DIY Model Solar System

[Kathleen in LV]

Has anybody ever made their own 3-D solar system model? My 5yo son has been asking to do this. I'm not very creative. If I'm going to do it, I would prefer to make it to scale, although I appreciate that this might be ambitious.

 

(If you've never seen this, it's a neat picture showing the relative sizes of the planets: http://treasurefield.tumblr.com/post/5905913895/xeirinix-via-lostvox-taptemblr.)

 

In any event, if anybody has any fun ideas for making a model solar system, even if the planets aren't to scale, I would appreciate if you would share.

 

Also, on a related note, do people include Pluto as a planet these days? Is it an issue that is still open to debate, or has it been conclusively settled that we only have 8 planets in our solar system?

 

Thanks!

Kathleen

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Here are some ideas I found on Pinterest links:

 

http://www.redtedart.com/2012/04/25/kids-crafts-solar-system/

 

http://www.raisingmemories.com/2011/04/solar-system.html

 

http://deceptivelyeducational.blogspot.com/2012/04/solar-system-with-button-planets.html

 

http://www.marthastewart.com/337084/solar-system-mobile

 

 

http://cp.c-ij.com/en/contents/3148/mobile_solar-system/index.html

 

http://www.scienceproject.com/projects/intro/elementary/EX037.asp

 

Maybe you could get some ideas from those.

 

I bought this (one for each kid) at a homeschool conference, and my kids really enjoyed painting and putting it together.

[Kathleen in LV]

Thanks Lynne! I figured somebody here had investigated this before, and I hate reinventing the wheel. I pinned all the craft ideas, except the Martha Stewart one -- I saw that a sewing maching was needed & stopped reading.

 

Thanks again!

Kathleen

[EmmaNadine]

Officially, Pluto is not a planet. Unofficially, you can do whatever you want.