How Far Away Are the Planets?

Scholars gain an insight into the relative size of planets and distance between inner and outer planets with the help of informational text, a data table, and a series of four questions.  

Did you know light can decrease visibility? Light pollution absolutely makes it more difficult to see stars. Scholars build a simple magnitude reader to determine the magnitude of stars. They use these data to estimate the impact of...

Send students on a search for facts about the solar system with this scavenger hunt activity. Whether they are finding out how far the sun is from the earth, or the names of all four gas giants, this resource will engage young scientists...

Trying to understand the vastness of outer space can be quite a challenge for young scientists. Help put things in perspective with this cross-curricular activity as students work in pairs creating scaled models of the solar system,...

The earth only revolves around one thing — and it's not any of your pupils. The lesson plan includes two activities dealing with the distance to the sun and the moon. First, scholars create a pin hole camera and use the rules of similar...

Fresh water is a precious resource. Most kids don't realize how little of the water on Earth is actually drinkable. This instructional activity will help to illuminate them on this important topic. They discus the ratio of water to land,...

Dr. Joy Reidenberg is an expert in comparative anatomy, but also quite relatable to preteens! Here, she lectures on echolocation by likening it to "farting with the face!" She explains with film, actual whale voice recordings, diagrams,...

Let this sink in: oceans cover more than 70% of the planet! This video teaches many facts about the ocean using creative graphs to convey the vastness of its features. The ocean contains the longest mountain chain, the tallest...

Isn't it strange that Earth's largest animal lives on one of its tiniest? Using Sesame-Street-style puppetry, this video explains how this phenomenon happens. Viewers learn that a single mouthful of krill taken in by a whale has the...

What are those shiny things that people are installing on the roofs of their houses? Learn about the structure, function, and logistics of solar panels, as well as the challenges of using the sun's energy as our exclusive power source on...