Teaching about planets/solar system

[StormySar]

What are some fun websites and projects you've done with your children when they're learning about planets? My kids are 6 and 4 and very interested in learning about them. This is spur of the moment, so I'm looking for free resources and fun projects we can put together quickly.

[Phoebe]

My son was/is super into all things space and he really liked NASA kids club. It's a part of the official NASA website...if you google it you'll see it.
It's a good one.

[CariOfOz]

This is exactly what we are studying right now in science I have an entire list of books I got/ am getting, from the library as well as websites and stuff from enchanted learning that I'm using. (I wrote up my own unit ) Plus I've found some really neat links with online activities on that www.lesson something or other site someone linked on here recently. (will go find that link in the posts cause it's driving me nuts and I can't find it in my bookmarks lol)

ETA: Lesson pathways The planets stuff is in the grade 1 science pathways. But I'm taking bits & peices to use with both my newly 6yo and 8yo The library books I have are the "Blast off!: insert planet name here" series by Helen Orme

[LauraLoo]

You might take a look at this site -- I pulled some fun ideas from here:

http://msnucleus.org/membership/html/k-6/uc/index.html

[meetoo]

http://www.kidsastronomy.com/fun/index.htm
homeschoolshare.com

[daisymama12]

Not sure how old your kids are, but some space-related things my kids love:

- google earth
- "There's no place like space" - a Dr Seuss book that is fun

- Though it's for adults, my older son loved watching "From Earth to the Moon" an HBO mini series that you can rent from the video store. There was one disc - disc 2 I think - that had the moon landing, and when he was quite young, 6 or so, he couldn't get enough of it.

- Biography of astronauts from the library

- It really helps to make, or get access to a basic model of the solar system, so they can SEE how the earth rotates on its own axis, and also, like all the planets, circles the sun. It's much easier to understand when you can see it in 3D. Some science museums have great models. I ordered a $10 one from scholastic, with the sun, the earth and the moon and they like it a lot.

My kids are BIG into space, so its a topic close to our hearts. An eventual "fieldtrip" lol more like roadtrip, will be to the Air and Space museum at the Smithsonian.

have fun!!!

[cappuccinosmom]

Love NASA's site. Ds2 was to learn about stars (in Kindergarten) for one of his lessons, and he looooved clicking through NASA's gallery of stars, galaxies, and nebulas. Very cool.

The most basic one that never gets old is any variation on a solar system model. The flashlight and a ball one, drawing them in 2D, creating models, watching computerized models, pretending to be planets, etc.