By Brenda Priddy • Updated Mar 24, 2022
Building a solar system model is a classic project that every child can enjoy—and it’s surprisingly easy to do with a few household items. This wire hanger mobile uses foam balls, paint, and simple craft supplies to bring the planets to life in a playful, educational way.
Spray paint each foam ball to match the planet’s color scheme. Use yellow for the sun, gray for Mercury, a mix of blue and green for Earth, red for Mars, orange and white for Jupiter, yellow for Saturn, light blue for Uranus, and dark blue for Neptune. If you’d like to include Pluto, paint it gray to reflect its current status as a dwarf planet.
Cut a circle from cardstock that fits over your Saturn sphere. Glue the ring pieces around the planet’s equator to mimic its iconic rings.
Poke a small hole through the center of each painted planet using a bamboo skewer. This will allow the fishing line to pass through.
Tie a length of fishing line to a flat washer. Thread the line through the planet’s hole, then attach the other end to the wire hanger. Repeat for each planet, spacing them in order from the sun outward.
Trim or lengthen the fishing lines so that each planet hangs at a different height and no two spheres touch.
Cut small star shapes from cardstock and glue them onto the hanger to give your mobile a polished, celestial look.
With these straightforward steps, you’ll have a dynamic, educational solar system display that sparks curiosity and conversation.
