Emma,
it is interesting to measure the distance between stars, since when we observe stars, we see them on a ‘celestial sphere’ and we can measure the angular distance between them as if they were all the same distance away from us. For most people, a hand made into a fist and held up at arms length spans about 10 degrees. (see this article: https://lco.global/spacebook/sky/using-angles-describe-positions-and-apparent-sizes-objects/)
Of course, they are not all the same distance, and the Plough activity tries to show that.
What distance would you have the children measure?