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The Solar System

Make a model where the distances are actually right. It will not fit indoors.

1 week

The same topic, four ways

Pre-K to Grade 2

Name the planets and put them in order. Sing it if that helps.

🔬 Science📚 Reading

Science

Grades 3 to 5

Why some planets are rock and some are gas, and what a year means on each.

🔬 Science🔢 Math

Science

Grades 6 to 8

Scale. Work out the distances and discover the model needs a street.

🔬 Science🔢 Math

Math

Grades 9 to 10

Orbital periods and why the outer planets take so long.

🔬 Science🔢 Math

Math

Build it together: The pavement solar system

What you need

  • chalk or paper markers
  • a tape measure or paces
  • a long path

Steps

  1. Put the Sun at one end. Agree a scale — say one pace per 10 million km.
  2. Older children calculate each planet's distance in paces.
  3. Younger children walk it out and place the marker.
  4. Stand at Neptune and look back at the Sun.

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