National Geographic Kids Window Art Kit - Stained Glass Solar System Arts & Crafts Kit with Glow in The Dark Planets, Use as Window Suncatchers, Hanging Decor from Ceiling, Mobile, Space Room Decor

National Geographic Kids Window Art Kit - Stained Glass Solar System Arts & Crafts Kit with Glow in The Dark Planets

You open the box, and for a moment you think someone has sent you a tiny art supply shop and a postcard from the planetarium. The pieces clink like a miniature orchestra: acrylic planets that feel like cold candy, bottles of paint that promise metallic glamour and secret night-time glow, suction cups waiting like tiny periscopes, and a Learning Guide that talks about stained glass as if stained glass were a celebrity. If you’re the sort of person who judges a weekend by how many splatters of paint you have on your sleeves, this kit was made for your domestic theater.

Why you’ll like this kit (even if you’re not Martha Stewart’s neighbor)

This is not a one-trick craft. You can paint a full solar system and turn it into a suncatcher for the window, hang it as a mobile from the ceiling, or tape it to the fridge like modern fridge art. The glow-in-the-dark paints perform best when you’ve been stern and make the kids go outside for thirty minutes (you’ll be their villain for a while, but you’ll be the curator of a living galaxy later). The kit gives you everything you need to stage a planetary pageant: acrylic sun and planets, metallic and glow pigments, hanging supplies, suction cups, and a cardboard mobile to suspend the whole interstellar affair.

You’re getting art, science, and a tiny lesson in patience rolled into one. There’s a Learning Guide that tells the history of stained glass like it’s gossip from medieval times and loads of approachable facts about each planet—perfect ammunition for you when a small voice asks why Pluto isn’t invited anymore. If you end up more engrossed than your child, that’s allowed. You can claim educational equivalence.

What’s in the box

• Acrylic sun and planets (pre-cut shapes ready to paint)
• Glow-in-the-dark paints and metallic paints
• Paintbrushes and mixing palette
• Suction cups, hook, cord, and cardboard mobile frame
• Learning Guide with stained glass history and planetary facts
• Assembly instructions (clear, patient, and slightly smug)

Product specifications

How you’ll use it (and how the living room will respond)

You spread newspaper like a ritual. You designate a paint zone. You prepare for mosaic-level cooperation or anarchy, depending on who’s painting. The paints are forgiving; the acrylic planets are sturdy, and the metallics make everything feel like costume jewelry from the Renaissance. When you paint the sun, you might feel compelled to be dramatic—one parent in my neighborhood once painted the sun with lipstick. It looked like an advert for an opera. It still works.

You can mount the painted pieces on the window with the included suction cups. When sunlight hits them during the day, they ripple color across the room like an obliging stained-glass window that won’t judge your coffee mug choices. At night, the glow-in-the-dark paint takes over, and you get a soft-house-planetarium that hums with gentle luminescence. If you hang the mobile from the ceiling, the planets rotate and bump into each other with the sleepy inevitability of an aging solar system—perfect for a space-themed bedroom.

Educational value (you’ll sound smarter than you are)

The included Learning Guide is slyly clever. It gives kids a context for what they’re painting: who first admired the rings of Saturn, why Mars made poets nervous, and how stained glass moved from church windows to contemporary crafters’ kitchens. You’ll get facts that slide easily into conversation: quick planetary trivia that makes you sound like an amateur astronomer in five sentences or less. It’s great for school projects, rainy-day experiments, or bribing a child into finishing their homework.

Tips for the best results (from someone who learned the hard way)

• Let layers dry. You’ll want to resist the urge to put on glow paint before the metallic base is dry; otherwise you’ll get smudges and regrets.
• Charge the glow paint. A quick stint under a lamp or near a sunny window will give the paint the luminous stamina to last through bedtime stories.
• Use the cardboard mobile as a blueprint, not a prison. You can rearrange the planets according to scale, color, or comedic effect (Pluto can be passive-aggressively tucked to the corner).
• Supervise the little ones with the brushes. You’ll save yourself both paint-stained carpets and a short lecture about parental oversight.

Who this is for

• Parents who like projects that result in art you can actually hang.
• Teachers looking for an engaging STEM-craft hybrid for small groups.
• Kids fascinated by space who need a hands-on activity that isn’t screen-based.
• Anyone who wants the look of stained glass without committing to a stained-glass kiln and six years of apprenticeship.

Safety and care

The paints are non-toxic, though you should still avoid ingesting them. Keep small pieces away from very young children (choking hazard). Clean brushes with warm water immediately after use. Store leftover paints in a cool, dry place so the glow stays enthusiastic.

Quality and customer support

National Geographic Kids stands behind educational toys that feel substantial and thoughtful. If a piece arrives bent or a paint bottle refuses to cooperate, customer support is available to help. You won’t be left with a planet that looks like it was painted by an angry raccoon.

How this changes the room

Once installed, the kit converts whatever room you choose into a compelling argument for thematic commitment. Windows become little galleries; ceilings become theatres of slow motion. You will find that strangers will compliment the room and your child will take the compliment gravely, like an astrophysicist accepting praise for a nebula they did not personally discover. You will feel like you contributed meaningfully to someone’s education, which is a nicer feeling than the brief triumph of getting a bedtime-resistant child into pajamas.

Ready to create

If you’re looking to stage a weekend where hands are busy and the result is more than just a sticky table and an empty promise, this kit does the heavy lifting. It gives you tools, instructions, facts, and a small, glowing cosmos you can hang where everyone can admire it. Your house will smell faintly of paint and importance. Your child will learn things without realizing they’re learning. You might even end up hanging one of the planets on your own office lamp. That’s permissible. You’re allowed to be that proud.

Order it, open it, paint it, hang it, and then watch the room change its mood depending on the time of day and the angle of light. You’ll be the person who turns a Saturday into a miniature museum, and if anyone asks for the curator’s name, you can shrug and say you were just following the instructions.

National Geographic Kids Window Art Kit - Stained Glass Solar System Arts & Crafts Kit with Glow in The Dark Planets, Use as Window Suncatchers, Hanging Decor from Ceiling, Mobile, Space Room Decor

$19.73

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National Geographic Kids Window Art Kit - Stained Glass Solar System Arts & Crafts Kit with Glow in The Dark Planets, Use as Window Suncatchers, Hanging Decor from Ceiling, Mobile, Space Room Decor

You know that moment when you realize your living room is a lonely place for the planet Mars? No? Maybe that’s just me. Either way, this kit is exactly the sort of thing you buy when the house needs atmosphere and the kids need two hours of quiet that isn’t fueled by battery-operated noise. The National Geographic Kids Window Art Kit gives you an entire mini-solar system to paint, hang, and admire — and, if you’re lucky, it will make bedtime negotiations about "just five more minutes" sound like the distant cry of a far-off comet.

Why this kit will make your life a little brighter (literally)

You get acrylic templates of the sun and planets, glow-in-the-dark paints, metallic paints, suction cups, hanging cord, a cardboard mobile, and a Learning Guide that delivers planetary facts with the authority of someone who once watched a documentary all the way through. The pieces can be used as suncatchers on a window or strung into a mobile to spin melodramatically over a bed or above the dinner table, where your teenager can roll their eyes artistically.

If you remember those stained-glass crafts from school that involved too much patience and not enough supervision, this is the grown-up, scientifically endorsed version. It’s colorful, it’s tactile, and it might actually teach your kid the difference between Earth and Neptune without a single tears-and-snacks bargaining session.

What you’ll find inside the box

• Acrylic sun and planets ready to paint
• Glow-in-the-dark paints for nocturnal theatrics
• Metallic paints for that "I’m basically a professional artist" look
• Suction cups and hook for window installation
• Cord and cardboard pieces for building a mobile
• Detailed Learning Guide about stained glass history and planetary facts

You could hand this to your child and walk away, but then you’d be missing the part where you realize Jupiter looks suspiciously like a leftover meatball and the Learning Guide explains the art of stained glass in a way that makes you feel cultured. If you want to be involved, you’ll find yourself arguing about whether Pluto gets a cameo.

How to use the kit (a simple, realistically hopeful step-by-step)

1. Unpack the pieces and try not to spread glitter across your carpet like a craft-related crime scene.
2. Paint the sun and planets with the provided paints. You’ll both learn that glow-in-the-dark is dramatically more effective if you let the paint charge under sunlight for a while.
3. Attach suction cups to the window if you’re going for suncatchers. Watch as the afternoon light turns your kitchen into a tiny observatory.
4. Or assemble the cardboard mobile, string the planets on the cord, and hang it from the ceiling hook. It’ll rotate slowly and look like something a slightly sleep-deprived astronomer would appreciate.
5. Read the Learning Guide, or at least skim it between paint strokes. It includes the history of stained glass — yes, really — and a surprising number of facts about each planet.

Educational benefits — because you probably want that on the box

This isn’t just arts-and-crafts for the sake of glittery chaos. The Learning Guide is more than filler; it’s a mini science lesson packaged in a way that makes the solar system feel like a set of characters. Your child will learn planetary names, relative sizes, and some charmingly strange space facts. If you’re the sort of parent who likes their leisure time to have subtle educational value, this kit is a stealth instructor wearing a beret.

Perfect for

• Young space enthusiasts who like paint on their fingers
• Parents who want a craft that doubles as room decor
• Teachers and homeschoolers seeking a hands-on lesson
• Birthday parties where structured chaos is required
• Any room that could use more planets and fewer motivational posters

Materials & safety

This set includes acrylic pieces and paints designed for kids. The paints include glow-in-the-dark and metallic finishes that are non-toxic, but you should still follow basic craft safety: close supervision for younger children, a well-ventilated area, and a towel beneath the workspace. You’ll also appreciate having a wet wipe within arm’s reach.

Care instructions

The painted acrylic suncatchers can be gently wiped with a damp cloth. Avoid submerging the painted surfaces or exposing them to harsh cleaners; the glow pigments like to be treated with respect. If the glow effect wanes over time, recharging under bright light for a few hours will usually bring them back to life.

Product specifications

Why National Geographic Kids matters in a craft box

National Geographic has a reputation for getting details right — the photos, the facts, the slightly suspicious enthusiasm about rocks. That attention to accuracy carries over here. You’re not just painting pretty circles; you’re painting a system that follows the general order of planets and comes with contextual information that doesn’t sound like it was written by a robot. It’s the kind of credibility you want when your child says, “Why is Neptune blue?” and you are expected to answer with authority rather than guessing and pointing.

Giftability and presentation

This kit arrives feeling like a present you’d be pleased to give. It isn’t one of those items that makes you want to rewrap it before handing it to someone. It’s suitable for birthdays, classroom rewards, holiday stocking stuffers (if your stocking is a very large stocking), and that slippery category of “I need something charming for a hostess.” If the recipient is likely to hang crafts from chandeliers, this is a particularly excellent choice.

Satisfaction and support

These are high-quality educational toys backed by solid customer support. If a piece is missing or a paint cap is inexplicably glued shut, you can expect a responsive team to amend the situation. They are the sort of people who will respond to your complaint not by suggesting you “try again” but by sending actual help, like a person with a helpful replacement part and an apology.

Final notes — practical, unpretentious, and a little bit smug

You’re looking for something that occupies hands, educates the mind, and leaves the home looking like it belongs to someone who appreciates both art and astrophysics. This kit does all three. It will give you an evening of crafting, a window that catches light in a way that makes even broken blinds look purposeful, and a mobile that rotates slowly overhead as if to remind you that the universe is large and your child’s artistic ambitions are not to be underestimated.

If you want a craft that’s equal parts educational and decorative, that doesn’t require you to invent a curriculum on the spot, and that might finally get the cat interested in stellar phenomena, this is the one. You might even catch yourself answering a late-night question about why Saturn has rings with an almost measured, smug expertise.