One of the greatest mysteries of Earth is whether or not we are alone in this great, big universe. UFO sightings, aliens visiting Earth, Area 51, and all sorts of fun conspiracy theories floating around. They interest all of us, whether we’re kids or adults! That’s why this week we are celebrating extraterrestrials with our Glow-in-the-Dark Galaxy Dome Tent and fun DIY Alien Spaceships!
Here’s a brief history of UFO’s, according to CBC Kids:
Although people have claimed to see strange objects in the sky for much of human history, UFO is a fairly new term. It’s an acronym (a word formed from the initial letters of a set of words) that stands for Unidentified Flying Object.
The term first appeared in the 1950s, and up until then these weird objects were known by another name: flying saucers. This is because many of the sightings described floating, disc-shaped objects.
The term UFO was originally meant for any unknown object people saw in the sky, but it quickly became attached to sightings of crafts that were thought to be from other planets.
Glow-in-the-Dark Galaxy Dome Tent
It’s time to blast off into the cosmos with our Glow-in-the-Dark Galaxy Dome Tent! This tent is perfect for night use because the adorable stars actually glow in the dark, making it perfect for searching for UFOs! At 48″ x 48″ x 42″, this tent can fit plenty of space explorers having an interstellar time whether it’s outside in the backyard or inside for sleepovers — and perfect for crafting some DIY Alien Spaceships in!
The waterproof floor is easy to wipe clean and lets you take it on to the grass while having no mess on the inside, and the Ultra Mesh ensures no outside space critters enter the station. The durable, high-quality polyester promises no rips or tears and will last for many trips to deep space for years to come, along with our color coded fiberglass “super poles” which are stronger than normal tent poles and designed to prevent splinters or shattering. You can also connect tunnels to the built-in tunnel port to build the ultimate spaceship! When it comes to your imagination, the sky is the limit in the Glow-in-the-Dark Galaxy Dome Tent!
DIY Alien Spaceships
This week’s DIY Alien Spaceships are inspired by KiwiFamilies! It’s a super fun and easy DIY made of plastic cups that your kids will love running around and playing with.
What You Need
- Paper bowls
- Pipe Cleaners
- Googly Eyes
- Glue Gun
- Scissors
- Glitter Spray or Metallic paint
- Paint – we used the colors of the tent
- Paintbrush
- Pom Poms
- Plastic Cups
How You Make Them
This DIY is a two-parter, so start with the UFO Mainship then work your way to making the alien.
UFO Mainship
- Flip 2 bowls so that the bottom is facing up
- Spray the bowls with the spray paint. TIP: Make sure you have a proper spray area and to wear a mask when spraying!
- Leave to dry
- Choose colors for the windows and designs for your ship. TIP: We ended up painting the windows and little designs but you can also use sticker gems, or whatever your heart desires!
- Paint the rims where the two bowls connect
- Leave to dry and get to work on the alien!
The Alien
- Cut out the “body” of the alien with the pipe cleaners. TIP: Make sure the length of the body is a good enough height so that the pompom head will also fit underneath the cup.
- Glue the pompom to one end of the “body” and bend the cleaner at the other end. TIP: Think of the bent part as the “feet” for the alien to be propped up.
- Cut another piece of the same pipe cleaner, but this time much shorter
- Wrap it around the “body”, and place it roughly in between the pompom head and the “feet”
- Glue the googly eyes to the pompom head, then glue the “feet” to the middle of the bowl
- Once you got your placement of the alien, glue the rim on the cup to the ship. TIP: We threw in some smaller pompoms into the cup to add a little flair, but you can place whatever you want or nothing at all!
- Tada! Now you’re ready to blast off into space with your alien ship.
Are UFOs Real?
That is the magic of UFOs! Whether UFOs are real or not is up to your own interpretation. Also according to CBC Kids, the most famous UFO sighting took place in the 1940’s.
The best-known sighting of a UFO happened in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. In the summer of 1947, a local farmer found piles of strange debris in a pasture.
Officials from the nearby Roswell Army Air Force Base claimed the debris was simply wreckage from a crashed weather balloon.
Eventually, in the 1990s, a government report revealed that the crashed object wasn’t a weather balloon, but was actually a surveillance device that was part of a top-secret operation called Project Mogul that often employed balloons.
Do you think it was a UFO, or a balloon?
Let Us Know!
Do you or your little ones believe in aliens? Did you make the DIY Alien Spaceships? Let us know in the comments below, or reach out to us on social media.