Draw a cardboard cutout of each planet using construction paper. The circular shapes should be roughly the same scale to one another as the actual planets. Label each planet with its name, for example, Mercury. Print out facts about the planets on small pieces of paper. For example: "Closest planet to the sun." Have students each choose a fact and then, one at a time, have them tape the fact to the correct planet.
Purchase plastic foam balls in the sizes of the miniature planets. Have the students decorate the planets using tempera paint. Paint the balls in colors associated with the planets, such as a reddish-orange color for Mars and blue and green for Earth. Using a needle and clear thread, string each planet so that it hangs from the ceiling or another high location. Attach the threads to the ceiling using push pins. This can act like a virtual solar system hanging over the children's heads for the duration of the lesson plans.
Bake enough cupcakes for each student to have one. Leave the cupcakes unfrosted. Use different colored frostings, sprinkles and candies for the students to decorate their cupcakes. Ask the students to be creative and decorate their cupcakes to look like one of the planets before eating it. Ask each student to explain why he added each element. For example, a student might place a hard candy on top of her cupcake to represent Jupiter's eye.
Teach children to memorize the names of the planets in our solar system. Start with Mercury -- the closest planet to the sun -- and work outward. Work together to create memory devices or songs to help remember the order of the planets. You won't be able to include Pluto, as it was redefined as a dwarf planet in 2006.