Several materials are needed to complete this project. Teachers will need to prepare a worksheet that allows the students to decide which candy best fits which planet. Also on hand should be paper plates, a variety of sizes of hard candies to represent the planets, cake frosting, wooden craft sticks and wax paper. These materials will be used to create the candy solar system model during the project portion of the lesson.
Each student should receive a copy of the worksheet which has all eight planets' names. The planets proportions should be represented by black dots on the paper. For example, next to the word "Earth" should be a moderately sized black dot, while next to "Jupiter" should be a massive black dot. This is so students will understand the sizes of the planets in comparison to one another. Then, using hard candies, students should decide which candy best represents each planet. For instance, a red hot could represent a smaller red-colored planet like Mars, while a peppermint might represent a larger planet like Saturn.
Using the paper plate, students will ultimately place the planets in the appropriate spots to represent the solar system. The students should be given a piece of wax paper with a dab of cake frosting on it. Using a wooden craft stick, the student can lather the frosting "glue" onto the hard candy. The candy can then be stuck on the appropriate part of the plate. Be sure to include a hard candy for the sun as well. After the candies are adhered to the plate and the frosting has dried, have the students label each planet accordingly.
For a homework assignment, have the students bring home their solar system plate to present to their family. Be sure to have the family sign off that the student did the presentation, and accurately explained where each planet lies in the solar system. After the presentation, the student can have a little bit of fun and eat their candy solar system for dessert.