Create a presentation board with general information about Mars. Use a two- or three-paneled presentation board and add information such as the fact that Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and that it is the seventh largest of all the planets. Use photos to show the surface of Mars. Cut a Styrofoam ball in half and paint it to resemble the surface of Mars. Attach the flat side to a presentation board to create a 3-D effect. Use bullet points to organize facts to create an easy-to-read presentation.
Create a presentation displaying the history of Mars exploration. Approximately once every two years, Mars passes by Earth at a distance of more than 34 million miles in what scientists call "opposition." This is the closest Mars gets to Earth. For many years, scientists could only rely on high-resolution photos taken from telescopes on Earth during Mars opposition for visual information about the planet. On Nov. 28, 1964, a spacecraft named Mariner 4 was launched. It took the spacecraft 228 days to reach its destination and become the first spacecraft to reach Mars. Highlight this and other exploration efforts, including the Hubble Telescope, in a presentation board. Include timelines, pictures and facts.
Instead of giving a broad view of Mars exploration efforts, focus on a specific method of exploration. The Mars Pathfinder Sojourner is a six-wheeled vehicle that was launched into space on Dec. 4, 1996. The vehicle was equipped with stationary landing gear and a roving robot. The Mars Sojourner was also equipped with a camera that could take pictures of Mars and transmit them back to Earth. The Sojourner is an interesting vehicle and can be the subject of a Mars presentation board. Create a three-panel presentation with a title and introduction on the middle panel with photos of the Mars Pathfinder Sojourner and some facts on the other two panels. Create a model of the spacecraft out of small cardboard boxes, glue, paint and other craft materials to display in front of the presentation board. Or, make the spacecraft out of modeling clay and paint.
Science fiction writers have featured Mars as a planet that sustains life. Though many of the stories have not been based on facts, there is some degree of truth that Mars could have sustained some type of life at one point and has the potential to sustain it again. Use this concept for a presentation board. Investigate the possibility of transforming Mars into a planet that can sustain life. Interview scientists on the subject and use this information from the interview to create the presentation board. Find small, green plastic alien figures (available at party stores) and place them on the table around the presentation board. Though not a scientific fact, the plastic aliens will highlight public theory about life on Mars.
No matter what topic regarding Mars you choose to highlight, use creative ways to present the information. Cut a foam core presentation board into a circle to resemble Mars. Paint it to look like the surface of "The Red Planet," and put pictures and facts on the board. Use a word processor to create clear titles and labels or choose a stencil and paint to create the words. Charts and graphs add visual interest to a presentation, so consider adding a chart or graph that shows how Mars compares in size and other properties to the other planets.