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Tea Light Planets
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How to Make Ping Pong Ball Planets

Paint the universe with this fun ping pong ball planets craft! Use colours to represent real planets or dream up your own imaginative ones. These tea light planets are the perfect activity for kids who love art and space!
Active Time5 minutes
Drying Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 5 minutes
Yield: 1 ping pong planet
Author: Debbie Chapman
Cost: $2

Equipment

Materials

Instructions

Step 1: Find what you need

  • Gather your supplies and materials.
    Ping Pong Ball Planets Supplies

Step 2: Add paint to a covered cake pan

  • Cover a cake pan or baking dish with aluminum foil. You want to use something with tall enough edges to contain the ping pong ball as it moves around.
    Ping Pong Ball Planets
  • Choose your first colour and add dots of acrylic paint around the foil.
    Ping Pong Ball Planets
  • Repeat with 2 to 3 more colours. We recommend using white as one of your "colours" - it helps to create a marbled look and lightens the shades of your colours in certain areas.
    Ping Pong Ball Planets

Step 3: Roll the ping pong ball around

  • Set a ping pong ball down into the paint.
    Ping Pong Ball Planets
  • Pick up the cake pan and tilt it back and forth, coating the ping pong ball in the paint.
    Ping Pong Ball Planets
  • Continue until the ball is completely covered and you're happy with the look.
    Ping Pong Ball Planets

Step 4: Allow to dry and add to a tealight candle

  • Repeat with different colours of paint to make another planet or two, if you'd like.
    Allow the ping pong balls to dry on a parchment lined tray. (Keep reading below for more paint drying tips.)
    Ping Pong Ball Planets
  • Use a craft knife to cut a hole in one side of the ping pong ball. It should be large enough to fit the "flame" of the battery operated tealight candle.
    Ping Pong Ball Planets
  • Apply a thin line of hot glue around the opening you just made on the ping pong ball.
    Ping Pong Ball Planets
  • Insert the tealight into the ping pong ball and press them together.
    Ping Pong Ball Planets
  • Your ping pong ball planet is complete!
    Ping Pong Ball Planets
  • Have fun making all the planets in the solar system, or using fun colours to create your own planets.
    Ping Pong Ball Planets
  • Then watch the planets glow and light up the room once you turn the tealight candles on!
    Ping Pong Ball Planets

Video

Notes

Looking for more fun crafts? Here's a few of our favourites:
Ping Pong Ball Snowman Tealights
Tissue Paper Art
Glue Gun Art Flowers