Planets and Solar System

Students hunt for planet and solar system facts hidden around your classroom.

Choose a planet to research and answer the questions in the packet.

Students will enjoy solving this word search puzzle featuring solar system words. Some of the words used are: galaxy, satellite, planet, and Jupiter.

Printable board game in which students learn facts about our solar system

Scoot is a fast-faced game that the whole class can play at once. Students move around to each desk in the classroom and answer questions about the planets, the sun, and the moon.

Cut out and assemble the cipher wheel. Use it to decode a series of interesting planet facts. (We recommend you print the cipher wheel on card stock.)

Students cut and fold to make an origami cootie catcher (fortune teller) game. When they play, students answer questions about the solar system. Questions include: What are the four inner planets? How many stars are in our solar system? Who was the first person to walk on the moon?

Discover Mercury, the planet closest to the sun.  Read the article and answer the comprehension questions.

Learn about Venus, Earth's cloudy, volcanic twin.

Discover new facts about our home planet.

Learn all about Mars, Earth's nearest neighbor, and human efforts to explore the Red Planet.

Read about the biggest  planet of them all, and discover the mysteries of the "Great Red Spot."

Discover the beautiful ringed gas giant - Saturn!

Find out about the cold, mysterious planet of Uranus.

Distant, cold, and windy Neptune has one thing in common with Earth - what is it?

Pluto, now a dwarf planet, got its name in a most unusual way.  Read this article to find out more!

Read this article to learn all about our amazing sun!

This short reading has been tailored for younger kids who are interested in learning about our solar system's star! Read the four paragraphs and then answer the four questions.

Find out about Earth's moon, and learn about the first man to walk on it.

Learn about the 5 dwarf plants in our solar system and discover why Pluto is no longer considered a planet. (approx. 5th grade level)

Learn about the many unique moons of our solar system.  (approx. 3rd grade level)

The article tells how constellations got their names and how the same constellation can be known by different names across the world.  (approx. 4th grade level)

Students will read a passage on the James Webb Space Telescope and answer reading comprehension questions about the information in the passage.

The way the earth's rotation and revolution interact with the sun means night can sometimes last 24 hours in some places! This short article helps explain the fascinating phenomenon to students.

Cut out the picture cards and sort them into two categories: planets and not planets. Objects pictured include: Earth, Jupiter, Sun, Moon, Mars, Neptune, space shuttle, comet, and satellite.

Use this worksheet to practice identifying the planets based on their location from the sun and their visible characteristics.

Cut out the definitions and glue them next to the corresponding solar system object. Words include Mercury, Mars, Earth, Venus, Jupiter, Asteroid Belt, Moon, Sun, Neptune, Saturn, and Earth.

Use your knowledge of the solar system to solve these planet rhyming riddles.

How much would you weigh on Jupiter?  How about Pluto?  Or Mercury?  Simple formulas for calculating your weight on other worlds.

Read the clues and write the names of planets and other solar system words in the puzzle.

A space question-answer game that you can play with your class.

Learn how the position of the Earth affects the four seasons.

Connect the letters of the planets' names to solve this maze puzzle.

Name the moon phases shown.  Includes a picture guide at the top of the page.

Name the moon phases shown.  Includes a word bank at the top of the page.

Name the moon phases shown.  Does not include a word bank or guide.

Picture of the moon phases, in order, with labels.

Discover how moon craters were formed with this hands-on activity.

This is a wonderful seasonal poem about the Harvest Moon. Read the poem, answer the comprehension questions, then learn about Harvest Moon.

This printable page has a portrait of Neil Armstrong. Students can color the picture. There's also a quote by Armstrong at the bottom of the page.

Color Buzz Aldrin, and read the inspirational quote. Use with research reports or to decorate a classroom bulletin board.

This worksheet contains a picture of Sally Ride that students can color. An inspirational quote from Ms. Ride is included at the bottom of the page.

Guy Bluford became the first African-American astronaut to travel in space.

Print and color this picture of John Glenn, first American to orbit Earth. This activity includes a notable quote and interesting fact.