This month for the 12 Months of Montessori series, we are studying astronomy. Little Bee has not had a lot of exposure to astronomy yet. So I decided to put together a Montessori Inspired Solar System Introduction unit for toddlers or preschoolers to enjoy. 

Identifying the Planets - Solar System Introduction

The first activity that we did was to learn the names of the planets by using the Safari Ltd - The Solar System as hands-on props and Solar System 3-part cards for matching work. The 3-part cards almost match the Safari planets perfectly. I did alter Neptune by coloring it with a light blue magic marker to help it match the card. The other planets matched the cards well.

Little Bee has always enjoyed matching work for hand-eye coordination. We discussed how Jupiter is the largest planet, Saturn has a ring, Earth is the planet we live on, and Mercury is the smallest planet (well it used to be Pluto). These descriptions helped Little Bee to match most of the planets correctly.

Order of the Planets and Galaxy Play Dough

Next we learned the order of the planets (starting from the sun outwards) by using a Solar System Diagram as a guide, the Safari Ltd Planets, and galaxy play dough. I created the galaxy dough by making no-cook play dough, adding black food coloring, and gold/silver glitter to represent the night sky. Little Bee followed the pattern from the Solar System Diagram as he smushed the planets into the galaxy dough. 

Here is a fun song for helping children learn about the Solar System.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2prtmPEjOc&nohtml5=False

Sensory Play Solar System Art

Last year, Little Bee finger-painted the earth, moon, and sun as part of a fun post called, Sensory Play for Earth Day. I simply put a glob of green and blue paint on a piece of paper for the earth, yellow and orange for the sun, and yellow, white, and table salt for the moon. Little Bee swirled the colors around and then when the art was dry, I cut them out into various sized circles.

I taped sticky contact paper on the sliding glass door and Little Bee helped to place the cut out sun, earth, and moon onto the sticky surface. Then he had fun filling in the open spaces with star stickers. 

Sun, Earth, and Moon Revolving Model

Little Bee is beginning to learn that the earth revolves around the sun and the moon revolves around the earth. This wonderful hands on sun, earth, and moon model helps a child understand this concept. I created this model using construction paper, glue, and three "brad" clips. For a free sun, earth, and moon model printable - please visit here.

Montessori Birthday Celebration

One more hands-on way of teaching a young child about the revolution of the earth around the sun is with the Montessori Birthday Celebration. This beautiful Montessori Year Cycle felt mat (pictured below) is sponsored from the Etsy shop, MontessoriHandmade. There is so much learning that can be utilized with this gorgeous year cycle felt mat and bead chain. The child can learn about the seasons, the number of the days of the months, and it is a wonderful mat to use for the Montessori birthday celebration.

Even though it is not officially Little Bee's birthday, we practiced "revolving" around the sun with our Montessori globe. He walked the globe around the sun and he also practiced gently rolling the globe around the sun. One revolution of the earth around the sun takes 365 days (1 year) and this mat shows the changing of the seasons for the duration of a year.

Here is a short video showing how a Montessori birthday celebration is performed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4skztnA4tc&nohtml5=False

Revolve versus Rotate Chart

For an older preschool or kindergarten aged child, this "Revolve vs. Rotate Chart" is a wonderful printable that explains the difference between revolving and rotating. It explains that the earth takes 365 days to revolve around the sun and it takes the earth 24 hours to rotate. The earth revolving around the sun causes the seasons and the rotation of the earth causes day and night. I laminated the printable so that the fill-in-the-blanks could be erased and used again.

 

APRIL: ASTRONOMY

Moon Activities - Montessori Inspired Astronomy (Free Printables) | Natural Beach Living

Free Astronomy Home Study {Printable Set} | The Natural Homeschool

Montessori-Inspired Moon Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers | Living Montessori Now

Montessori Inspired Space or Earth Sorting with Printable | The Kavanaugh Report

Montessori Inspired Solar System Introduction | Mama’s Happy Hive

Space Yoga for Kids | Sugar, Spice & Glitter

How to Introduce Space and Planets to Toddlers | The Pinay Homeschooler

Montessori-inspired Astronomy Resources for Kids | Every Star is Different

Gearing up for Astronomy | Grace and Green Pastures

Astronomy for Christian Children | Christian Montessori Network