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This Solar System Launch activity also includes:
Trying to understand the vastness of outer space can be quite a challenge for young scientists. Help put things in perspective with this cross-curricular activity as students work in pairs creating scaled models of the solar system, before launching straw rockets to see how far they can travel through space.
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CCSS:
Adaptable
NGSS:
Adaptable
Concepts
Additional Tags
Instructional Ideas
- Complete this activity during an upper-elementary or middle school astronomy lesson on the solar system
- Extend learning by having students research different space missions and the distances they covered
Classroom Considerations
- Activity requires sets of solar system stickers for each pair of students, which will have to be purchased ahead of time
Pros
- Resource provides a clear list of step-by-step directions for completing a scale model of the solar system
- Includes a table that supports students with calculating the scaled distances between planets
- A document is included that helps teachers set up a spreadsheet for recording and graphing the distances the straw rockets travel
Cons
- None