General Science Extension Activities Lesson 13

Hands-on Activities

Paint River Rocks as Inner Planets

Get a bag of large river rocks from a garden center. Use washable acrylic or tempera paint and paint the rocks like the inner planets. You can use realistic colors or creative colors. Draw circles with a black permanent marker first if desired, or paint the entire rock. If the rocks will be used outdoors, spray with a clear acrylic coat (especially important if using tempera).

Explore a Telescope

Bring in a telescope to show the parts and look through it.

Planets vs Dwarf Planets

Study the five currently identified dwarf planets in our solar system: Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris. One idea is to make hand-colored trading cards of the dwarf planets, or form them from air-dry clay or play-dough.

All About Pluto – Explore facts about Pluto on NASA Space Place.

Space Shorts: What Is a Dwarf Planet?

Dwarf planets are a lot like regular planets. What’s the big difference? Find out in 60 seconds.

Astronaut Spotlight

Twin Brothers Mark & Scott Kelly Reflect on Being Astronauts Together

Sen. Mark Kelly and his twin brother Scott Kelly reflect on what it was like being astronauts together at NASA.

Interview with Scott and Mark Kelly (Part 1)

Astronauts and brothers Scott and Mark Kelly are interviewed before their missions. Scott commanded Expedition 26 on the International Space Station, and Mark commanded STS-134 on space shuttle Endeavour.