This sun activity sends 1st and 2nd grade children on a read-the-room hunt for twelve sun fact cards, with a recording sheet, a Yes or No practice page and answer keys included.
This sun writing worksheet lets 1st graders complete six Sun facts with words from a word bank. An answer key is included, and kids build science knowledge while they read and write.
Using thisMoon Song (MP3), students learn about the phases of the moon through catchy, interesting lyrics.
Send students on a read-the-room moon activity with 12 fact cards, a recording sheet and a Yes or No practice page for 1st and 2nd grade, answer key included, so learning about the moon feels like an adventure.
In this solar system sequencing planets activity, kindergarten to 5th grade students put the eight planets in order from the Sun and match their names. Answer key included.
Space flash cards with bright pictures of the sun, moon, planets and more help kindergarten to 4th grade students learn space words and facts. An answer key is included.
These space shuttle cut outs give preschool to 3rd grade students eleven shuttles to color, cut and display, building fine motor skills for a fun space bulletin board.
This space poetry worksheet helps 1st grade students read a rocket shape poem, answer rhyme questions, and write their own space poem. An answer key is included for easy checking.
This writing about space worksheet helps 1st grade students plan a space story with three simple questions, then write it on six wide lines. Every story is the child's own.
This outer space sentences worksheet invites 1st grade students to write a complete sentence about a rocket, a ringed planet and the moon, building strong writing habits with every line.
Blast off with the sun, moon and stars!
First graders look up and start finding patterns in the sky. They learn that the sun rises, moves across the sky and sets each day, and that it is a star that gives us light and warmth. They notice that the moon seems to change shape over about a month, from a thin crescent to a full moon and back, and that stars come out at night. Many classes also meet the planets in order from the sun. The click moment is when a child spots the moon in the daytime sky and races to tell you it isn't only out at night.
Space feels huge, so we make it hands-on, singable and right outside the window.
Every few nights, kids draw what the moon looks like at home and bring their sketch in. After two weeks, line them up and watch the phases appear. Observing the real sky beats any picture in a book.
Why it works: children learn more from words and pictures together than from words alone (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withIts Just a Phase Phases of the Moon ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Teach a short moon song and add hand motions for crescent, half and full. Kids hum it all day, and the vocabulary sneaks right in.
Why it works: a catchy, repeating tune gives the brain a hook to hang words on, so sung text is remembered better (Wallace, 1994).
Try it withMoon Song (MP3)SongsOpen it →Give each child a planet card and have the class arrange themselves in order from the sun out on the playground. Then walk the line and say each name together.
Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.
Try it withSolar System Sequencing Planets ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Little astronauts need lots of launch time. Try these.
ActivitiesCut out and decorate a space shuttle, then count down from 10 and blast off around the room.
Open Space Shuttle Cut Outs →
Flash CardsHide space picture cards around the room and kids name each one when they find it.
Open Space Flash Cards →
ActivitiesTrace a friend's shadow with chalk in the morning and again after lunch. Why did it move?
Open Sun Activity →Teacher favorites right now: Sun Activity, Sun Writing Worksheet and Moon Song (MP3).
They learn about the sun, moon and stars, notice patterns like day and night and the moon's phases, and often learn the planets in order.
The moon doesn't really change. We see different amounts of its sunlit side as it travels around Earth, which makes the phases.
Yes! The sun is a star. It looks much bigger and brighter than other stars because it is the closest one to Earth.
Go outside together. Look for the moon, watch the sunset or find a bright star. Talking about what you see is the best first science lesson.
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