Teach kindergartners all the planets in order from the sun using a model of the solar system. Name the planets and briefly discuss each one. Find pictures of the planets, sun, stars and moon. Cut the pictures out and glue to card stock paper. Attach a magnet to the back of the pictures. Give students a set of the solar system magnets and a metal cookie sheet and have them correctly order the nine planets around the sun. Add stars for fun. After students become more familiar with the correct order, the children can race to see who can place the planets in the correct order the fastest.
Have the children pretend they are in a rocket ship and visiting each of the nine planets during a space trip. Play some spacey music, count backwards from 10 to one and blast off. The first stop is the planet closest to the sun -- Mercury. Hold up a picture and describe Mercury. Instruct students to engage in an activity on the planet such as running or skipping while the music plays. Stop when the music stops, and have them reboard the ship. Continue the space journey until the children have visited all nine planets and return to Earth.
Draw nine circles on a paper plate to represent the orbital paths of each planet and give a plate to each student. Provide students with 10 pieces of candy. Use small sized candy to represent small planets like Mars and Venus. Larger planets require larger sized candy pieces. Use a butterscotch drop for the sun and string licorice to depict the rings on other planets. Have children use cream cheese frosting to attach the candy planets to circles orbiting the butterscotch sun.
Have each student make one of the nine planets, the sun and moon. The remainder of the class will make stars. Give children appropriate sized Styrofoam balls for each planet and Styrofoam star cut-outs and roll their planet or star in glue and a textured material or paint. Materials may include items such as red sand for Mars and different colored tissue paper and silver glitter for stars. Wrap rubber bands around planets to represent rings. When dry, have a child stand first in line, holding the "sun," and put the planets in order with star children all around.