There’s nothing better than passing on a love of science to your kids. You might have to tackle some complex topics and not know the best way to help your children understand. Start with the Solar System, for instance. To this day, many adults can’t confidently name all the planets in our neighborhood! Fortunately, there are many methods you can implement to help your kids get to know this amazing universe we live in.
1. Show them the night sky.
Kids are hands-on learners. Take them outside where they can see with their own eyes what you’re hoping to teach them about. Even if you don’t consider yourself an expert, you can pull up an app on your phone and instantly know where all the planets are. Point out to them where everything is, grab a pair of binoculars or a telescope to show them the moon up close, and teach them the importance of looking up.
2. Make a model of the solar system together.
Why wait for a science fair to roll around? Crafting your child’s very own model of the solar system is the perfect way to introduce them to the planets. They’ll also be able to see the scale of planetary sizes and distances, which can be a difficult concept to grasp. Then, once the model is finished, place it somewhere they can see it all the time.
3. Teach them a mnemonic.
Everything is easier with mnemonics. A popular one to use for learning the solar system is My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas (this is if you want to include Pluto, because who doesn’t?). If you prefer to drop Pluto, you can change it to My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos. As you can probably guess, the first letter stands for a planet: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram