From the very beginning, children show a curiosity about the world. They try to get to know the surroundings and it is our duty to provide them intellectual nourishment. Children can learn about the planets in a variety of interesting ways that will inspire them to explore the knowledge of the universe. By using examples, drawings, and solar system projects, discovering the universe is more fun and easier to understand. Astronomy is a great hobby for children that will help them learn the secrets of the universe and teach them to respect life on Earth. Who knows, maybe this way we will discover potential future scientists?
Of course, the methods of teaching the solar system depend on the age and abilities of the child. Here are some fun examples:
1. Space in the kitchen: to create the solar system you will need peppercorns, large berry, cherry tomato, watermelon or cabbage, grapefruit, apple, and lime or lemon. Each of these elements corresponds to the planets in the order of the sun. You can arrange all these things on the table. The sizes of these elements roughly illustrate the proportions of celestial bodies in relation to each other. This way, your child will remember the order of the planets more easily, especially if you sign them on small cards.
2. Build a solar system out of balloons: you can hang this solar system in a child’s room plus, you’ll have a lot of fun creating it. Prepare a string on which the planets will hang, colorful balloons, cards for making rings, and threads to attach the balloons to the main string. Blow up the balloons and try to keep the proportions. Ideally, the Sun should be yellow and the largest, Mars red, Earth blue. On the balloons, you can draw different shapes characteristic for a given planet. We attach the balloons in the right order, starting with the sun.
3. Interesting facts about the planets: another way to learn about the planets is through the use of books, e-books, websites, and other sources of information. The first thing you can do is create playing cards. Ask the child to look for curiosities about the planets, and then write the question on the one side of the cards a riddle on the other side of the planet that this curiosity defines. Later, of course, these cards can be played in a variety of ways. You can also look for fairy tales and videos on YouTube that tell about the universe in an interesting way. Thanks to pictures and music, everything is remembered much better, and children like this type of animation.
4. Acronym: children find it very easy to remember short poems. Therefore, it makes sense to use the acronym, or the first letters of the planets, to create a short, catchy sentence. On the internet, you will find a lot of example one-liners. However, you will be more effective if you play yourself in creating an appropriate and funny sentence.
5. Sounds of the universe: a movie with recorded sounds of the universe. A completely different sound and reverberation in the case of Earth, Saturn, or Uranus, in the background, of course, a photo of the planet and an interesting description below the film.
Instead of the traditional forging by heart, kids can have a little fun when learning about planets. They can create their own solar systems, we can also take them to the planetarium, where they can admire slightly larger models of celestial bodies. An interesting idea is to introduce your child to the telescope, and show him the wonders of the sky full of stars.
