"Galileo"

My Very Educated Mother

This sentence will help you remember the planets in order, starting closest to the sun: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos. Just think of a planet that starts with the first letter of each word: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and so on. Have students create and illustrate with their own sentences to help them remember.

Activity: Your Age & Weight on Other Worlds

Research Projects: Combine science and creative writing with Travel Poster and To Live on Another Planet

A 7-minute video about building a scale model of the solar system in the Nevada desert.

Make a map of the solar system -- using chalk on the sidewalk. You’ll need 90 feet of sidewalk to get all the way to Neptune!

-Draw a line to mark your starting point. That’s the surface of the Sun. Label it SUN. You’ll make a circle and label each planet, starting with the inner planets, the ones closest to the Sun.

-Take one step to Mercury and mark your place.

-Take one more step to Venus.

-One more step and you’re at Earth. Home sweet home!

-Take one more step and a baby step, and you’re at Mars. Now it’s time to go to the outer planets.

-Take ten steps to Jupiter.

-Take 15 steps to Saturn.

-Take 30 steps to Uranus.

-Finally, take 30 steps to Neptune. You are a long way from home now!