3, 2, 1... Blast off!

One of the things we are trying to do with our program is to create activities that are closely related to what the students are learning in the classroom. We do this to not only reinforce the curriculum, but to also give the students an interactive learning experience. We want to help them see that learning is fun.

During the last few weeks we had the opportunity to explore the solar system with the students through a universe full of games and activities. We spoke with the teachers at the school and found out exactly what the students would be learning and what the expectations were from the school district, and we created games and activities to support that learning.

One of the main objectives was to have the students know the order of the planets, so we created planets out of construction paper and after teaching them the order we had them race to see who could organize the planets the fastest! The students loved it.

With the younger students we used arts and crafts to create crowns that had the planets in order from the sun. It was fun for them to color and learn the order at the same time.

Next we had a Spaceship Challenge with paper airplanes. Each student designed and colored their "Spaceship" any way they liked. We then had a contest to see who could throw them the farthest. We paced out the distance and had a marker for every planet. The students were lined up at the "Sun" and had to see which spaceship could travel to the farthest planet. This activity was a huge success as the students ran all over collecting their spacecrafts and trying again and again to reach Neptune.

Another game that the students loved was a game we called Planetary Orbit. We put a desk in the middle of the area and called it the "Sun." The students held an inflated balloon between their legs and had to race around the sun as fast as they could without dropping their balloon. This activity was met with great enthusiasm, as the students couldn't wait to try it again and again.

These were only a few of the activities that the students were engaged in, and by the end of the two weeks the students were enthralled with the solar system. There is so much mystery, energy and excitement surrounding the expansive universe, and each student got to explore its vastness right from their classroom!