Follow up a space unit with this fun activity.

Materials:

You must have access to a room that can become totally dark. At our school, we have a room under the chair section of our gym which used to be a locker room. There is one door with one light. I put up the stars on one wall; including the Big and Little Dipper. Depending on your grade level, you can also make various other constellations. The planets are put up in order also.

Plan:

The light is on when I bring the children to this room. As this is the ending activity to our space unit, the children are familiar with descriptions and characteristics of the stars and planets. They are told the light in the room is the sun. They are asked why they cannot see the stars very well on the wall. (The sun is too bright; but stars are still in the sky during the day.) The room is then made totally dark and after the "oohs and ahhs" have subsided, we review why the stars are so bright; why can't we see the planets as well (planets do not give off their own light); are all the stars the same; and locate the Big and Little Dippers.