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This quiz reviews material on the Earth's Rotation and Revolution.

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BBC - Schools - Teachers - KS2 Science - Earth, Sun and Moon lesson plan

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KS2 Science lesson plan and worksheets on circuits and conductors.

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BBC - KS2 Bitesize Science - Physical processes

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KS2 science activities, games, tests and notes on Physical processes including sound, conductors , electricity, circuits forces and springs

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The Solar System is our local neighborhood in space. This incredible system of celestial objects contains a star, eight planets, 200 known moons, and a variety of other objects such as asteroids, comets, and dwarf planets. At the center the is an average-sized, middle aged yellow star known as the Sun. The eight planets and other bodies orbit the Sun in a perpetual dance that has been going on for nearly five billion years. The planets in this system range in size from small, rocky worlds to gigantic balls of gas and ice. These planets are orbited by a multitude of moons that vary from asteroid-sized chunks of rock to nearly planet-sized worlds with atmospheres of their own.

Join us for a tour of our amazing Solar System. You may browse at will by clicking on any of the objects above, or you may take a guided tour by clicking on the arrow buttons at the top and bottom of this page. Use the arrow buttons to continue the tour, or you can break off and explore on your own at any time. The "Continue Tour" buttons will take you to the next stop on the Solar System tour, while the "Return" buttons bring you back to the previous stop. A navigation bar is available at the top of each page to assist you in your journey. All images in this section are courtesy of NASA unless otherwise noted.
Click here for a list of credits & sources.

The Wanderers

For centuries, people have looked into the skies and wondered about the lights in the sky. They soon noticed that several of the lights seemed to move across they sky at regular intervals. They thought these objects were wandering stars, so they called them "planets," which comes from the Greek word meaning "wanderers." At the time, it was commonly believed that the Earth was at the center of the universe. Therefore, these lights that moved across the sky must be divine emissaries of the gods. Because of this, they gave them heavenly names. These five wandering lights became known as Mercury, Venus Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

The Renaissance

As the dark ages gave way to the renaissance, scientific knowledge started to evolve. People began to see the five visible planets as celestial bodies that orbited the Earth. In the 16th century, many enlightened scientists such as Galileo, Copernicus, and Kepler supported a new model for the Solar System in which the Sun was at the center and the planets revolved around it. With the invention of the telescope, it was discovered that the Solar System was much more complex than previously thought. The moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn were revealed. It was the beginning of a new age of discovery.

Age of Exploration and Discovery

As astronomers searched the night sky for more planets, Uranus and Neptune were soon found, followed by the discovery of a ninth planet to be named Pluto. Ever more powerful telescopes revealed new moons around Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. By the time we reached the 20th century, we had the technology to leave our planet and explore the Solar System up close. A rare planetary alignment made the Voyager missions possible. Launched in 1977, these two spacecraft revealed never-before-seen details of the planets and discovered many new moons. By the late 20th century, it was discovered that Pluto was only one of many small objects in the outer Solar System. In 2006, the international astronomical community voted to demote Pluto the the status of dwarf planet, bringing the official number of planets in out Solar System back down to eight.

The Solar System Today

The Solar System as we know it today consists of the Sun, the eight planets and their moons, asteroids, comets, dwarf planets, and other assorted objects in the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud beyond Neptune. The eight planets all orbit the Sun in the same direction and in the same plane, known as the ecliptic. The axis of rotation for most of the planets is nearly perpendicular to the ecliptic. The only exception is Uranus, which rotates on its side for unknown reasons.

The Sun is the power plant that drives the Solar System. Its immense gravity holds the planets in orbit. Its energy drives weather systems on the planets with atmospheres. The Sun also provides energy for the vast majority of life on Earth. Without the Sun, it is unlikely that there would be any life forms inhabiting our blue planet.

The Solar System is divided into two main regions. The inner planets consist of the four rocky, or terrestrial planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, while the outer planets consists of the two gas giant planets, Jupiter, Saturn, and the two ice giant planets, Uranus, and Neptune. The asteroid belt divides these two regions. The inner planets are composed mainly of rocky materials such as silicates in their outer crusts and mantles and metals such as iron and nickel in their in their inner cores. The outer planets are composed mainly of gases such as hydrogen and helium.

Beyond the orbit of the last planet, Neptune, lies two regions known as the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud. The Kuiper belt is the home of dwarf planets and other small, planet-like bodies. Much farther out, the Oort cloud is the home of the icy comets. Very little is known about the objects in these two regions, but NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is scheduled to reach Pluto in 2015 and may solve many of the mysteries of the last frontier of the Solar System.
Click here to begin your Tour of the Solar System now.

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The Solar System is our local neighborhood in space. This incredible system of celestial objects contains a star, eight planets, 200 known moons, and a variety of other objects such as asteroids, comets, and dwarf planets. At the center the is an average-sized, middle aged yellow star known as the Sun.

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Assessment of how shadows change throughout the day

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Time Lapse video of the sun's shadow on August 21, 2012. I've been wanting to do this for years but never had the proper equipment. This is my first attempt and I'm really happy with how it came out. Filmed using the Timelapse Camera HD app, taking a picture every 15 seconds with 20 frames per second playback.

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HooplaKidz TV - Funny Cartoons For Children

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Why Do We Have Shadows? The reason why we have shadows is because your body blocks the light and then the shape of your body appears on the ground. This is because your body is opaque in nature and it does not allow any light to pass through it.

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KS1 Science learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers organised by topic.

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BBC Bitesize - Early and 1st level Science

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Early and 1st level Science learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers organised by topic.

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PREZI -transparent, opaque etc !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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PREZI -transparent, opaque etc !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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This is a powerpoint to show how light pass through different objects.

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Light | The Dr. Binocs Show | Learn Videos For Kids

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Electro Techno Dance Act - Light Balance - Britain's Got Talent 2014

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What is a source of light ? - Primary and secondary sources of light - Diffusion of light

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Teach Basic Light and Color Concepts

Introduce science for kids light and color concepts with a reflective collage, a peep box, straight line and blocked shadow experiments and a colored window page to teach the difference between transparent, translucent and opaque papers.

Introduce your students to a light and color vocabulary, such as reflection, refraction, ray, and prism as they play and take part in light and color activities.

Children do not need to memorize the vocabulary, just be introduced to it in everyday play experiences.

The basic light concepts:

1. We need light to see things

2. Light seems to travel in a straight line

3. Light goes through some things

4. Some things reflect light

5. You can block light to make shadows

6. Light is made up of lots of colors

Make a collage to show that some things reflect light

Children play with flashlights and a collection of shiny, glittery, ribbon, papers, Christmas cards, etc.

Light science for kids includes teaching about reflection.

As the children play and explore how light reflects off of juice lids (no sharp edges) and old CDs and watch how light bounces off the ceiling and walls, it will help them understand the concept of reflection.

Have a pile of shiny objects and flashlights in the science center and the children test which things reflect light and which ones don't.

Finish with a reflection collage.

Children glue (use white liquid glue) bits of shiny materials onto a paper to create a picture.

Light Color Vocabulary

Don't worry about your students memorizing vocabulary in kindergarten. Just use the words as you introduce activities and they will eventually remember and use the words.

transparent - light passes through

translucent - some light passes through

opaque - no light passes through

reflect, reflection - light bouncing off objects

ray - a straight line of light

prism - a specially shaped transparent object that is used to separate
light

dull, matte

shiny, glossy

Make a peep box to show that we need light to see things

Cut a small hole in the front of a shoe box and a square hole that can open and shut on the top of the lid.

Line the hole with brightly colored cellophane.

Cut up images from glittery holiday cards and stand them up inside with modeling clay to create a scene.

Have the children look inside with the square hole on the lid closed.

Ask them what they can see.

If the hole is shut securely on the lid they will probably say," nothing".

Open the hole in the lid and again ask them to describe what they can see.

Children play with the box and try shining a flashlight through the top hole.

Discuss the need for light to see things.

Show that light travels in a straight line

Bend 2 pieces of lightweight 8.5 x 11 poster board and cut a hole in exactly the same place in each one.

Shine a flashlight through the holes to show how light travels in a straight line.

Make a picture to show that light goes through some things

This science activity shows the difference between transparent paper, translucent paper and opaque paper.

Begin with cutting four square window holes in a piece of tag board (lightweight card).

The holes for the windows do not have to be perfect or the same size.

Just bend the paper and snip with scissors.

Make flaps if you want the children to be able to open and shut the windows.

Next, have the children tape two pieces of different color transparent cellophane over 2 of the holes.

Tape a piece of translucent paper (yellow tissue, wax or parchment) over another hole and a piece of opaque, light colored construction paper over the last hole.

Have them peek through the windows.

The children can experiment with a flashlight light from the windows to see which papers the light will go through.

Children can record their findings from this science activity in a light booklet or journal.

You can block light to make shadows

Set up a bright flashlight near the table and turn the overhead light off above and the children play with shadow making.

Have the children put their stuffed toys (or other objects) in front of the flashlight and trace the shadows with a thick felt pen on to large sheets of paper.

Light is made up of lots of colors

Hang prisms in front of windows.

Hopefully, the sun will shine and create rainbows around the room.

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LIGHT SCIENCE FOR KIDS - Kindergarten Lessons

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Teach Basic Light and Color Concepts Introduce science for kids light and color concepts with a reflective collage, a peep box, straight line and blocked shadow experiments and a colored window page to teach the difference between transparent, translucent and opaque papers.

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Germs Movie for Kids Virus & Bacteria Introduction

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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Light & Color Science Lesson -Video for Kids-Kindergarten,Preschoolers,Toddlers

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visit http://www.makemegenius.com ,one of the best Indian education website for children. See children Science education videos for free.

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HooplaKidz TV - Funny Cartoons For Children

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Why Do We Have Shadows? The reason why we have shadows is because your body blocks the light and then the shape of your body appears on the ground. This is because your body is opaque in nature and it does not allow any light to pass through it.

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Following the Sun: Crash Course Kids #8.2

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Shadow | The Dr. Binocs Show | Educational Videos For Kids

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transparent , translucent, opaque

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Light | #aumsum #kids #science #education #children