Explore Our Planet – Lost in Space December 9-13, 2019 This month completes our exploration of our planet; we are finishing things off by exploring space, the dark, starry place beyond the sun and clouds. It’s easy to forget that we live on one tiny planet in a huge universe, and even when we begin to talk about it, it’s a difficult topic to comprehend. Learning about the solar system at a young age can really inspire astronomy as a passion, ignite imagination and encourage a long-term fascination that may never leave them, which is why we will be spending the week learning all about space! Within the universe are different solar systems; a solar system has many parts, the sun, planets, moons, stars, asteroids, and comets. The sun is the center of our solar system which is surrounded by 8 planets; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. We live on planet Earth and 100km above us is considered outer space where the shell of air around our planet (Earth) disappears. With no air to scatter sunlight and produce a blue sky, space appears as a black blanket dotted with stars. Space is usually regarded as being completely empty. But this is not true. The vast gaps between the stars and planets are filled with huge amounts of thinly spread gas and dust. Fun Facts About Space: • Outside of our solar system there are thousands of other planets. • In space the skin on your feet peels off. You don’t use your feet to walk in space so the skin softens and flakes off. • You become taller in space. Gravity is not pushing you down so your spine lengthens. • Even though Mercury is the closest planet to the sun it is not the hottest. • You can cry in space but your tears won’t fall. Are you ready to BLAST OFF and get “Lost in Space”? Explore Our Planet – Lost in Space Mercury: Mercury is the smallest planet and it is closest to the sun. It takes 59 Earth days to rotate once, and 88 Earth days to orbit the sun. Venus: Venus spins in the opposite direction to all of the other planets in the solar system. Its surface is covered in volcanoes and it has more volcanoes than any other planet in the solar system. Earth: Our home planet! Earth is the only planet in our solar system that humans can live on. Did you know that three-quarters of the Earth is covered with water? We have one moon that is very important in controlling the tides of the sea. Mars: Mars is known as the ‘red planet’ because of its reddish appearance. The tallest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons, is on Mars and it is 21km tall. Jupiter: Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and it is so big that you could fit all of the other planets inside it! Jupiter has 62 moons and one of them, Ganymede, is the largest moon in the solar system. Saturn: Saturn is the second biggest planet in the solar system but it is also the lightest as it is made almost entirely of gas. Saturn is very well known for its rings that circle around it. The rings are made up of chunks of rock and ice. Uranus: Uranus is the coldest planet in the solar system with a minimum temperature of -224°C. Unlike all of the other planets, Uranus spins on its side! Neptune: Neptune is the planet that is furthest away from the sun. One year in Neptune is 165 Earth years! The wind on Neptune is the fastest in the solar system and can travel at more than 1,500 miles per hour. Play & Learn: Lost In Space It’s easy to forget that we live on one tiny planet in a huge universe. Our solar system is in a galaxy called the Milky Way, it is estimated that there are approximately 30 billion solar systems in the Milky Way. Our Solar system is made up of 8 planets, many dwarf planets, satellites, and moons and of course the sun. MERCURY VENUS SATURN EARTH URANUS MARS JUPITER NEPTUNE Explore Our Planet – Lost in Space Our Solar System The Solar System was formed nearly 4.6 billion years ago, and beyond our Solar System there are many galaxies that we are learning more and more about every single day. Create your very own solar system using craft supplies. What you need: • Coloured paint & brushes • Whiteout pen or white paint and fine brush • Styrofoam balls (different sizes) • Clear thread/fishing line • Wooden skewers • Shoe box • Black paint or paper • Glue • Tape • Cardstock • Scissors • Sewing needle What to do: 1. Remove the lid from the shoebox and line the entire shoebox with black paper or paint it black. 2. Using a whiteout pen or white paint and a fine brush, paint tiny stars all over the inside of the black shoebox. 3. Using a wooden skewer, carefully poke all the way through the Styrofoam balls, so you can hold and paint the balls without touching them. 4. Using the card stock, trace and cut out a ring to go around the planet Saturn. 5. Once the planets are dry, thread all the planets with a length of clear thread, adding a blob of glue at the base of each to hold in place. 6. Make some holes in the top of the painted shoebox, and hang the planets through. Hold in place on the top of the box with a little sticky tape. Explore Our Planet – Lost in Space Astronaut Training Everyone knows that it is important to exercise to stay in shape – on Earth, that is. But when you’re in Space, exercise is vital! Physical activity is the most effective way to counteract the adverse effects of weightlessness on the human body. Exercise is therefore a crucial part of the daily routine in space. Over the course of a long-duration mission in Space, astronauts must exercise approximately two hours per day! On Earth, each time we move, gravity provides resistance to the muscles and bones of our body. It's like we're exercising without even realizing it! That way, our body stays strong enough to support our weight. In microgravity (very weak gravity, like on board a space craft), bones and muscles no longer have to support the weight of astronaut’s bodies. What’s more, the cardiovascular system becomes lazy because the heart doesn’t have to work as hard as it does on Earth to counteract gravity and pump blood up to the head. Despite a strict exercise routine, astronauts will lose an average of 1% of their bone density per month in Space. On Earth, elderly people lose 1% per year! That means that without exercise, their muscles, bones and heart become weaker. Astronauts need to stay in shape in order to: • Reduce the deterioration of their bones • Maintain the strength of their muscles and their heart • Remain strong enough to do spacewalks • Be able to carry out emergency procedures during landing • Stay healthy and in shape until they return to Earth and to gravity Thanks to the current protocol of two hours of exercise per day, astronauts return to Earth with more muscle mass than when they blasted off! Now you complete our “Astronaut Training Checklist” so you can be strong enough to blast-off to space! Explore Our Planet – Lost in Space Astronaut Training Children have received their own Together Wee Can “Explore Our Planet” activity book, which includes an ”Astronaut Training” checklist. As they complete each training exercise they can check it off the list in their books! 1. Tunnel Crawl: You can use a pop up tunnel, create a tunnel using chairs or just crawl and pretend there is a tunnel. Children try and crawl through as quickly as they can. 2. Gravity Lifts: Lift a giant “moon rock” (beach ball) 3 times. 3. Toe Touches: Stand up straight and bend over to touch your toes, do this 4 times. 4. Line Hops: Stretch out a long rope and hop side to side over the rope, astronauts must complete 5 hops. 5. Jumping Jacks: Astronauts must be able to jump around in Space, complete 10 jumping jacks. 6. Balance Counts: Try balancing on one leg and count to 8. Practice makes perfect: Once you have run through the checklist, keep practicing. Time how long it takes you at the beginning of the week and how long it takes you at the end of the week to see how much you have improved with a little practice! Don’t forget to fill in the astronaut’s name, date they completed training and their fastest time to complete the list of exercises. To enter our Together Wee Can Explore Our Planet “Lost in CONTEST Space” contest, send in photos of children participating in ALERT! Together Wee Can events this month. Send photo entries to your local Wee Watch office no later than December 31, 2019. Play & Learn: Lost In Space Space Themed Sensory Bin What you need: • Homemade Moon Sand (see recipe below) • Large container • Astronaut & spaceship toys • Glow in the dark stars What to do: Once you have made your homemade moon sand, add your glow in the dark stars, astronaut and spaceship toys to the sensory bin and let children explore. Home made Moon Sand Recipe: What you need: • 12 cups play sand • 6 cups corn starch • 3 cups water • Food colouring (optional) What to do: 1.