How to Build My Own Solar System Game

Use a game to teach the solar system.

Learning about the solar system can be child's play, literally. Teach your children about the universe with its amazing facts and figures. Once they know the material, consider ways to review the materials they have covered before they take the final test. Playing games about the solar system entertains the players while it educates them. Create this game about the solar system to teach and then reinforce facts about each of the planets and heavenly bodies floating around in our universe.

Things You'll Need

• Dice
• Paintbrush
• Thin marker
• Acrylic paint
• Playing pieces
• Black spray paint
• Double-stick tape
• Colored 3x5 cards
• Poster board 28-by-22 inches
• Foam poster board 28-by-22 inches

Instructions

1. Cut out the shapes of each planet, stars, comets, asteroids and other heavenly bodies from a thin sheet of poster board. With double-stick tape, attach them to a foam poster board. Arrange the planets in order. Place five heavenly bodies before every planet. Add the other bodies around the poster board for decoration. Spray paint the entire poster board with black spray paint. Let it dry thoroughly. Write the word "Start" on the first star and "Finish" on the last planet.

2. Remove all the taped-on shapes and any tape residue, which should come off easily with a butter knife or fingernail. With acrylic paint, add color to the planets. Use blue and green for Earth, red for Mars and orange for Saturn. Make each planet a unique color. Add rings to Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Jupiter. With the end of the paintbrush, add moons to the planets. Let your heavenly bodies dry.

3. Make playing pieces from the colored 3x5 cards. Draw rockets that are 3/4 inches wide and 1-inch tall. Cut five rockets from each color and stack the same-colored rockets together. Glue each stack together, forming one rocket. Use a thin marker to draw the outside of the rocket.

4. Cut 25 colored 3x5 cards in half. Write space questions on each card. Write the answers at the bottom of each page. The difficulty should match the intellectual ability and knowledge of the players.

5. Establish rules for your game. Determine the rules to start the game using a roll of the dice, age, placement, etc. Set rules for how the players will move from planet to planet. For example, they must answer a question correctly before they roll the die. Have each question read by another player. Choose how the game will end. Type the rules on a sheet of paper.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a different color card for each level of difficulty to allow students with varying levels of expertise to compete.

References

• Curious About Astronomy?