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The Solar System Model for 4th Graders

Making models is one way to teach kids about concepts and ideas that are too large to bring into the classroom. Solar system models provide students with a visual representation of the larger world and galaxy they live in, but would otherwise not be able to interact with. Solar system models can be made to include the planets, stars and moons to show students how each of these components interacts with each other.
  1. The Sun

    • The sun is the largest object in our solar system, holding up to 98 percent of all of our solar system's matter. The sun is so large that the Earth could fit inside of it 1 million times. Because the sun is so large it causes everything else in our solar system to orbit around it. When making a model of our solar system, the sun should be the largest object and placed in the center of the model because everything else revolves around ti.

    The Planets

    • There are eight planets in our solar system. In order from the sun they are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Each planet has its own unique appearance, but the most unique is Saturn, which has a distinctive ring of gas and particles that surrounds it. Mars is known as the red planet due in part to its rich red color. By visiting the official NASA website, you can see actual photos of each of the planets to help with the decoration of your model.

    Moons

    • Many of the planets in our solar system have their own moon or moons. For example, Earth has one moon while Saturn currently has 62. However, not all of the planets have a moon. Neither Mercury nor Venus has a moon.

    Comets and Asteroids

    • Two of the more unique characteristics of our solar system are the presence of asteroids and comets. Comets are balls of dust and ice that come from the outer-most regions of our solar system. Haley's Comet is the most famous comet in our solar system.

      Asteroids are large rocks from outer space. Asteroids are left over material from the formation of the solar system. The asteroid belt is a collection of millions of asteroid rocks that were never incorporated into a planet due to the proximity of Jupiter and its strong gravitational pull.

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