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Solar System in My Neighborhood
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners shrink the scale of the vast solar system to the size of their neighborhood.

The Pull of the Planets
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In this activity, learners model the gravitational fields of planets on a flexible surface.

Dunking the Planets
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In this demonstration, learners compare the relative sizes and masses of scale models of the planets as represented by fruits and other foods.

Size, Mass, Area, and Volume
Source Institutions
In this activity (page 23 of PDF), learners conduct an experiment to determine how the size and mass of a projectile affects the area and the volume of an impact crater.

Finding the Size of the Sun and Moon
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners build a simple pinhole viewer. They use this apparatus to project images from a variety of light sources, including a candle, the Sun, and the Moon.

The Thousand-Yard Model
Source Institutions
This is a classic exercise for visualizing the scale of the Solar System.

Heavyweight Champion: Jupiter
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners confront their perceptions of gravity in the solar system.
Big and Little Cups
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In this indoor or outdoor water activity, learners pour water from small cups to large cups and containers. In doing so, they discover water takes the shape of its container.

Size, Scale and Models
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In this activity, learners take measurements and create charts to learn about the size of dinosaurs and their relative scale to humans.

Why do Raindrops Sometimes Land Gently and Sometimes Land with a Splat?
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners examine raindrop bottles (prepared ahead of time) to observe in slow motion the behavior of falling droplets and explore concepts such as drag and terminal velocity.

Space Jell-O
Source Institutions
Albert Einstein proved that space bends around anything that has mass. This activity uses Jell-O's ability to bend around objects as a model for space bending around planets and stars.

Meteoroids and the Craters They Make
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners investigate the formation of craters. Learners will examine how the size, angle and speed of a meteorite's impact affects the properties of craters.

A Recipe for Air
Learners use M&Ms® (or any other multi-color, equally-sized small candy or pieces) to create a pie graph that expresses the composition of air.

Jiggly Jupiter
Source Institutions
In this activity, learners build edible models of Jupiter and Earth to compare their sizes and illustrate the planets' internal layers.

Sizing Up Temperature
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In this activity, learners explore Charles' Law in a syringe.

Atmospheric Collisions
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In this activity/demonstration, learners observe what happens when two ping pong balls are suspended in the air by a hair dryer. Use this activity to demonstrate how rain drops grow by coalescence.

How Big is Small
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In this classic hands-on activity, learners estimate the length of a molecule by floating a fatty acid (oleic acid) on water.

Moving Model Glacier
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In this goopy activity (page 2 of PDF under GPS: Glaciers Activity), learners will model glacial movement with “gak,” a white glue and liquid starch mixture.