Space Simulator STEM Surroundings

This was a great and easy project for bored children. They make excellent 'mobiles' for kids tired of staring at their bedroom ceiling. The oldest boy loves all things galaxy. Galaxy bedding. Galaxy painted walls. Galaxy light projector. And now these planets are hung from his ceiling. I recommend them to anyone who is teaching their kid about the solar system, or for anyone looking to decorate a galaxy / space themed room.

The Discovery 3D Solar System by Horizon Group USA is a decent activity set. It comes with 8 planets ( Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) as well as the sun. There is also included a poster, elastic cord, metal eye hooks, glow-in-the-dark paint, paint brush, and glow-in-the-dark shapes (moon and stars).A few of the planets need put together right out of the set which literally took about a minute. To hang you'll screw the metal eye hooks into the top hole on each planet. The elastic cord needs cut to hang each planet from. The kit doesn't come with anything to adhere the planets on the wall or anywhere else so you are on your own for that. It does, however, suggest that they are hung with tape with the assistance of an adult. Note that tape for the remaining instructions isn't included.Before hanging, you'll want to use the included paint to cover the planets. This paint will help the planets go and give them a really neat look under the right lighting. My kids liked painting the planets but it did take a little longer to full cover each one with paint because we had to wait for one side to dry before moving to the other.The moon and stars glow in the dark shapes were fun to decorate my kid's room with but also work among the planets to give a space feel. These were hung by a sticky adhesive which is included. I was able to remove these off the wall without lifting paint or anything like that.This kit comes with a poster that will need to be unfolded to hang it up. So there are creases on the poster but that didn't seem to bother my children. It is full color and has a lot of great facts. Speaking of facts,. the instructions also include facts as well as did you know about specific planets like Neptune, Saturn, and Uranus.The stars and moon, as well as the painted planets, glow moderately bright when charged.This set can be used in a school project or just as space decor that won't break the bank for the budding space enthusiast in your life.My nearly 8-year-old son and my 10-year-old daughter had good things to say about this set and were pretty much able to put it altogether save for the last hanging bit in which they needed help. For the price and moderate ease of use, I can recommend it!

Since my grandson is too young for this kit and I am an old nerd, I used this as a decoration for the bedroom. I painted the planets myself. The paint is thick and does stick. You just need to have patience because it is messy because they are round. So I hung them up in the bedroom on the wall. Since his dad is a science nerd too, my grandson already knew about the planets and just enough detail as a five year old can comprehend. I had to drill holes in the stars to hang them. I didn't want to put so many large holes in the walls with the eyehooks included, so I used plain old thumbtacks. I then took some thread and hung the stars too. I hung some by themselves, but most I just made the thread longer than the planets and they are lower. I hung the moon from the ceiling fan. I tried to take a picture, but it didn't come out right.My son and I don't agree on Pluto. I am a Pluto lover and my son is a Pluto troll. I really took offense that the kit misrepresents stars and the moon, but can't add Pluto. I tried to make the planets scale in distance along the wall, but when I tried to explain it to my grandson, well, he's no Sheldon. He liked that the moon and stars glowed in the dark when he went to bed and I heard him talking to my dog about it before he went to sleep. I got a kick out of the kit. I did send the poster home with my grandson for his wall.

Ordered two for two children and social-distancing home learning. Product excellent in terms of teaching about solar system; however, the paint in each product was dried. In the first, one of the three paints dried and unusable. In the second, all four dried, but were able, by adding water, to retrieve three. Working on saving the fourth.

This set is beautiful, fun and educational all at the same time. A great value and a terrific way to encourage young people to think about what is beyond our planet.