Understanding what makes the sun so bright and how that affects daily life on Earth is an important step in any child’s science education. You need to devote time to discussing the basics of nuclear fusion (where hydrogen is converted into helium) and talk about the chemical composition of other stars. This is also a good time to talk about the overall mass of the sun and how its incredible gravity keeps the entire solar system spinning somewhat in place. Follow lectures or videos with simple projects such as building a model of the sun or a helium atom.
The sun’s rays hit the Earth every day, but your students may not be aware that they can harness this energy to power their devices. Spend some lecture time talking about the basics of solar energy, and the way in which it can be collected and saved. Pictures of solar farms can be displayed to explain how the sun can power individual homes. You can split your class into groups and the students can develop new ways in which the sun’s energy could be used on a daily basis. Have each group create a prototype mock-up for the product they have designed. Each group’s creation can be shown off at an in-class science fair.
The sun is just one of billions of stars in the universe and every star has its own unique appearance. The sun that your students see each day appears yellow in color because of its chemical composition and the heat at which it burns. You can hand out small candles to groups in your class and ask every student to draw a color image of the candle. They need to be very careful about accurately representing the color of the flame. When finished, you can walk the class through the differences in color and how each color represents a different phase of the chemical process. The class can then apply this information to the sun to determine where it ranks compared to other stars.
One of the easiest methods for demonstrating the way in which the sun’s energy travels to Earth is by building a simple solar oven. Each student in your classroom can build an oven and get an idea of how much energy there is in a ray of sunlight. Have your students bring shoeboxes to class and provide them with black paint. You can set aside one class period for painting the boxes black, and then return to the project once they are dry. Ask your students to line their boxes with aluminum foil. They can place a piece of bread with a slice of cheese on top into each box and run a piece of saran wrap over the top. The students can leave the boxes in the sun to see how its rays can be translated into raw cooking power.