Home School Science:

Projects for Kids:

Make Your Own Model Solar System

Home school science is one of the easiest to teach – all you're doing is feeding your child's natural curiosity in the world around them and having fun with some of our science projects for kids.

This is one of our TOP TEN favorite science projects. We made it when we were homeschooling William aged 7 and Catherine 5, but you could do this with much older children working more independently.

If space isn't quite your thing, you might like to know it isn't mine either! As it happens, William loved space from when he was tiny, but Catherine was less struck.

We've tried loads of home school science projects for kids, but the great thing about this one is that it appeals both to the space fan and the child who just likes getting their fingers messy rolling modelling clay in sand, sticking strips of newspaper with glue and splattering red paint around. (On the other hand, William hated the feel of sand and glue on his fingers – so you can't appeal to everyone!)

Now, before I get accused of plagiarism, I want to make clear that this homeschooling project is taken almost entirely from DK: The Young Astronomer by Harry Ford. When you start home school science, one of the annoying things is the number of books with beautifully illustrated science projects for kids which are largely impractical when you actually get down to trying them and don't look that good in the end anyway.

We also found all those model solar system kits you buy and assemble at home generally over-priced and not that great. I'm sure there are exceptions, but there's nothing like a kids science project building your very own solar system from scratch.

This is one of those home school science projects for kids that really works!

We've added our own touches and I want to make clear that you'll need to get stuck in too (literally!), but I think that's one of its homeschooling charms.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• balloon
• newspaper strips
• flour and water paste
• cotton wool strips
• red and yellow tissue (we used crepe paper)
• plant spray
• water-based glue
• modelling clay
• thin card
• compass
• paints and brushes
• small amount play sand (optional)
• cocktail sticks
• thin dowel sticks – one for each planet
• optional base – they suggest cardboard; Rob used an old wooden shelf

HOW TO MAKE YOUR SUN:

1. Blow up a balloon so it's about the size of a football. This will be your Sun.
2. Make up some of our easy paper mache paste. We use a patent home school recipe which works really well and is really easy to make. I've put the paper mache recipe instructions here.
3. Paste strips of newspaper all over your balloon. Build up layers of newspaper until you've got a coat of paper mache.
4. Allow to dry. Paint the surface yellow.
5. Place your cotton wool strips onto red and yellow crepe (or tissue) paper. Damp the paper with a plant sprayer and watch the dye run off the paper and get absorbed by the cotton wool. We loved this part!
6. Allow to dry and then stick the orangey-yellow cotton wool all over the Sun. It gives the Sun a fantastic amorphous appearance so it no longer looks solid and you can almost imagine the solar flares.
7. Flick specks of red paint onto the finished Sun to make Sun spots. Have fun!

HOW TO MAKE YOUR PLANETS:

Get some modeling clay and roll them round into balls of various sizes. I did most of the rolling, the children helped measure the diameters (Maths!). These are the approximate sizes you'll need:

• Mercury: 2mm
• Venus: 7mm
• Earth: 7mm
• Mars: 3mm
• Jupiter: 72mm
• Saturn: 60mm
• Uranus: 22mm
• Neptune: 22mm
• Pluto: 2mm – unless you decide to ignore him!

1. Use paint to color each of the planets. Look at some photos to get approximate colors. We rolled Jupiter and Saturn in sand to create more of a Planet effect. Great!
2. Make rings for the gas giants by measuring two circles on card, one inside the other. (See photo)



3. Color and cut out the rings. Push some cocktail sticks through the planets to support them, remembering to tilt the rings at an angle.
4. Attach the planets to dowel and the dowel to a base (cardboard/old shelf). We left all this to Rob!

RESULT:

Your own home school science model solar system with all the planets organised in the correct sequence from the Sun. Like all home school projects, there are so many learning opportunities – you'll cover all sorts of Astronomy, Maths, probably end up using the internet, as well as practising craft skills.

Obviously, although you'll have the planets in the right order, you won't have them the correct distance away from the Sun. Isn't it mind-blowing to think that if Mercury were 10cm away from the Sun, Pluto would need to be 10m! These are the sorts of figures which so appealed to William, who loves facts. If your children are more visually minded, you might like to use a bowl of fruit to demonstrate!

For something that's bound to get your kids fascinated by home school science and the solar system, try the NASA Astronomy Picture Of The Day.

Here are some more home school science projects you might like:

• Come and join our Dinosaurs For Kids project.
• Meet us in the Rainforest for our Rainforest Activities.
• Kids aged 5-7 might like our Homeschool Unit Studies Sea Creatures for Kids project.

Home school science projects for kids are a fabulous way of getting an idea of just how amazing the Planet we live on really is.

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