Learn about the constellations in the night sky and then imagine and design your own! Play with gears and use them to engineer a model system of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. <br><br>

Everything needed, from materials to illustrated directions, is included, along with<i> explore!</i>, a bonus play & learn magazine with extra projects and activities!

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Exploring Stars

We received the Exploring Stars crate as part of our monthly subscription. My kids enjoyed all the activities. Unfortunately, I have to downgrade this crate due to scientific inaccuracy. When the orrery is in motion with the earth orbiting counter-clockwise around the sun, the rotation of the earth on its axis and the orbit of the moon around the earth are in the wrong direction. I hope that KiwiCo redesigns this crate so that the model is more accurate.

The model for how the Sun, Earth, and Stars move around each other was priceless.  The stickers of green land to put on the Earth did not stay on.  The tape to hold the wooden apparatus to the base was not strong enough or effective enough.  The other craft, the lamp, was a hit.  Just make sure you don't put stars around the edge or they will get covered up when placed into the lamp.  We did not try the outdoor sun oven yet - you need supplies from around your house like aluminum foil, marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers, etc.  We did not have those supplies at that time and we are gluten free which makes getting those supplies more difficult, so we just never came back to it.  I suggest you get those supplies in advance so you won't miss out on all the fun.

My son and I had a lot of fun building the latern and making the outdoor oven (we are still using it)! We lost earth, the moon and the sun within the first 2 hours of building the solar system. 

It was fun

This was an incredibly well composed crate. My daughter enjoyed making her own constellations for the latern. Making the orbiting sun, moon and Earth was very easy for her to do.

The coolest

We enjoyed making the lantern, 5 stars, but the spinning earth required me to have to explain that the earth would rotate too, which went over her head, and the light in the “sun”  died quickly and wouldn’t stand up - 2 stars. 

I wish it was more accurate 

Great idea - my daughter and i had a great time putting it together 

Awesome project 

Creative and Technical skills being built with this crate. Being able to make your own constellations, building the lantern and creating the solar spinner was so cool. He loved it.

Building skills in my son!

Literally so cool! Building a diorama of the sun, moon, and earth rotation was a great hands on learning experience and a simple way to explain the solar sytem.

Lesson about the solar system

Kit seems low in supplies the few kits we have had in the past seem to provide extra supplies. Only two brads and one easily broke as we were trying to fasten it as instructed. Also the tape to put together the lantern was insufficient (small) needed to hold it together with tape from around the house. While tape is not a big issue we didn't have any extra brads in the house. I tried to look through past kits but my daughter must have used them for other projects. So seems the project is on hold till I find them in a store. Also I liked that other kits provide book recommendations,but this one does not. 

A bit disappointed

I enjoyed seeing my daughter build all of the different projects and learn so much about the solar system.

Exciting to see her learn

Learn about the constellations in the night sky and then imagine and design your own! Play with planetary gears and use them to engineer a model system of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

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Exploring Stars

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