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Hello Everyone, I am a pre-service teacher and am looking for some new ways to teach young children about the different planets in our solar system. I have been researching different lesson plans but haven't found any I think would be hands-on and engaging for young children. Any suggestions? I would really appreciate the help. Thanks

I found a great activity to do with Kindergarteners that teaches them about the different phases of the moon. It can be found at http://analyzer.depaul.edu/paperplate/Oreo%20Moon%20Phases.htm and it uses Oreos and icing to represent the moon's different phases. It is a fun and tastey activity for the students to learn about science!

I am a preservice teacher as well! In class, we have discussed a lot of fun ways to get students engaged in the solar system. We used toilet paper and drew out the planets and their distance. This may be a little advanced for your students but it was fun activity for them to actually see how far the planets are from one another. 

Hello!  I have been developing a YouTube channel called FunScienceDemos that has hundreds of free video demonstrations on a variety of topics. Here is a playlist with video demonstrations regarding the solar system. These videos are NGSS aligned and are engaging for students. If you like what you see here, please subscribe to our channel as we regularly release new video demonstrations! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLat8Jejmdx1sbNMdZh1LIiyl8VqPHDOzo Best,  Dr. George Mehler Ed.D., Temple University

This is great for teaching students about the solar system. planetsforkids.org

This resource is great!

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/educ/pocketss I have done this in the classroom and it was very helpful! It was super engaging and a lot of fun! It also shows the students the scale of how far the planets are from each other! It's very eyeopening. 

I would teach my students about the planets and how they are classified. Once all of the students have an understanding of the planets they would have the opportunity to create there own planet. Once they create the planet, the students have to figure out where it will go in the solar system and what category it will be. (gas, terrestrial, ect.) Once all of the planets are created and classified I would create our classroom science system in the classroom.

Hello, I would teach younger students first the order of the planets and have them start from there. The planets in terms of the color and the properties is still quite difficult for them to understand. You can even start by having them learn the order from closest to the sun to furthest. Once that has been established its easier for the students to add to their knowledge about planets. Starting simple is the best way to teach planets and then you can later on add the shape and multiple properties each one has.