Curated and Reviewed by
Lesson Planet
This Solar System Launch activity also includes:
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, before launching straw rockets to see how far they can travel through space.
308 Views
268 Downloads
CCSS:
Adaptable
Concepts
Additional Tags
Instructional Ideas
- Complete this activity during an upper-elementary or middle school astronomy lesson on the solar system
- Extend learning by having students research different space missions and the distances they covered
Classroom Considerations
- Activity requires sets of solar system stickers for each pair of students, which will have to be purchased ahead of time
Pros
- Resource provides a clear list of step-by-step directions for completing a scale model of the solar system
- Includes a table that supports students with calculating the scaled distances between planets
- A document is included that helps teachers set up a spreadsheet for recording and graphing the distances the straw rockets travel
Cons
- None