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social studies
What are some cute ideas that I can use with my second graders on the solar system?
How many do you have? I make signs for them with the planets names on them. And I try to choose students to be each planet. (I do this in the gym - it needs room) A tiny student can be Mercury etc. I put Mercury in close and put Uranus way out. I have Mercury start walking in small circles and Uranus in LARGE circles around the perimeter of the gym to demonstrate orbit.
Then I stop them and put them in place ( or the chaos would get too great) I choose other students, give them their planet names and put them in place. I leave a few students until the end and I ask - what’s the biggest planet? Jupiter they yell! I have the students left over wrap arms around each other and become Jupiter - a huge globbymass of students planet and put it in place.
Then we try to orbit … and as the whole thing falls apart, we go back to the room having had an excellent time with the solar system.
How many do you have? I make signs for them with the planets names on them. And I try to choose students to be each planet. (I do this in the gym - it needs room) A tiny student can be Mercury etc. I put Mercury in close and put Uranus way out. I have Mercury start walking in small circles and Uranus in LARGE circles around the perimeter of the gym to demonstrate orbit.
Then I stop them and put them in place ( or the chaos would get too great) I choose other students, give them their planet names and put them in place. I leave a few students until the end and I ask - what’s the biggest planet? Jupiter they yell! I have the students left over wrap arms around each other and become Jupiter - a huge globbymass of students planet and put it in place.
Then we try to orbit … and as the whole thing falls apart, we go back to the room having had an excellent time with the solar system.