For example, you’d want to make Mars or Mercury much smaller than Saturn or Jupiter.

Place the balloon tied-end down in a bowl. This will hold it still and make it easier to apply the papier mache. [1] X Research source

For glue and water paste, use about 1/4 cup of white school glue and add water just till it becomes slightly runny. [2] X Research source For raw flour and water, mix enough water into flour until you get the consistency you’d like. Remember that thicker paste will take longer to dry and that you’ll need to let your paper mache balloon dry overnight. For boiled flour and water, whisk together 1/2 cup flour of flour and 2 1/2 cups of water over medium heat until the mixture boils. It will thicken into a gel as it cools. [3] X Research source [4] X Research source

Avoid cutting the papers. The straight lines will be visible once the paper mache dries. The torn edges of your ripped papers will blend in better.

Use your hands to smooth out any bubbles or bumps on the surface of your balloon, unless you want to give your planet a bumpy texture.

In some cases, it may take longer to dry. If your balloon has a lot of paste or layers, it may take more time. Try letting it dry a few days.

For the Sun, use yellow. For Mercury, use grey. For Venus, use yellowish-white. For Earth, use blue-green. For Mars, use red. For Jupiter, use orange with white striations. For Saturn, use pale yellow. For Uranus, use light blue. For Neptune, use blue. For Pluto, use light brown.

For example, you’d want to make Mars or Mercury much smaller than Saturn or Jupiter.

For the Sun, use a 5 or 6-inch ball. For Mercury, use a 1-inch ball. For Venus, use a 1. 5-inch ball. For Earth, use a 1. 5-inch ball. For Mars, use a 1. 25-inch ball. For Jupiter, use a 4-inch ball. For Saturn, use a 3-inch ball. For Uranus, use a 2. 5-inch ball. For Neptune, use a 2-inch ball. For Pluto, use a 1. 25-inch ball.

For the Sun, use yellow. For Mercury, use grey. For Venus, use yellowish-white. For Earth, use blue-green. For Mars, use red. For Jupiter, use orange with white striations. For Saturn, use pale yellow. For Uranus, use light blue. For Neptune, use blue. For Pluto, use light brown.

For rings, you can also cut the styrofoam planet model in half horizontally and glue an old cd through the center. Reattach the styrofoam halves with glue. The CD should appear as rings around the planet. [6] X Research source For craters, you can chip out bits of styrofoam to make a craggy surface. You’ll want to dab fresh paint over these areas.

You won’t need any dowel rods for the sun, since it will be the center of the system model. For Mercury, use a 2. 25-inch rod. For Venus, use a 4-inch rod. For Earth, use 5-inch rod. For Mars, use 6-inch rod. For Jupiter, a 7-inch rod. For Saturn, use an 8-inch rod. For Uranus, use a 10-inch rod. For Neptune, use an 11. 5-inch rod. For Pluto, use a 14-inch rod.