The cosmos is spinning, everything is in motion but for this walk we are going to line all the planets up along a single trail, but in reality the planets are usually much further away from each other. One could be around the back of the Sun whilst the next is in front, but lets not get hung up on this, instead lets start at the center, the Sun.
But before we do that we need to pull out our shrink machine and reduce it down to a manageable size.
So what if one step was equivalent to ten 1:10, in that one step yu would journey the distance it would normally take to do ten.
Now let's make that one step equal to one hundred, 1:100
Then just one stride could be as long as your whole street, or perhaps 1:1000 and you could be able to step the length of a whole road perhaps.
Maps do this really well, and you can walk with your fingers and eyes over massive distances in just a blink.
But lets up this a little more, what if with one step you could stride across an ocean or across the whole world? If one step was as wide as the world then how many steps would it take to walk to the moon?
But now lets go even further, what if our world was the size of just a pea and that in your single stride you could step over a thousand of them all side by side! If you could do this then how many steps would it be from the earth to Mars or Venus, or even the Sun?
Well to find out it's easiest to start at the center of our solar system with the Sun, if it's shining down on you now then imagine you were right there and you could shrink it down to the size of a beach ball or small Hoola hoop.
For the teachers this should be 1m diameter, you could even chalk it on the ground, or get your pupils to squeeze together and make a human Sun.
So lets get the Sun up to play, pop out the Hoola hoop and hang it from a tree so you can see it when you are a little way away.
Chapter one
The Beginning
Chapter two
The Sun
This is the start of our Solar Explorer Expedition.
So we have shrunk the Sun down to the size of this Hoola hoop and we are going to venture across half of the solar system and discover the planets as close to an accurate scale as we can.
The Sun is not just set as a Hoola hoop as this is the easiest prop to hand, it is the right scale when the earth is shrunk down to the size of a pea.
But how far from here is the first planet, and which will that be?
Everyone should now stand how far away from the Sun the first planet should be.
Suggestion - Why don't you ask people to put themselves in a line so there is a definite person who is more right than the others.
Can you also choose from your planets which you think will be the first?
So our first planet is? (say out loud)
Here is a clue.
I am often the shiny metal in your thermometer?
Now walk the distance to the first planet, I am sure a few eyebrows will rise as you get a long way from the sun!
Mercury is 45m from the Sun
So we have shrunk the Sun down to the size of this Hoola hoop and we are going to venture across half of the solar system and discover the planets as close to an accurate scale as we can.
The Sun is not just set as a Hoola hoop as this is the easiest prop to hand, it is the right scale when the earth is shrunk down to the size of a pea.
But how far from here is the first planet, and which will that be?
Everyone should now stand how far away from the Sun the first planet should be.
Suggestion - Why don't you ask people to put themselves in a line so there is a definite person who is more right than the others.
Can you also choose from your planets which you think will be the first?
So our first planet is? (say out loud)
Here is a clue.
I am often the shiny metal in your thermometer?
Now walk the distance to the first planet, I am sure a few eyebrows will rise as you get a long way from the sun!
Mercury is 45m from the Sun
Walk along the river side path with the water to your left.