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Creative Ways to Learn About the Solar System

 I love science and art, so I especially love it when we can find ways to combine the two. Earlier this year we did a unit on the solar system. As we studied each planet we looked at photos and learned about surface features and then made a watercolor painting. It ended up being so much fun, and one of our favorite projects of the year!

You can grab free printable planet templates here: Solar System Coloring/ Watercolor Pack

Below I share some fun facts and a couple online resources for each planet, and some more fun solar system activity ideas:



Planet Facts

The solar system has 8 official planets. 4 terrestrial or rocky planets, 2 gas giants, and 2 ice giants. 

Mercury- Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. It is a rocky planet covered with impact craters. It is the smallest planet, just slightly bigger than Earth's moon. A day on Mercury is equal to about 59 Earth days. A year on Mercury is about 88 Earth days. That's a pretty short year!

Learn more about Mercury with these resources:

-Planet Overview- Mercury from NASA

-Mercury 101 video from National Geographic

-Crash Course Astronomy- Mercury


Venus- Venus is the second planet from the sun. Despite being further from the sun than Mercury, Venus is the hottest planet. The high amount of carbon dioxide in its thick atmosphere causes heat to get trapped, wrapping the planet in a hot blanket of air. 

A day on Venus is 243 Earth days, the longest of any planet. A year on Venus is 225 Earth days making a year shorter than a day!

Venus is easy to spot in the night sky, as it is the brightest object in the sky other than the moon. 

Learn more about Venus with the following resources:

-All About Venus from NASA

-Venus 101 from National Geographic

-Venus from Crash Course Astronomy


Earth- Earth, our planet, is the third planet from the sun. It is the only planet in our solar system known to have life. The Earth is a terrestrial planet, and it has one natural satellite- the moon.

Learn more about Earth with the following resources:

-Earth 101 video from National Geographic

-All About the Moon Unit Study


Mars- Mars is the 4th planet from the sun. It is a rocky terrestrial planet and has a reddish color due to the high amount of iron in its crust. Mars is named for the Roman god of war. It has two satellites named Phobos and Deimos.

A day on Mars is equal to about 24 hours and 37 minutes Earth time. A year is about 687 Earth days.

Learn more about Mars with the following resources:

-Mars Overview from NASA

-Mars 101 video from National Geographic

-Mars video from Crash Course Astronomy


Jupiter- Jupiter is the 5th planet from the sun and the first of the gas giants. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and is more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined. It was named after the king of the Roman gods.

A day on Jupiter is about 10 Earth hours. A year is about 12 Earth years.

Jupiter has a total of 67 known moons. Its 4 largest moons are known as the Galilean moons and they are large enough to be seen from Earth with binoculars or a fairly low power telescope. They are named Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. 

Jupiter and the Galilean moons as seen from Earth through a low power telescope

You can learn more about Jupiter with these resources:

-Jupiter Overview from NASA

-Jupiter 101 video from National Geographic

-Jupiter video from Crash Course Astronomy

-Jupiter's Moons video from Crash Course Astronomy


Saturn- Saturn is the 6th planet from the sun. It is the second of the gas giants and is known for its beautiful rings made of rocks, dust, and ice. Saturn has 82 known moons, the largest is named Titan and it is bigger than the planet Mercury. Saturn is named for the Roman god of Agriculture. 

A day on Saturn is a little less that 11 Earth hours. A year is about 29 Earth years.

You can learn more about Saturn with the following resources:

-Saturn Overview from NASA

-Saturn 101 video from National Geographic

-Saturn video from Crash Course Astronomy


Uranus- Uranus is the 7th planet from the sun and the first of the ice giants. Uranus orbits the sun tilted almost completely on its side. It is named for the Greek god of the sky and has 27 known moons.

A day on Uranus is just over 17 Earth hours and a year is about 84 Earth years.

Learn more about Uranus with the following resources:

-Uranus Overview from NASA

-Uranus 101 video from National Geographic

-Uranus and Neptune video from Cash Course


Neptune- Neptune is the 8th planet from the sun and is considered an ice giant like Uranus. Its atmosphere is made of hydrogen, helium, and methane. This unique mixture of gasses gives the planet a beautiful deep blue appearance. Neptune is named for the Roman god of the sea and it has 14 known moons.

A day on Neptune is just over 16 Earth hours. A year is 165 Earth years!

You can learn more about Neptune with the following resources:

-Neptune Overview from NASA

-Neptune 101 video from National Geographic

-Uranus and Neptune video from Crash Course


The Dwarf Planets- the solar system has 5 recognized dwarf planets. Dwarf planets orbit the sun like true planets but are smaller. One of the dwarf planets, Ceres, is located in the asteroid belt in between Mars and Jupiter. The other 4 are located beyond Neptune's orbit and are named Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake.

Learn more about the dwarf planets with the following resources:

-Pluto 101 video from National Geographic

-Guide to the Dwarf Planets for Kids video from FreeSchool


Activities to Try

Planets of the Solar System Watercolor Activity

Look at pictures of each planet as you work through the solar system. Take notice of the color of its atmosphere and any interesting surface features. Then make a watercolor painting of each planet. You can grab free printable planet templates here.


Make a Solar System Wheel

For this activity you will need:

-A very large cardboard box (thin cardboard is best)

-A piece of cardstock

-Paint (tempera or acrylic)

-Scissors

-A long screw with a bolt and two washers

Start by cutting 8 circles out of cardboard. Make the first circle about 2 and a half inches in diameter, and then make each following circle about 2 inches wider than the previous circle. 

Paint each cardboard circle black and add some white splatters for stars and set them aside to dry.

While the cardboard circles are drying, cut 9 small circles out of the piece of cardstock. These circles should be about an inch in diameter. 

Paint 8 of the small cardstock circles to look like the planets. Paint the remaining one to look like the sun. 

When everything is fully dry, stack the black painted cardboard circles starting with the largest on the bottom working up to the smallest one on top. Using a sharp pencil or a screw driver, poke a hole in the center of each one. Then fasten them together with the screw, washers, and bolt (the bolt should be at the bottom).

Glue the cardstock sun in the center of your wheel- on the head of the screw. Then glue your planets in place- one on the edge of each cardboard circle, starting with Mercury on the smallest circle, working out to Neptune on the largest circle. 

Once the glue is dry you should be able to spin each planet independently around the sun in the center!



Make a Solar System Model

Try making a model of the solar system. You could use a kit like one of these:

-3D Solar System Model Kit

-Solar System String Light Kit from STEAM Powered Kids (my 5 year old did this kit recently and it turned out pretty cool)

Solar System String Line Kit from STEAM Powered Kids

Or you could try making one from scratch. We made one out of paper mache, a coat hanger, some wire, and some paint a few years back.

View Planets in the Night Sky

Head outside after dark to observe the planets in the night sky. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are all easily visible with the naked eye. And with just a low powered telescope or a pair of decent binoculars you can see Uranus, Neptune, Saturn's rings, and Jupiter's 4 largest moons. 

For help locating the planets, download the SkyView app.


Resources to Check Out

Books

-The National Geographic Space Encyclopedia

-Planets by Elizabeth Carney from the National Geographic Kids Easy Reader Series

-Where is Our Solar System? by Stephanie Sabol


Videos

-Solar System 101 from National Geographic

-Exploring Our Solar System from FreeSchool


Websites

-NASA's Space Place- The Solar System

-The Solar System from DK Find Out!

-Solar System Facts for Kids from Kiddle


If you enjoyed this post, check out my All About the Moon unit study and don't forget to grab a free Solar System Coloring/ Watercolor Pack!


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