If you haven’t done a unit study on the solar system yet, this is your sign to try one! My Solar System Family Unit Study walks you through learning about our solar system—from the sun to the eight planets to the dwarf planets—in 10 fun and engaging lessons. Today, I thought I would share a glimpse into a few of the topics and activities from the unit.
Your kids will love the hands-on fun—and you’ll love how easy it all is!
Grab a sample to see inside a Family Unit Study! You can also check out the entire collection of Unit Studies available in my shop right here.
What is a Family Unit Study?
If you are new here, let me explain. Each month, I release a brand new Family Unit Study, which is perfect for the whole family to enjoy together, as the activities work for all children aged 6-12 years old. In fact, most of the activities work perfectly for younger children, too!
Each Unit Study covers 10 topics, and each of those 10 topics includes:
- An interesting fact and discussion question,
- Informative readings at your fingertips,
- A suggested book that fits that topic,
- ‘What’s Happening’ information to accompany your hands-on activity,
- A curated YouTube video,
- A math word problem or literacy enrichment activity,
- AND an ultimate can’t-be-beat hands-on activity!
The entire purpose of our unit studies is to dive into deep, meaningful learning, and there is no better way to do that than with hands-on activities.
Alright, without further ado, here is your little sneak peek preview of a few of the hands-on activities:
The Solar System Family Unit Study
Today, for the sneak peek of my Solar System Family Unit Study, I thought I would share with you a few of the hands-on activities that await you and yours. Remember, this is just a tiny preview—there is SO MUCH more inside the unit study for you to discover! Head on over to the How Wee Learn shop at shop.howweelearn.com to see a sample and grab your copy.
Topic One: The Sun
The Sun is a star and the center of our Solar System. It is orbited by eight planets, along with dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets. The Sun is made of gas, primarily helium and hydrogen, and gives off the heat and light that allows life to survive on Earth.
Our hands-on activity for this section is to make a super cool—and super easy—sundial! You will learn about the parts of a sundial and how a sundial works, and engage in some critical thinking as you explore what happens when certain changes are made to your sundial.
Topic Three: Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Even though it isn’t the closest planet to the Sun, it is the hottest. On Venus, metal would melt into puddles of liquid! Venus is a rocky planet with a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide and clouds made of sulfuric acid.
Our hands-on activity for this section is to create our very own rocky Venus! As you create your art, you’ll learn all about this terrestrial planet and the similarities and differences between Earth and Venus.
Topic Five: Mars
Mars is the 4th planet from the Sun, named after the Roman god of war. It is also known as the “Red Planet” and is a cold, desert-like world. It’s about half the size of Earth, and, like Earth, Mars has seasons, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons, and weather!
Our hands-on activity for this section is all about finding out what it would take to create a home on Mars… and then creating that home out of Lego! You will have to consider how you will breathe, what food you will eat, how you will stay safe in the extreme temperatures and dust storms, and more in this creative, hands-on activity.
Topic Nine: Neptune
Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and is named after the Roman god of the sea. Like Uranus, it is an ice giant and also has a blue appearance from the methane in its atmosphere. However, scientists are baffled by how blue Neptune is, as it actually has less methane than Uranus!
Our hands-on activity for this section dives into learning about the planet’s moons. As you build Neptune and all 14 of its moons, you will learn about Tritan, Neptune’s largest moon, and why that moon, in particular, is so strange.
And there you have it! A tiny little peek into all the fun and deep learning that awaits you and your children as you dive into learning about the Solar System.
Grab your copy of the Solar System Unit Study right here:
https://shop.howweelearn.com/products/family-unit-study-the-solar-system
And be sure to check out our ever-growing collection of Family Unit Studies in my shop while you’re there!
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xo
Sarah
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