solar system for preschoolers

[mtemm]

my 4 year old announced to me yesterday that today we will be making a solar system. okaaayy. I'd love to, but not really sure how to begin explaining it to him or even making one. I'm thinking we'll do a 2d one today, since i don't have time to go to michaels to get materials for a 3d one. the problem I see is me taking over the project and I don't want to do that.

I guess my question is, does anybody have any suggestion on how to go about this? any ideas of websites that are geared to his age that he can really get an understanding about it, or even get printouts of the planets that he can color?

I know some basic astronomy and did take a class in college, but I'm not really sure how to make it age appropriate. or maybe I'm just overthinking things and doubting myself. lol.

 

[disneymom3]

hi, my best advice is that Michaels has a styro ball set that is all set to go to make a 3D solar system.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Preschooler Solar System should be done with pencils and crayons, imo.

If you want to 3D it, use a coat hanger, toothpicks, wadded up foil, paper, whatever for the planets.
You hang them with string, yarn, thread, from the coat hanger.

Just google making a solar system for the order of the planets.

 

[Sthronds]

When I taught Pre-school, we did a big solar system book and the kids finger painted the planets. Some of those swirly planets look great fingerpainted. It's a bit messy but fun! After it's dry, you can cut it into the shape and add details like Jupiter's red storm and the rings. I think the trickiest was the Earth because we drew lines of continents and tried to get the kids to make it a bit recognizable. One on one it should be easy. Good luck!

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

2d with foam circle cutouts. Your child can help glue them in order and color the rings around the planets (the big ones... not the saturn rings). You can use string too.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

When I taught Pre-school, we did a big solar system book and the kids finger painted the planets. Some of those swirly planets look great fingerpainted. It's a bit messy but fun! After it's dry, you can cut it into the shape and add details like Jupiter's red storm and the rings. I think the trickiest was the Earth because we drew lines of continents and tried to get the kids to make it a bit recognizable. One on one it should be easy. Good luck!

Very cool...and then she could hang them from a coat hanger for the "3D effect"...love it!!!!!!

 

[donnajon]

Blue's Clues has a neat episode on video "Blue's Discoveries" that is about the solar system. It has a cute, catchy song for learning the planets:

Well the sun's a hot star and Mercury's hot too.
Venus is the brightest planet and Earth's home to me and you.
Mars is the red one and Jupiter's most wide.
Saturn's got those icey rings and Uranus spins on its' side.
Neptune's really windy and Pluto's really small.
Well we wanted to name the planets and now we've named them all!

My kids new their planets at age 4 with that song.

 

[petchie]

we actually had some old record albums and a turn table that we used.

The kids made planets out of playdough and we glued them to the record (except the sun in the middle)

Sprayed the black vinyl with glitter spray for stars.

put the record on the turn table, plopped the sun in the middle and turned the record player.

The planets nicely revolved and showed how the ones closer to the sun went around more times per revolution than the further ones.

 

[Tinijocaro]

check out www.enchantedlearning.com, they usually have cool stuff like that.

 

[disneysnowflake]

Blue's Clues has a neat episode on video "Blue's Discoveries" that is about the solar system. It has a cute, catchy song for learning the planets:

Well the sun's a hot star and Mercury's hot too.
Venus is the brightest planet and Earth's home to me and you.
Mars is the red one and Jupiter's most wide.
Saturn's got those icey rings and Uranus spins on its' side.
Neptune's really windy and Pluto's really small.
Well we wanted to name the planets and now we've named them all!

My kids new their planets at age 4 with that song.

My son learned his planets when he was 4 or 5 watching that Blue's Clues episode. He's 12 now and still remembers that song. So do I.

It's amazing how much you can retain through music.

 

[mtemm]

wow, thanks! I love all the ideas. I especially like the idea of finger painting then cutting them out and maybe hanging them. and will definitely be looking for that blues clues episode.

 

[barkley]

if you can find it-there is a blues clues electronic toy that teaches the solar system to a song and has an accurate dipiction of where they are located on the front (they sing a song over and over that tells which are planets, which are stars....). we also bought an item at k-b toys for $19.99 that has a photo type picture on it, you can touch the planets and get info. on each and when you get to know them push a button and get quizzed (at different difficulty levels).