On a cardboard from a discarded pizza box, mark a point at the center representing the sun. Draw ten circles around it to represent the ten orbits. Make one hole at the center and one at different locations on each of the ten circles. From different colored construction paper, cut circles of various sizes according to the size of the planets, dwarf planets and the sun. The sun will be the biggest circle and the smallest circle will represent Pluto. Make a hole at the edge of each circle and lace it with a string. Pass the string of the sun circle through the central hole and tape it to the other side of the cardboard so that it dangles. Likewise, fix the other circles through the holes in their respective orbits, according to their sequence.
Mark a point at the center of a poster paper. Label it as the sun and mark another point about 2 inches away from it. Make a hole through each of the points. Fix one paper brad through each hole. Take a string and form a loop with it by tying its two ends. Pass the loop around both the brads. With a pen, pull the string loop till it is taut. Holding the pen’s tip against the paper and keeping the loop taut, move the pencil around in a circle till it comes back to the starting point. The resultant figure is an oval or ellipse which represents the shape of planetary orbits.
On the center of a poster board draw and label the sun. Draw ten circles around it with colors, representing the ten orbits. On each circle, mark 15 dots equally spaced out so that the entire length of the circle is covered. Cut triangular flags from different colored paper, tape on toothpicks and insert the toothpicks in clumps of Play-Doh so that they stand. Write the name of a particular planet of dwarf planet on a particular flag. The flags and orbits should have the same color. If the orbit for Mercury is blue, write “Mercury” on a blue flag. Place a flag on a dot of a particular orbit and move it along all the other dots to demonstrate how a planet moves along its orbit around the sun.
Explain to students about the planets, their characteristics and their movement in their orbits around the sun. Draw the outline of sun and planets on a chart according to their shape, size and color; Saturn will have its rings, and Jupiter will be drawn as the largest planet. Divide students into groups and hand out printouts of the chart. Ask students to color the sun and planets according to their typical colors, label them and cut out the shapes. Tell them to draw the nine orbits with a white pen on a black chart paper. Students will then paste the cutouts of sun in the middle and the planets on their orbits according to their distance from the sun.