Discuss the distance between the sun and planets in the solar system. Unrolled toilet paper will make the idea of relative distance more concrete for young students. Supplies needed include toilet paper with at least 201 sheets and a felt-tipped marker. Draw a dot smaller than a pencil eraser on the perforation between the first and second sheets of toilet paper. Unroll the entire roll of toilet paper in a long hallway. Mark an "X" for each additional planet to show relative distance from the sun. The perforations between the squares of the toilet paper will serve as units of measurement. Mercury is two tissue sheets from the sun, Venus is 3.7, Earth 5.1, Mars 7.7, Jupiter 26.4, Saturn 48.4, Uranus 97.3 and Neptune 152.4. This is a lesson that students won't soon forget.
Divide the class into nine groups. Make papier-mâché mix using one part flour to three-fourths part water. Draw a large sun on the chalkboard. Give each group a balloon, strips of newspaper and papier-mâché mix. Assign each group a planet and have the students blow up theirs balloon according to the relative size of their planets. Completely cover the balloons with the newspaper strips dipped in paste. While the papier-mâché is drying, have students do some research to decide what colors to paint their planets. Paint the planets and allow them to dry. During the time it takes the paint to dry, research the planet's relative distance to the sun. Decide where to hang the planets on the classroom ceiling based on their distance from the sun. Once the planets are dried, use fishing line and paper clips to attach the balloons to the classroom ceiling.
Discuss the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. Take students outside in the morning with clipboards, white paper and a pencil. Explain direction using a compass. Have students correctly label their paper north, south, east and west. Instruct students to draw the landscape, making sure to include key points of reference such as a tree or building. Children should draw the location of the sun in the morning sky on their paper. Ask the students to predict where the sun will be later in the day and mark it on their paper. Go outside in the afternoon and have the children test their hypothesis by noting the position of the sun. Explain that it's not the sun moving after all; it's the earth rotating around the sun.
Create a solar eclipse using a quarter, a child's face and a flashlight. Show students how something as small as the moon can block the sun's light and cause either a partial or total eclipse of the sun. Shine a flashlight on the side of a child's face. Have the child hold a quarter between his face and the flashlight. Depending upon the angle and distance from the light source of the quarter, a total or partial eclipse will occur. Have students pair up and take turns being the sun and the moon.