white crayons while drawing, chunky white crayons work best.
Talk about what the children notice, can they see their drawings? …..explain its difficult to see as both paper and crayons are white.
Now do some magic painting to make their drawings appear.
Children paint over the top of their drawings with watery paint.
Why can they see their picture now?…….Watery paint won’t stick to the wax from the crayon.
2. Flying Alien
Needed: green balloons, markers, toilet roll, sellotape.
Draw an alien face on the (uninflated) balloons using the markers.
Blow up the balloons but do not tie them.
Using the sellotape attach some toilet roll to the slimmer end of the balloon to make a tail.
Let go of the balloon and watch your alien whizz around the room.
3. Grow a Balloon Alien
Needed: bottle, vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, balloon, marker.
Before beginning, blow up a balloon. Pinch the end closed and use a marker to draw an alien face on the balloon and then let out the air. This will make the balloon easier to inflate when doing the experiment.
Place two tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda into the bottle.
Add 200ml of vinegar.
Immediately place the balloon over the mouth of the bottle and hold tightly.
Watch the alien grow as the balloon fills with gas.
If the reaction is slowing down, give the bottle a little shake to mix the ingredients together.
Carefully remove the balloon and tie it.
