Solar System Unit Study

Learning about the solar system is great fun for children because it includes interesting topics such as the sun, moon, planets, and more. This collection of solar system printables, books, and activities includes a wide variety of learning activities. They will all help you put together a fun learning theme.

If learning with themes is new to you, check out my post on How to Easily Create a Themed Unit Study. To make your planning even easier, I created this Learning with Themes Activity Pack. It contains 41 pages of printables and worksheets that can be used with virtually any learning theme, including the solar system. All of the single page printables shown on this page are included as well as many others.

Table of Contents

Planning a Solar System Theme

Theme Planner: As you read through the ideas in this post, you can start making a list of what you want to include for your themed study. Include only the activities that make sense for your children and your family’s goals.

Solar System KWL: I suggest you start your study of the solar system with a KWL. Your child tells you what she knows (or thinks she knows) about the topic, what she wants to know, and (at the end) what she has learned. KWLs are a great way to document your child’s learning, especially if you use a more relaxed approach to homeschooling.

Depending on the age of your child, you may want to record her answers on this sheet yourself rather than asking her to do it. The important thing is the content of what she’s saying, not whether or not she can write it down. If writing will slow her down, let her dictate her answers to you.

If your learner prefers something with a bit more color, there is a Solar System KWL is available in my shop.

Books About The Solar System

Non-Fiction: If you are looking for some informative books to add to your solar system study, here are a few. (As always, please review them ahead of time to make sure they align with your family’s viewpoint.)

Picture Books: If you are looking for some fun picture books, here are a few.

Solar System Vocabulary, Spelling & Word Search

Choose several spelling words that are appropriate for your child’s ability. If you don’t do formal spelling, you can use this list for vocabulary discussion.

space
star
moon
planet
astronaut
solar system
explore
rocket
asteroids
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Neptune
Uranus
Pluto

For fun, create a word search using words from the word list above.

Solar System Fun Facts

If you are interested in learning lots of fascinating facts about the solar system, these fun fact cards are available in my printables shop. There are many fun ways to use them which I explain here.

Use this simple printable as a way to keep track of important facts or your favorite fun facts you learn about the solar system.

Handwriting & Copywork

This Solar System Copywork coordinates with the fun fact cards. This copywork set includes both print and cursive in three versions.

Stargazing & Watching the Heavens

Our Favorite Star Gazing Tools: Our family enjoys stargazing and has invested in equipment so we can see even more when we go outside at night.

You can see our favorite stargazing tools here on Amazon as well as below.

Watch the International Space Station: Do you ever watch the International Space Station fly over? See my post Live HD Streaming Earth Viewing from International Space Station.

NASA Notifications: You can also sign up for email or text notifications from NASA to know when the ISS will fly over your home. They will provide you with the exact time and coordinates.

Comparing Things in Space: Complete a Venn diagram to compare and contrast two things in space such as:

sun and moon
two different planets
stars and planets

Solar System Learning Ideas

Here are several creative ideas to add to your learning unit.

Write A Biography: Write a short biography about a favorite astronaut or person who explored space at some time in history using one of the four different pages like this from the themes pack. Illustrate with a portrait drawing or print a picture from online. Again, feel free to have your child dictate to you if the act of writing would be too much. The content is the important thing!

Postage Stamp: Design a postage stamp to commemorate an important space event or person.

Field Trip Ideas: Have fun exploring the solar system by going on a field trip to someplace like a:

Planetarium
Observatory
Historical location
Local astronomy club

Make a record of your field trip with this page from the activity pack.

Acrostic Poem: Choose a person or event from space exploration history. Create an acrostic poem about him/her or the event.

Travel Brochure: Create a travel brochure for going to the moon or a planet.

Newspaper Article: Pretend you could interview someone related to space. Who would you choose? Write down 3-5 questions you would ask. Then write a newspaper article with what you think their answers would be using this page in the pack.

Creative Play: Creative play can be an effective ways to learn. Check out my Let’s Learn About The Apollo 11 Moon Landing for lots of fun astronaut ideas.

Explore videos on YouTube that are about the solar system for kids.

Solar System List It: How many Solar System words can you come up with? Keep a list as you are studying or use this printable from the pack as a final activity to review everything you’ve learned.

Write a letter to your favorite astronaut. Use one of the letter pages in the activity pack.

Apollo 11: Have fun learning about Apollo 11.

Space Memory Game: Memory games are a great took for learning.

Bible Verses to Memorize

If your family would like to memorize some Bible verses related to the stars and other heavenly bodies, here are a few to consider.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psalm 19:1

Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.
Psalm 148:2-4

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
Psalm 147:3-5

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.
Psalm 8:3-5

He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars.
He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
Job 9:7-10