Are you fascinated by planets in our solar system? I once had the opportunity to hear Chris Hadfield speak at a conference in Vancouver. Chris Hadfield is a Canadian astronaut who has been on several recent space expeditions to the International Space Station and he famously recreated the “Space Oddity” song while in space. I have always found the idea of space and space travel to be so inspiring. There is so much wonder and mystery in the universe. We can tap into that wonder while teaching about the Solar System. There are some great solar system activities, projects, and lessons that can be implemented into a unit about Space.

What is the Solar System for Kids?

Simply put, the Solar System is the Sun and everything that orbits around it. This includes the planets, the moons that orbit the planets, asteroids, comets, dust, gas, and other particles. Stars are not technically part of the Solar System.

The EASY Way to Teach the Solar System

Ready to start your unit on the Solar System in Kindergarten or First Grade? In just a few clicks you can grab all the pieces you need: lesson plans, vocabulary cards, nonfiction reading, printable worksheets ,and hands-on activities! 

Click and print. Planning is really that easy.

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Solar System and Space YouTube Videos

Here are some videos that you might want to use when teaching about the Solar System.

1. Sci Show Kids - Explore the Solar System: The Rocky Planets

2. Sci Show Kids - Why Can I See The Moon During the Day?

3. Story Bots - Outer Space - This one is a fun and engaging show geared toward young learners. This episode really gives me ‘Hamilton’ vibes with fast, rap-like lyrics.

4. The Planet Song for Kids - If you’re looking for a catchy song to teach your students to name the different planets, you might find this song fun.

5. What about Pluto? A great video about dwarf planets.

Astronauts in Space

Chris Hadfield created some fabulous videos about life in space that little learners would absolutely find interesting!

• Canadian Space Agency - Chris Hadfield Brushes His Teeth in Space

• Canadian Space Agency - Chris Hadfield’s Space Kitchen

• Canadian Space Agency - Sleeping in Space

straw rocket stem challenge

Blast off with this STEM activity using common classroom materials. Use paper, a straw, glue, and pipe cleaners to create crafty rockets that launch using the power of your breath! They’re the perfect activity after watching the above videos about astronauts and space exploration. Full straw rocket instructions and supplies are here on the KiwiCo website.

Combining Reading and Art into Solar System Lessons

Add age-appropriate nonfiction reading about space with the passages in my Solar System Unit for little learners. Movement in the Sky explores how the planets orbit around the sun and rotate on their own axis. Sunrise and Sunset looks at how the movement of planets produces the sunrises and sunsets we see in the sky.

Go a step further with a sunrise/sunset art project! It’s a fun way to help students demonstrate their understanding of how the colors in the sky change during these times of day.

A sunrise or sunset art project with a black silhouette.

Before starting the project, read a story like ‘Sky Color’ by Peter H. Reynolds or watch an online video showing a sunrise or sunset. Using the book/video as a guide, talk about the colors that can be seen during a sunrise. Are they different in a sunset? How do they blend into each other? Which colors are found down low? Which ones are higher up. Give students painting materials (I like watercolors for this) and them time to paint and create.

Want to take it a step further? After the paint has dried, add a black silhouette of any shape/object you’d like. In the one pictured students added a landform (hill) and an animal of their choosing.

What’s the difference between Orbit and Rotate?

Learning the difference between orbit and rotation could become an interactive lesson by having students act each one out.

• Make one student the sun

• When you say “orbit” should walk around the sun in a circle, just like the planets orbit the sun

• When you say “rotate” students should pause and spin in a circle on the spot. (Explain that they’re rotating on their own internal axis)

Of course, planets orbit and rotate, but this involves a little too much coordination for little learners! Feel free to try it out in a large space like a field or gymnasium.

The Planets in Our Solar System

Anchor Chart: The Solar System. Printable pieces for this chart are available in the Space and Solar System unit for littler learners.

Teaching the planets doesn’t have to be complicated. There are some intricate ideas out there like creating models of the solar system. This is a fun idea, but sometimes doing a multi-day project can be overwhelming, so I have a few ideas that require less prep to teach about the planets. 

• Create an anchor chart as a group to help students visualize the planets in space.

• Put students into groups of eight and give each student a card with the name of a planet. Then have students organize themselves in the right order.

• Cut and paste the planets into the correct order.

Learning about the Sun

The sun is vitally important to our Solar System. It is a source of light and heat. Everything rotates around it. It helps things grow. So it’s important to teach about the sun. For a fun lesson about the sun, have students learn some simple facts.

First, have students come up with things they know about the sun. Regardless of what they say, write these ideas down (yes, even if the idea is incorrect). Then have students do some research to learn more and determine if all the original statements about the sun were true. 

Use the printable ‘All About the Sun’ worksheet to collect facts!

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Space is vast, mysterious, and awe-inspiring! There are some fabulous activities to teach little learners all about space. How will you inspire your students while they learn about the Solar System?

“Ground control to Major Tom!” This song SO easily gets stuck in my head when I’m working on anything space related. And it’s not even the David Bowie version that gets stuck in my head, it’s the Chris Hadfield version, where he sings it from space. I love teaching students about the motions of the Earth, moon and Sun. There are so many awesome space science lessons for kids. So let’s check out a few!

Space Science For Kids - The Motions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun.

What’s the Motion of the Earth?

The Earth is constantly in motion. The Earth orbits around the Sun. An orbit is the path that an object takes when it revolves around another object. A revolution is the circular movement of an object around another object. The Earth also rotates on its axis. 

What causes day and night?

As the Earth orbits the Sun, it also rotates on its axis. It takes the Earth 24 hours to rotate. The side of Earth facing the Sun experiences day and the side of Earth facing away from the Sun experiences night.

Why does earth have seasons?

Top: Informational Text passages all about how the earth, sun and moon move in the sky.
Bottom: Informational text passages all about tides.

The earth’s orbit isn’t a perfect circle. This means that sometimes it is closer to the Sun and the weather is warmer, like in spring and summer. Sometimes the Earth is further away from the Sun and the weather is colder, like in the winter. The Earth’s revolution causes the changes in seasons.

What causes ocean tides on earth?

Tides are always changing and it is the moon’s gravitational pull that causes these changes. Tides rise and fall depending on where the moon is in the sky. 

Now that we have some background information about the motion of the Earth, moon and Sun, let’s take a look at some activities to get students excited about space!

Plan the Whole Unit in One Click!

Get ready to teach your ‘Motions of the Earth’ science unit in one step.

This engaging unit includes everything you need to teach students about how the earth, sun, and moon move.

Reading passages, scripted lessons, activities, and project-based learning are all included!

grab the whole unit

Make a Moon Board

Using this moon board, students can poke their heads through the middle and rotate the board to see why the moon appears to be different shapes at different times.

I love creating visuals that help my students learn. This Moon Board activity will help students identify why the moon appears differently in its separate phases. You’ll need a few things for this activity, including black foam board, 8 small white balls like ping pong balls, black paint, a print out of the Sun, Phases of the Moon labels, sharp scissors and hot glue.

Using these supplies, create a Moon Board that looks like this one. After creating the Moon Board, students can put their head inside and as they rotate the board around, they will observe each of the different moon phases! 

Detailed instructions and print-and-cut templates are available in this Motions of the Earth unit.

Want to watch me assemble this moon board? I made a Reel over on Instagram. You can check it out here.

Anchor Charts

Anchor charts are a great way to show how the Earth and moon move. I’m a huge believer that anchor charts should be made with students instead of ahead of time. I also love printing out labels and pictures so students don’t have to watch me try to draw things! Gluing labels and pictures into place is SO much easier than trying to draw and print neatly.

For example, I like to print out large cards of moon phases and put them on a chart paper to create an anchor chart. 

As another anchor chart idea, you can make a Venn Diagram anchor chart about the similarities and differences of solar and lunar eclipses. Have students come up with the ideas and you write them down as the ideas arise.

Act it Out

Head out to a place, like a field or the gym, where your students will have space to move. Then label kids as “Sun”, “moon”, “Earth”. Have your students rotate and revolve with their bodies to act out how the Sun, moon and Earth move. 

Create an Eclipse Comic

I love combining science with other curricular areas. In this activity, students will use their knowledge of comic strips and writing, as well as their artistic skills and creativity,  to create a comic about either a lunar eclipse or a solar eclipse. You will likely have to review characteristics of a comic and how to properly use speech bubbles.

Students can pick a comic template and begin to draw. Throughout the process, make sure to review and use checklists to ensure students know what criteria you are looking for in their comic. I love seeing what students come up with as they create their eclipse comics.

There are so many fun ways to teach about the motions of the Earth, moon and Sun. If you have any other awesome lessons, send them my way! I love seeing what other people do.