Ancestral Astronomy

TYPE: Short Activities
AUDIENCE: Ages 4 - Adult
TOPIC: Earth and Space Science
In this activity, learners make their own space-themed artwork with foil and cardboard, and colored markers.
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DESCRIPTION

In this activity, learners get to design and make their own space-themed artwork with aluminum foil, cardboard, wooden stylus, and colored markers. This activity combines cultural traditions from around the world of watching the sky; metalworking traditions from around the world including the Mexican craft of creating hojalata tin art; and the use of special commemorative medallions such as those used by NASA.

Currently, there is not a training video available for this activity; please see the training video for Voyage through the Solar System: Space Souvenir activity, which inspired this activity.

https://www.nisenet.org/catalog/space-souvenir

 

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  • A colorful etching of the sun in tin foil with a string laced through the top in a loop.
  • Ancestral Astronomy learner hand drawing design with pencil on paper.
  • Ancestral Astronomy learner folding aluminum foil.
  • Ancestral Astronomy learner coloring design on aluminum foil.
  • Ancestral Astronomy learner embossing design on foil.
  • Ancestral Astronomy Finished examples of hojalata artwork including stars and moons.
  • A colorful etching of the sun in tin foil with a string laced through the top in a loop.
  • Ancestral Astronomy learner hand drawing design with pencil on paper.
  • Ancestral Astronomy learner folding aluminum foil.
  • Ancestral Astronomy learner coloring design on aluminum foil.
  • Ancestral Astronomy learner embossing design on foil.
  • Ancestral Astronomy Finished examples of hojalata artwork including stars and moons.

DESCRIPTION

In this activity, learners get to design and make their own space-themed artwork with aluminum foil, cardboard, wooden stylus, and colored markers. This activity combines cultural traditions from around the world of watching the sky; metalworking traditions from around the world including the Mexican craft of creating hojalata tin art; and the use of special commemorative medallions such as those used by NASA.

Currently, there is not a training video available for this activity; please see the training video for Voyage through the Solar System: Space Souvenir activity, which inspired this activity.

https://www.nisenet.org/catalog/space-souvenir

 

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TRAINING VIDEOS

OBJECTIVES

LEARNING GOALS

  • Many cultures around the world have long traditions of watching the sky, including Indigenous cultures in Mesoamerica.

  • Indigenous knowledge and Western science can both contribute to our understanding of the universe.

  • Metalwork and other cultural traditions integrate science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM).

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TYPE:
Educational Resources
AUDIENCE:
Ages 4 - Adult
LANGUAGES:
English Spanish
ADDITIONAL TOPICS: Earth and Space Science Earth, Moon and Sun Societal Topics Art, Music, and Literature
KEYWORDS:

Credits

YEAR CREATED
2025
PROJECT
OWNING INSTITUTION

Arizona State University

Ancestral Astronomy is a variation of a classic activity that is widely available online. NISE Network also has another similar activity called Voyage through the Solar System: Space Souvenir: https://www.nisenet.org/catalog/space-souvenir

FUNDING

This material is based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number 80NSSC22M0122. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

PERMISSIONS

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US).
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DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

NISE Network products are developed through an iterative collaborative process that includes scientific review, peer review, and visitor evaluation in accordance with an inclusive audiences approach. Products are designed to be easily edited and adapted for different audiences under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. To learn more, visit our Development Process page.