How to draw an eclipse for kids

Solar Eclipse Day is here, and with it comes a great opportunity for kids to read about Space and practice some fun drawing techniques. But as much as you want to help kids to draw and to be creative--and Space is such a fascinating subject--it can be hard to know where to start. 

Start with a good picture book. When you read with a child, you strengthen the adult-child bond, you introduce them to lots of new vocabulary, you model expression and fluent reading, and you bolster reading comprehension. AND you help kids learn, in this case, about a solar eclipse. 

Encourage your kids to love art and reading by pairing drawing an eclipse with a great picture book! Here is one to get you started: 

A Few Beautiful Minutes, by Kate Allen Fox, is filled with beautiful illustrations and poetic writing that is a quiet invitation to wonder at the amazing phenomenon that is an eclipse. 

Do your kids love creating? Here is a quick way for kids to draw a solar eclipse. All you need is a black piece of paper, some oil pastels, and a circle tracer (like a large lid, jar or plate.)

Here's how you do it:

1. Trace around a plate firmly with white and yellow oil pastel on black paper. Use other colors sparingly in dashed lines around the plate.
2. Swoosh colors up and away from the circle with your fingers.
3. Trace one more time in white.
4. Gently add clouds around the corners of your paper with peeled oil pastel/crayons on their sides in shades of blue.

 More tips on drawing things in space:

-Use plates or jar lids to make perfect circles for lots of different sized planets

-Use oil pastels to create “corona”-like effects

-Paint a paper with lines and drips, then cut out circles and glue onto a piece of dark blue or black paper for a sky full of planets. 

Want more drawing ideas for kids? Check out the Drawing for Kids online class for 5-13 year olds! 

As always, thanks for joining me on the journey enriching kids' lives through stories and art,

Jennifer

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