TITLE OF KIT: Out of this World!

The Solar System for Kids 3rd-5th grades

CONCEPTS INTRODUCED AND GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM/UNIT
This kit is designed to help 3rd through 5th grade students, their parents, caregivers, and teachers explore
the solar system more in-depth. At this age, students are able to distinguish fact from fiction, and while
they still enjoy stories of aliens and space battles, they are able to tell what is true and not. This kit
focuses on the non-fiction side of the solar system, exploring planets, constellations, and other topics
more closely. There is also a fair amount of material about the space program, its history and its
possible future. The purpose of this kit is to retain and build on students interest in science and
astronomy in particular. There are games, activities, and crafts provided in this kit, as well as many
other activity ideas provided in the books and websites listed.

MARKETING AND PROMOTIONAL FLYER THAT WILL ADVERTISE THE KIT TO THE AUDIENCE

EXPLORE BOOKS, WEBSITES, CRAFTS,

ACTIVITIES, AND MORE!

PERFECT FOR 3RD-5TH GRADERS!

MAKE YOUR OWN ROCKET SHIP!

LEARN ABOUT THE UNIVERSE AROUND YOU!

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ALL THE ITEMS FOUND IN THE KIT

Aguilar, David A. 13 Planets: The Latest View of the Solar System. National Geographic, 2011.
This book starts with a basic introduction to the planets and the solar system. It then moves into
two page spreads on each of the planets, the moons, major constellations and other topics of
interest. The layout is similar to a traditional picture book with text on one page and
photographs and illustrations on the facing page. There is a fairly extensive glossary in the back,
along with a chart allowing students to see how much they would weigh on other planets. At the
bottom of the glossary pages there is also a chart with the basic facts about each planet.
Barnett, Alex. Space Revealed. Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2004. This book covers subjects that
many other books dont. It looks at the history of humans interest in astronomy, the space race,
and various space missions gone on by the United States. The book also examines the life of a
star, supernovas, and the future of the space program. While there is not a glossary, there is an
index which will help students find information.
Bingham, Caroline. First Space Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2008. This colorful
first encyclopedia is great for casual browsing and for doing research. There are a variety of
sizes of text and a layout which keeps the reader engaged. Bright illustrations and photographs
decorate every page. There is information on the different planets, the space program, common
questions kids have about space and much more. An index in the back helps readers find the
information they are looking for. Also included in the back of the book is a glossary and a space
timeline to help students place the information they are learning in history.
Goldsmith, Dr. Mike. Amazing Space Q &A. Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2011. As the title
indicates, this book centers around questions students may have about different aspects of space.
The questions cover the philosophical (Where do we fit in?) and the practical (How hot is the
sun?). Each question is addressed on a two page spread with different smaller questions
scattered throughout the pages. There are fact boxes, and other pop-out features which keep
the readers attention. There are beautiful pictures and photographs of the planets, the stars, and
space shuttles.
Goldsmith, Dr. Mike. Garlick, Dr. Mark (Ill.). Universe: Journey into Deep Space. Kingfisher,
2012. This large book features beautiful illustrations that cover each two page spread. There are
smaller text boxes on every other page which feature the information in an easy to read format.
This book could easily be read cover-to-cover or just be perused for the illustrations. A majority
of the content that would be useful for closer study or reports is found at the end of the book.
There is more in-depth and scientific information found on each of the pages that proceeded in
the main body of the book. In addition, there is an index and a glossary to help students discover
and define what they need.

Harrison, James. Kingfisher Readers: Space. Kingfisher, 2012. The text in this book is
accessible, and the layout with pop-out boxes makes it interesting to read. As with most of the
books on the solar system, the photographs and illustrations add a great deal of depth and interest
to the text. This book starts with the basics of What is space and Night and day and moves
through the planets, the history of the space program, and how astronauts are trained. A glossary
and index in the back help students define terms and find the information they are looking for
easily.
Jemison, Dr. Mae and Rau, Dana Meachen. Dr. Mae Jemison and 100 Year Starship: Journey
through our Solar System. Scholastic, Inc., 2013. This bright book contains a table of contents
that would grab any student in this age ranges attention. Each chapter in this book explores a
different part of the solar system or space travel. This book could be read by a student interested
in space or could be used as a resource for a report on a specific aspect of the solar system.
Mayes, Barbara A. (Ed.). Explore the Universe: The UniverseMysteries and Marvels. World
Book, 2010. This book centers each two page spread around answering a question a student in
this age range might have about the solar system. There are questions like What was the Big
Bang?, as well as questions that are more complex, like What is dark energy? Words that are
defined in the glossary are bolded throughout the text. Colorful, interesting illustrations
accompany the text.
Nicolson, Cynthia Pratt & Bourgeois, Paulette. Slavin, Bill (Ill.). The Jumbo Book of Space.
Kids Can Press, 2007. As the title indicates, this is not a book for sitting down and reading cover
to cover. It covers a wide range of topics and has a helpful index to help readers find the
information they are looking for. The best feature of this book is the large number of
experiments and activities scattered throughout the book. Almost every major concept or topic
has at least one experiment or activity that can be done by elementary students to better
understand the concepts discussed. This is certainly a book teachers, parents, or librarians could
pull activities out of to do with a curious child.
Simon, Seymour. Our Solar System. HarperCollins, 2007. Unlike some of the other books in this
kit, this book is laid out more like a story than a reference book. There are not specific topics or
questions that are covered on each page spread. Rather, it is laid out more like a traditional
picture book with text on one page and a photograph or illustration on the facing page. Words
that are in the glossary are bolded, so students know they can look up the meanings in the back.
This would be a better book for reading cover-to-cover than other books, but would not be as
helpful for doing report research.
Waxman, Laura Hamilton. The Solar System. Learner Publications Company, 2010. The book
starts off by heaving the kid be a word detective looking for different words in the text that are
defined in the glossary in the back. By starting off this way, the author alerts the reader to the
presence of a glossary and how to use it. The book is broken into chapters by subject and could

either be read cover-to-cover or used to do basic research. As with most of the books on space,
there are beautiful photographs illustrating the text and drawing the reader in. The book closes
with tips for adults sharing the book with kids and instructing them how to teach a child to use
the index and glossary. There is also a page with information on books and websites where
readers or adults can get more information on the solar system.

ANNOTATED WEBLIOGRAPHY OF SITES FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION FOUND IN KIT

American Museum of Natural History: AstronomyOur Place in Space.
http://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/astronomy This colorful, easy to use site has all sorts of
activities for kids to do. There are activities to do, polls to take, crafts to make, games to play,
and songs to sing. It is easy to navigate between the pages and has great charts and pictures.
BBC Space. http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/ This fabulous website has information that
would be interesting to both students in this age range and the adults in their lives. There are
countless articles, a printable star guide, clips from television programs on the solar system and
the universe, and much more. While the sheer amount of information available could be
overwhelming, the site is easy to navigate and should not pose problems for students in this age
range.
Marcs Observatory. http://www.marcsobservatory.com/ While this website still has parts that
are in development, it still has great features that are working. On the homepage there is a guide
that shows what phase the moon is in today, along with picture icons that help students navigate
to other parts of the site. There are instructions on how to use a star chart, a constellation of the
month, videos, links to other sites, and a place to e-mail questions. This is certainly a site to use
now and keep bookmarked to use as other features come online.
NASAs Space Place. http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/ This FABULOUS site has tons of information,
activities, games, and crafts! The site is very easy to navigate, has an interactive home page that
allows students to choose what topic related to space they are most interested in exploring more,
and has icons on the follow up pages that explain what type of page the student will see
(Explore, Do, Play). While the youngest students may need some help with this page, any
student who has used the web before should be able to easily navigate to what they are looking
for. There are wonderful ideas for parents, caregivers, and teachers as well.
Nine Planets. http://nineplanets.org/ While this website does not look that appealing when first
opened, it does have some good features. There is an interactive tour of the solar system which
is still in development, but allows students to see the distance between any planet and another or
the sun. There are also good pages featuring information on each of the planets, their moons,
and other related features.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY #1
My Trip to ___________
Materials: Journal or piece of paper, pencil, crayons
Instructions: After learning about the planets have students pick their favorite planet. Tell them
they are going to write a story about going to that planet and what they see and experience there.
Encourage them to include as much detail about the climate, unique features, and other facts
about the planet that they can. Also encourage them to use some creativity in their stories. For
younger students have them draw part of their story and then share their story aloud with the
class. For older students, encourage them to include dialogue in their story.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY #2
Solar System at the Grocery Store
Materials: 1 large yellow grapefruit, 1 box of salt, 2 box granulated raw sugar, 1 cherry tomato, 1
green grape, 2 small frozen peas, 1 box baking soda, several measuring tapes, large outdoor
space
Instructions: Assign each student a role, either holding a food item or measuring. Tell them they
are going to see how the size of the planets and their distance from one another might look. The
grapefruit is the sun, so it goes in the center of outdoor space. Mercury will be the size of a grain
of salt, 18 feet away. (Have student with measuring tape measure the distance, and the person
with the salt get one grain out and go stand that far away). Venus will be the size of a grain of
raw sugar, located 34 feet away (repeat above process). Earth, also a grain of raw sugar will be
50 feet away. Mars, a grain of salt is 75 feet away. Jupiter, a cherry tomato, is 240 feet away.
Saturn, the grape, is 420 feet away. At this point, you can just tell the students about the other
distances and sizes of planets. Uranus is a frozen pea, and would be 300 yards away. Neptune,
another green pea, is 470 yards away. Pluto would be a speak of backing soda about 532 yards
away.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CRAFT AND PICTURE OF COMPLETED CRAFT

Materials Needed: Plastic cups, rubber bands, tape, paper, crayons
Directions: Give each child two plastic cups that are the same size. Have them make four
evenly spaced half-inch cuts around the rim of one cup. Have each child cut two rubber bands,
knot them and place them in the slits so they are taut. They will then need to place a piece of
tape over each slit on the inside of the cup to keep it from splitting. Have the child draw a space
ship, cut it out, and tape it to the cup with the rubber bands. Place the rubber band cup over the
other cup and press down. Let the top cup go and it will shoot the space ship off into the air.

LIST OF SUPPLIES NEEDED AND A BUDGET FOR ALL ITEMS

Plastic cups--$2
Rubber bands--$1
Tape--$2
Construction paper--$2
Crayons--$2
1 large yellow grapefruit--$1.50
1 box of salt--$1.50
1 box granulated raw sugar--$2
1 cherry tomato--.25
1 green grape--.05
2 small frozen peas--.05
1 box baking soda--$2
several measuring tapes--$5

CONTENT SHEET LISTING ALL MATERIALS INCLUDED IN KIT (INDICATE WHICH WILL BE
CONSUMED AND WHICH NEEDS RETURNED)
Plastic cups *
Rubber bands *
Tape **
Construction paper *
Crayons **
Box of Salt
Box of Granulated raw sugar
Box of Baking Soda
Several Measuring Tapes
Aguilar, David A. 13 Planets: The Latest View of the Solar System.
Barnett, Alex. Space Revealed.

Bingham, Caroline. First Space Encyclopedia.

Goldsmith, Dr. Mike. Amazing Space Q &A.
Goldsmith, Dr. Mike. Garlick, Dr. Mark (Ill.). Universe: Journey into Deep Space.
Harrison, James. Kingfisher Readers: Space.
Jemison, Dr. Mae and Rau, Dana Meachen. Dr. Mae Jemison and 100 Year Starship: Journey
through our Solar System.
Mayes, Barbara A. (Ed.). Explore the Universe: The UniverseMysteries and Marvels.
Nicolson, Cynthia Pratt & Bourgeois, Paulette. Slavin, Bill (Ill.).
Simon, Seymour. Our Solar System.
Waxman, Laura Hamilton. The Solar System.

With the exception of single starred items (*) all materials should be returned with kit. Double
starred items (**) will need to be occasionally replaced, but not often.