One of the best ways to teach children about the solar system is through examples, drawings and different kind of projects. Especially for younger children, learning about universe can be a big challenge. To help them become familiar with the names of the planets, their locations and sizes, it should be presented in fun way so they will understand it better and it will be more interested for them. Thanks to this knowledge, children will appreciate the uniqueness of the planet they live on.
So how to explain the whole solar system that is a very abstract concept for kids? There are some good methods, like songs about the planets, nursery rhyme or posters showing the approximate appearance of the solar system. To facilitate understanding of its functioning, it is worth preparing a model of the planetary system together with the kids. The most important thing in preparing the model is to keep the proportion in terms of the size of the planets. At first, we should determine the size of the model we want to prepare and, depending on it, choose the appropriate materials. Solar system projects can be very creative. To show children the colors and sizes of the planets, the easiest way is to draw them, and briefly characterize them. For example, we can simply explain that the Earth is blue because there is a lot of water on it. And that is why our planet is unique in the solar system, because it has the conditions for life. Speaking of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, they can be compared to large vacuum cleaners that suck up large meteoroids. Perhaps our children wondered why there are seasons, day and night, or the ebb and flow of the sea.
Astronomy is a great hobby for children that will help them discover secrets of the universe and teach them to respect life on Earth. Who knows, maybe this way we will discover potential future scientists?
