Make a model of the solar system … and get a hike to boot!
Deb sent a cool link over to me on the weekend on building a scale model of the solar system from things like balls, peppercorns (that would be Earth, Venus, and Mars) and other easily found household objects.
Visit the site for the details, but the big lesson here (pun intended) is the scale of the solar system. Even at the the size of this solar system (the Sun as an 8-in/20 cm ball) Pluto is a half a mile (.8 km) from the starting point!
This is totally an outside, maybe part of a fun summer party, thing. a little walk in the neighborhood or in a large park.
Scale is one of those really important things about science. For example, if I’m taking a picture for this blog of as cool bug or fossil (note to self … do the make fossils at home experiment) I’ll put a ruler, dime, or other object that we all recognize for scale.
Okay … start getting your pins, peppercorns, balls, and acorns ready … let’s take a solar walk!
Tags: solar system, scale model
7 Comments
[...] For example, in my last post I had 8 in is about 20 cm. That conversion is here. How about half a mile as .8 km? Here. [...]
My mother is planning on trying this with her 2nd graders. If she gets pictures, I’ll have to see if she minds sharing them
Rock on! That would be so, so cool.
I did the walk with my small groups of lads at our youthgroup at church and they loved it!
I’m going to try making fire with a can of coke and tooth paste with them next!
Mark that’s awesome! Any pics?
Tris
No pics of the walk because i forgot my camera!
I had to adapt things as well because we were walking through the centre of town.
Instaed of using a ball and other things i printed off pictures of the planets and we stuck them with blu tack on walls or lamposts and even the middle of a busy road junction!
It was great fun though and the lads loved it!
I like the picture idea … Using the other objects for a sense of scale in the classroom would be a great additional lesson as well.