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You are here: Home / Kids DIY / Solar System Planet Model for Kids

Solar System Planet Model for Kids

Feb 15, 2018 · 20 Comments

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I am loving playing with all these Galaxy Unit crafts and worksheets. If you missed the last post we covered Moon Phases with Oreos! This time we are talking about the Planets. We put together this really stellar Solar System Planet Model for kids. Its sturdy and the perfect school project if your child is in need of one.

Solar System Planet Model

My kids learned so much when building this Solar System Planet Model. It was a great help for their worksheets to be able to see it and move it around if they needed to, to answer the questions.

Do you have a little astronaut? Help them create this Solar System Planet Model and create memories as well.

Related: Learning About Planets Printable Workbook – Galaxy Unit

Solar System Planet Model

What You Need

 Solar System Planet Model

2—1″ Foam Balls

3—1 1/2″ Foam Balls

3—2 ½” Foam Balls

1—4″ Foam Balls

Craft Paint—Red, Blue, Black, Orange, Yellow, Green, White, Brown

8 Wooden Skewers

Solar System Planet Model

2 Styrofoam Cups (8oz.)

Black Paper Plate

Sheet of Tan Foam for crafts

3 Pipe Cleaners, yellow

8 Small Round White Stickers

Black Marker

Hot Glue Gun

Ruler

Related: Galaxy Jar Kids Activity- Galaxy Unit

 How to make Solar System Planet Model for Kids

 Solar System Planet Model

Hold the skewers by the pointed end and paint them all black. Don’t worry about painting the point. Also, paint one cup all black on the outside. The other cup you will paint the top outer edge black so that when you stack them no white is showing. Let these dry and stack the cups with the bottom face up.

Solar System Planet Model

Next, you can paint the foam balls the colors of the planets and let them dry. Here are the colors I did for each planet:

Mercury-gray with a little white – 1″ ball

Venus-yellow and orange – 1.5″ ball

Earth-blue, green, and a little white – 1.5″ ball

Mars-red with a bit of orange – 1″ ball

Jupiter-light brown with a few white stripes – 2.5″ ball

Solar System Planet Model

Saturn-Yellow with a few brown stripes – 2.5″ ball

Uranus-light blue with a bit of white – 2.5″ ball

Neptune-blue with a bit of white – 1.5″ ball

The Sun-yellow – 4″ ball

Related: Astronauts and Space Shuttles Printable Workbook

Solar System Planet Model

Hot glue the Sun to the bottom of the black cups and let dry.

Solar System Planet Model

Cut each skewer down a little bit so you have 8 different lengths and put a planet on the flat end of each skewer. Start with Mercury on the shortest skewer and work up in planet order to the longest skewer.

Solar System Planet Model

Hot glue the bottom of the cup to the center of the black plate.

Solar System Planet Model

Start with Mercury and poke the skewer into the cup close to the sun at the top of the cup. Continue next with Venus but place it a bit lower and about an inch over from the first one. Continue on with Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. They should look like they are going around the sun.

Solar System Planet Model

Underneath the corresponding planet, place a sticker on the plate with that planets name written on it.

Optional Step: Make a ring for Saturn with the tan foam by cutting out about a 2 3/4” circle. Cut the inside of that circle out, leaving about a ¼” ring and slip it over the Saturn planet.

Solar System Planet Model

What is your favorite planet? Don’t forget about the Moon Phases – these two go hand in hand.

Solar System Planet Model and Moon Phases Learning Craft

Solar System Planet Model

Solar System Planet Model

Course: Kids Craft
Cuisine: Craft
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

A fun hands-on way to learn about the solar system!

Print

What You Need

  • 2 1” Foam Balls
  • 3 1 ½” Foam Balls
  • 3 2 ½” Foam Balls
  • 1 4” Foam Ball
  • Craft Paint Blue, Red, Black, Orange, Yellow, Green, White, Brown
  • 8 Wooden Skewers
  • 2 Styrofoam Cups 8oz.
  • Black Paper Plate
  • Sheet of Tan Foam for crafts optional
  • 3 Yellow Pipe Cleaners
  • 8 Small Round White Stickers
  • Black Marker
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Ruler

Directions

  1. Hold the skewers by the pointed end and paint them all black.  

  2. Paint one cup all black on the outside. The other cup you will paint the top outer edge black so that when you stack them no white is showing. Let these dry and stack the cups with the bottom face up.

Painting the Planets

  1. Next, you can paint the foam balls the colors of the planets and let them dry. Here are the colors I did for each planet:
  2. Mercury-gray with a little white - 1" ball

    Venus-yellow and orange - 1.5" ball

    Earth-blue, green, and a little white - 1.5" ball

    Mars-red with a bit of orange - 1" ball

    Jupiter-light brown with a few white stripes - 2.5" ball

    Saturn-Yellow with a few brown stripes - 2.5" ball

    Uranus-light blue with a bit of white - 2.5" ball

    Neptune-blue with a bit of white - 1.5" ball

    The Sun-yellow - 4" ball

Assembling the Model

  1. Hot glue the Sun to the bottom of the black cups and let dry.
  2. Cut each skewer down a little bit so you have 8 different lengths and put a planet on the flat end of each skewer. Start with Mercury on the shortest skewer and work up in planet order to the longest skewer.
  3. Hot glue the bottom of the cup to the center of the black plate.
  4. Start with Mercury and poke the skewer into the cup close to the sun at the top of the cup. Continue next with Venus but place it a bit lower and about an inch over from the first one. Continue on with Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. They should look like they are going around the sun.
  5. Underneath the corresponding planet, place a sticker on the plate with that planets name written on it.
  6. Optional Step: Make a ring for Saturn with the tan foam by cutting out about a 2 3/4” circle. Cut the inside of that circle out, leaving about a ¼” ring and slip it over the Saturn planet.


Elementary, Kids DIY, Kids Education, Parenting crafts, education, Elementary School Materials, Galaxy Unit, kids activity, kids crafts

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Diane says

    February 26, 2018 at 10:31 pm

    This looks so much fun doing with the kids. And educational too!

    Reply
  2. Gladys Parker says

    March 9, 2018 at 4:47 pm

    That is the coolest looking hand made solar system. The way you have it all written down and laid out in steps with diagrams makes it look not too difficult. My grandchildren would love making this with me and I them.

    Reply
  3. Chelley says

    March 9, 2018 at 7:30 pm

    I LOVE that this is still a thing. This is my exact science project from 2nd grade and I cannot wait to make it with my own kids… only mine had Pluto 😉

    Reply
  4. Our Family World says

    March 9, 2018 at 9:41 pm

    I remember making this when I was in high school. Everyone in the class had to make a solar system model and we donated them to the elementary schools in and around our area. Maybe I could suggest this to my teacher friend. She can start the same campaign we did years ago when we were kids.

    Reply
  5. Kelly Reci says

    March 10, 2018 at 12:39 am

    Such a cute and fun idea. And the good thing about this is very educational. I have to try this at home for the kids.

    Reply
  6. Cindy Gordon says

    March 10, 2018 at 8:58 am

    The kids really love making space models. They are so much fun and look cool!

    Reply
  7. Cindy Ingalls says

    March 12, 2018 at 9:30 pm

    What a fun idea. It brings back such great memories of being a kid. I’ve always love astronomy and studying the planets. It’s great to share that with my nieces and nephew.

    Reply
  8. Ann Snook-Moreau says

    April 19, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    This sounds like such a fun and hands-on way to learn about the planets. I really like your moon phase project, though . . . anything involving cookies is alright in my book lol!

    Reply
  9. Elizabeth O says

    April 20, 2018 at 8:01 am

    This looks like the perfect at home model making idea, I love how it is fun and educational too and the end result is awesome! Great job.

    Reply
  10. Pat says

    April 20, 2018 at 9:41 am

    What a great project–a solar system mobile. It looks like it would be a lot of fun to make.

    Reply
  11. Patricia says

    April 20, 2018 at 9:45 am

    This is a great idea! I wish I would have come across this sooner, it would have been a great science project when I homeschooled my daughters!

    Reply
  12. Holly says

    April 20, 2018 at 10:05 am

    This is an awesome craft idea. This is perfect for kids. I am definitely going to give this a try.

    Reply
  13. Sarah says

    April 20, 2018 at 12:29 pm

    Wow this looks professional! And it doesn’t look hard to make! My kids would love this when they get older.

    Reply
  14. Preet says

    April 20, 2018 at 1:08 pm

    What an amazing project idea, I really like how detailed the post is. I would love to try this with my kids, they love science and geography.

    Reply
  15. Carol Cassara says

    April 23, 2018 at 4:37 am

    I think I’ve done this a couple of times as kid and it’s awesome to do something like this for children so they can learn more about the planets. I love the idea of making your own, it’s so much!

    Reply
  16. Niki says

    April 23, 2018 at 10:45 am

    Wow! This is so cool! I”m going to totally try this with my niece. Thanks so much for this tutorial.

    Reply
  17. angie says

    April 28, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    I so recall making solar systems with my own children. This would have been such a great guide to go by thanks for sharing

    Reply
  18. Chelsa says

    October 27, 2020 at 9:59 am

    Thanks so much for the tutorial! My sixth grader has to make one for science class. We are going to use your instructions.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 45+ Outer Space Crafts for Kids that are Out of This World - HOAWG says:
    May 10, 2022 at 8:01 am

    […] can craft another DIY space model from My Home Based Life. A foam cup, skewers, and plates make this model […]

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  2. 17 Solar System Project Ideas says:
    September 5, 2022 at 12:26 pm

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