The Solar System is one of those topics that captures a child's natural curiosity. Imagination takes over and kids can see themselves exploring distant planets and zooming through black holes.
Combine your students' natural enthusiasm and a plethora of information on the World Wide Web and you just might have one of the most exciting subjects in the curriculum! This combination also makes the Solar System rather easy to teach since you already have student buy-in as well as a ton of information at your fingertips.
But, don't let yourself get lost in this wide world of Science sites for teachers. Make the following stops on your exploration of space sites and you'll be on the right path:
- You can't go wrong with the wealth of educational sites from NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), based on their discoveries and travels in space.
- Spacelink delivers up-to-date resources to educators, including Instructional Materials and Educational Services.
- Their incredible Solar System Simulator allows you to create a color image of your favorite planet.
- StarChild invites children to explore this online Learning Center for Young Astromers.
- And, if you need a simple data sheet on each planet, stop by NASA's Welcome to the Planets site for accurate and straightforward information.
- Earth Viewer is a cool tool that shows you the daytime and nighttime portions of the Earth for any day of the year. Customize the image with an easy to use web-based tool. Visit this webmaster's other site, Moon Calendar for another page just for elementary school students.
- Exploring Planets in the Classroom offers 25 ready-to-use, hands-on resources for teachers on a variety of topics, such as craters, volcanoes, gravity, and the Moon.
- Here at About.com, we have our own comprehensive resource called Space and Astronomy for Kids. Expert Guide Cynthia Phillips provides an unmatched index to help you further explore the world of Space on the Internet.
Elementary School Educators Guide
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