The Solar System

As it was National Space Day this month, we thought that it would be a great idea to learn all about the planets in our solar system.

 

For this activity, you are going to pretend that you are an astronaut and you are about to go on a mission into space. But first you need to do some research to find out about the planets. Think about some of the questions that you might want to find out.

 

There are a few questions that you might want to think about below, but see if you can find your very own fun facts!

 

What are the names of the planets in our solar system?

Which planet is closest to the earth? 

Which planet is closest to the sun? 

What makes the planets different to each other?

Which planet is the biggest/ smallest?

 

There are lots of resources attached, including an experiment, but you can also carry out your own research too.

 

Once you have done some research, have a look into the sky when it is beginning to get dusk and see if you can spot Venus. There is a video below from NASA that tells you where to look. Who knows other planets and stars you might see as the sun starts to set!

Some useful websites to find some research might include:

 

CBeebies:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/topics/space

 

European Space Agency for Kids:

http://www.esa.int/kids/en/home

 

National Geographic for Kids:

https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/science/space/ten-facts-about-space/

 

Space Kids:

https://www.spacekids.co.uk/learn/

 

Once you have done some research, choose one of the tasks below to complete:

 

1. Design a colourful ‘space poster’ to show all the planets in our solar system.

 

2. Draw a diagram of the planets in order from biggest to smallest. Can you colour and label them correctly? 

 

3. Watch the video ‘do you think we should go to Mars?’. Write a letter to NASA to explain whether you think it would be a good idea to go and why. 

 

4. Complete one of the worksheets attached.

 

5. Complete one of the experiments attached. See if you can write up your experiment. Don’t forget to include:

1. A Title

2. Subheadings

3. Equipment– write a list of what you will need 

4. Method– write instructions to explain what you are going to do (remember your bossy verbs!)

5. Prediction– what do you think will happen?

6. Outcome– was your prediction correct? Why/ why not?

 

Perhaps you could have a go at creating your very own paper mache of the planets. Click on the link below to find out more….