Planets

LESSON 5

Children engage in a game exploring planets in the solar system, followed by creating their own solar system artwork.

  • OR the book “The Mysteries of the Universe” by Will Gater 

  • OR the book “What We See in the Stars” by Kelsey Oseid 

  • Planet puzzle, or wooden planets (optional) 

  • Guess the Planet game printable 

  • Coffee filters 

  • Washable makers 

  • Spray bottle 

  • Black cardstock paper (optional) 

  • Glue or tape 

Materials

Preparations

  • Print the deck of planet description cards. 

  • Print full-color pictures of each planet. 

  • Cut out the pictures of the planets and the description cards. 

  • Facilitate gameplay in "Guess the Planet," guiding children to match planet descriptions with corresponding pictures.

  • Prompt discussions and reflections on what children learned about planets during and after the game.

  • Provide materials and instructions for creating solar system artwork.

  • Guide children in arranging and discussing their completed solar system artwork.

Objectives for Teachers

  • Children identify and match planets to their descriptions through the "Guess the Planet" game.

  • Children create unique representations of planets using coffee filters and markers, fostering creativity and fine motor skills.

  • Children experience the concept of color blending and tie-dye effects by spraying water on marker-colored coffee filters.

  • Children arrange and display their completed solar system artwork.

Objectives for Children

Collect and Connect

Practice singing the nursery rhyme “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” with the actions you came up with.

At night consider saying the “Bedtime” poem to your child.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,  

How I wonder what you are!  

Up above the world so high,  

Like a diamond in the sky.  

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,  

How I wonder what you are! 

Bedtime Poem

(at bedtime you can use a finger to draw the star, the sun, the moon on your child's back) 

 A star for you to wish on, 
A sun so warm and bright, 
A moon for you to sleep on, 
Happy dreams, 
A kiss goodnight. 

Activity Flow

  1. Begin today's lesson by playing the game “Guess the Planet!” 

Guess the Planet Game 

Setup: 

  • Spread out the pictures of the planets face-up on a table or flat surface. 

  • Shuffle the deck of description cards and place them in a stack face-down. 

How to play:

  1. An adult or child who can read will draw the top card from the deck and read the description and fun facts aloud.

  2. The children will listen carefully and then choose the planet picture they think matches the description.

  3. If the children guess correctly, place the matched card and planet picture in a completed pile.

  4. If the children guess incorrectly, read the description again and give them another chance to choose the correct planet.

  5. Continue playing until all the cards have been matched to the correct planets. 

2. After the game, initiate a conversation about what was learned. Here are some questions you could ask: 

  • What is something new you learned about the planets?

  • What planet is your favorite?

  • If you created your own planet, what would it be like? 

3. Next, find a comfortable place to sit down and look through/read “What We See in the Stars,” “Mysteries of the Universe,” or “The Solar System.” Explore the different planets and see if you can discover anything new as you read.  

4. After reading, introduce the activity for today. Children will create their own planet or the planets in the solar system using coffee filters and paint.  

Solar System Art 

  1. Cover the work surface with paper towels or a plastic table cover to protect it from marker stains and water. Optionally, you can head outside to create.  

  2. Give your child a coffee filter and let them use washable markers to color it. They can create patterns, swirls, and designs that represent different planets. Using a book or images of the planets as a reference might be helpful. 

  3. Optionally, let them create their own planet using any colors they like. 

  4. Once the coffee filters are colored, have the children place them on the protected work surface or outside. Using the spray bottles, lightly spray water over the colored coffee filters. The water will cause the marker colors to spread and blend, creating a tie-dye effect. Allow the coffee filters to dry completely. This may take about 15-30 minutes. 

  5. Once the coffee filters are dry, cut them into circular shapes to represent different planets. Cut various sizes to depict different planets in the solar system.   

  6. If you want to make sun catchers, hang them in a window using tape. Or you can create a display on black paper. Glue the planets onto the black paper to represent the night sky. Arrange the planets in their relative positions in the solar system. 

  7. Find a place to display your solar system artwork.