Bulletin Board

Cover a wide area of the classroom from floor to ceiling with black paper.  Spray diluted white tempera paint all over the paper to give the appearance of the milky way.  Let each child take a turn painting the planets, stars, and asteroids in fluorescent colors and help them glue them to the black paper.  You can add spaceships and rockets made from paper plates and toilet tissue tubes.  Use clear fishing line to attach from ceiling.

AM Sun and PM Sun

Ask the children to observe where the sun is in the morning and then compare its position in the afternoon. Mark the sun's position on a classroom wall with a yellow rising sun and an orange setting sun cut from construction paper.

-Have  the children act out what they do when the sun rises in the morning and after the sun sets in the evening.  Point to the rising and setting suns on the classroom wall.

Earth and Sun Movement

Ask a child to be "earth" and stand with their back turned to the class, while another child is the "sun" and shines a flashlight on the "earth's" back.  Have earth turn slowly left until they see the "sun" and continue to turn until the "sun" is no longer visible.  Explain to the children that "earth" could only see the "sun"  when "earth" faced it.

-Invite the children to stand and turn slowly in place counterclockwise.  Explain that the sun seems to move across the sky, but it is really the earth that "rotates".  One complete spin makes one day or 24 hours.

Rotation

Supplies needed:  four or five balls of clay, pencil, toothpick and flashlight.

Divide the class into four or five groups.  Give each group a ball of clay.  Demonstrate how to stick a pencil through the ball to make an axis.  Pretend the ball of clay is the earth and show them where to stick the tooth pick to mark their location.  Now spin the ball of clay on its axis.

Day and Night

Supplies needed:  flashlights, clay planet (from above).

Group the children with a partner.  Have one child hold the earth and turn counterclockwise and the other the "sun" to see how the toothpicks moves from day to night, then back to day.  Point out that all the planet rotate and there is night and day on all the planets.

Sun Art

Supplies needed:  yellow construction paper, yellow crepe paper (cut into 1 X 2 rectangles),  glue and scissors.

Give each child a yellow construction paper circle (about the size of a small paper plate).   Set out the crepe paper.  Let the children glue the rectangle on the outside of the circle.  When the glue is dried, have the children cut slits into the crepe paper representing rays from the sun.

Discover the Planets  Wall Mural  (This will take a few days to complete)

Supplies needed:   Dark blue or black bulletin board paper, different colored construction paper, star stickers and large circles for the children to trace. 

Have the children help stretch dark blue or black paper on one wall.  Have one child make a sun from yellow construction paper.  Explain that the sun is a star.  Tell the children that the next most important part of the solar system is the nine planets, which move around the sun.  Our planet, earth is one of those planets.  Have the children make all nine planets from construction paper and post them to the mural.

Continue with asking what the brightest object is in the night sky.  The Moon!  have a child make a moon. place it on the mural.  Explain how the solar system is part of a galaxy.  Our galaxy is called the Milky Way.  Have all the children place "stars" in the Milky Way. 

Run Around the Sun

Supplies needed:  Yellow construction paper, oak tag, chalk, hole punch, string or yarn.

In advance, cut out eighteen 4 X 9 oak tag strips, labeling two strips for each planet.  Punch holes in each side of the strips and attach the matching strip at each end making a "sandwich" sign for the children to wear.  Review what you have done so far.  Ask questions like, how many planets are there.  What shapes are they?  How do they move?  Then explain that the earth and other planets move around the sun counterclockwise in paths called orbits.  Next play the game.

Take the children to an open area either indoors or out.  Draw numbers 1 through 9 with chalk on the floor or sidewalk.  Tell the children that each number marks the position of the planets.  Don't forget to mark and "S" for where the sun would be.  Assign children to stand and hold their planet sign and one for the sun.  Play "Line up the Planets".  Instruct each child using there planet name to walk around the sun as the class sings the following song:

(Sung to: Here We Go Around the Mulberry Bush")

Mercury goes around the sun,

Around the sun, around the sun.

Like the planets, everyone.

Each one in its orbit.

(Continue with all nine planets)

As you continue the song, ask the children which planet would be next.

Variation: Substitute words like walk, run, jump, hop, skip for the word "goes" in the song.