Level 3 · Science S3.12

The solar system and seasons

The Earth is one of eight planets going round the Sun, and its tilt gives us seasons.

Name the eight planets, make a scale model along a long string, see how gravity keeps planets in orbit, explain seasons with a tilted ball and a lamp, compare seasons and rain around the world, graph day length and track the Sun with a stick, meet moons, asteroids and comets, and learn how telescopes, satellites and probes help us.

Start readingS3.12.1 The planets

8 chapters. Your place is kept on this device only.

You are ready for this book if

You can show day and night with a lamp and a ball.

Contents

  1. 1The planets, readunderstood
  2. 2How big and how far, readunderstood
  3. 3Gravity and orbits, readunderstood
  4. 4Tilt and the seasons, readunderstood
  5. 5Seasons around the world, readunderstood
  6. 6Day length and the Sun's height, readunderstood
  7. 7Moons, asteroids and comets, readunderstood
  8. 8Exploring space, readunderstood

Keep it, print it, pass it on

For parents and teachers

For learners who can read a page alone and do sums with the four operations. In many schools this fits children of about 11 to 13, and older learners can use it too. Activities use string, stones, sticks, paper, a ball or an orange, rice and a torch or battery lamp. Every chapter repeats one rule: never look at the Sun, not even through glass, binoculars or a telescope. The shadow stick looks only at the ground. A lamp can get hot, so keep it away from paper and do not touch the bulb. A shooting star watch is done with an adult, in a safe place away from roads. A learner can work alone: every exercise has its answer and the reason for it.

Strand: Earth and space. Written and drawn by attnom. Free to read, print and share.