While watching the Planets Song (Animated Music Video), students learn about the order of planets in our solar system as well as cool facts about each planet.
This solar system activity is a Space Race game where 2nd to 5th Grade students spin, write and color the eight planets in order. Includes trivia cards, practice and answer key.
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.
The Beautiful Moon Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 2nd grade readers a short non-fiction passage about the moon, four multiple choice questions, a written response, and an answer key, so comprehension practice stays quick and clear.
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 will quickly give you templates for classroom decoration or student activities.
This space writing paper gives 2nd graders a friendly rocket prompt, ten roomy writing rules and a bright cartoon planet scene, so every child has a story to tell before the pencil moves.
This Solar Eclipse Word Scramble Worksheet gives second grade students six scrambled science words and a word box to unscramble them. An answer key is included, so checking eclipse vocabulary takes only a moment.
UsingIts Just a Phase Phases of the Moon Activity, students put the phases of the moon in order so they can understand the pattern of the moon.
Blast off to the eight planets
Second graders meet the solar system as our neighborhood in space. They learn that the Sun is a star at the center, and eight planets travel around it: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Kids discover that some planets are rocky and some are giant balls of gas, and that Earth is the only planet we know of with living things. They also notice that the Moon seems to change shape. Every "Jupiter is SO big!" is a sign the wonder is working.
Second graders are natural space explorers. These moves turn that excitement into real learning.
Start each space lesson with a planet song. Kids learn the order of the planets in a few days without even trying. Ask them to stand up when their favorite planet is sung for an extra wiggle break.
Why it works: words set to a repeating melody are easier to recall than the same words spoken (Wallace, 1994).
Try it withPlanets Song (Animated Music Video)SongsOpen it →Use space flash cards for a quick daily warm-up: show a card and kids call out the name. Then ask one fact question, like "Which planet has rings?" Short, quick rounds help the new words stick.
Why it works: researchers who compared ten study methods found practice testing is one of the two that work best (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withSpace Flash CardsFlash CardsOpen it →Give kids planet pictures to put in order from the Sun. Then ask, "Which is closest? Which is farthest?" A simple saying like "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles" helps them check their order.
Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withSolar System Sequencing Planets ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Add some out-of-this-world fun to your science time.
ActivitiesKids explore the Moon with a hands-on activity, then draw what the Moon looks like at home each night for a week.
Open Moon Activity →
WorksheetsKids unscramble space words about solar eclipses, then use them in a sentence.
Open Solar Eclipse Word Scramble Worksheet →
WorksheetsKids write about which planet they'd visit and why on space-themed writing paper.
Open Space Writing Paper →Teacher favorites right now: Planets Song (Animated Music Video), Solar System Activity and Moon Activity.
They should know that the Sun is a star in the center, that eight planets orbit it, and the order of the planets. They also learn a few facts about each planet and that the Moon orbits Earth.
Songs and silly sayings work best. "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles" stands for Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
No, the Sun is a star. It's a giant ball of hot gas that gives us light and heat. The planets travel around it.
In 2006, scientists decided Pluto is a dwarf planet because it's very small and shares its orbit with other icy objects. Kids still love learning about it!
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