Mercury is the first planet in our solar system and one of our closest neighbors! It is a fun one to learn about, and has so many facts that are the opposite of what you might think! Know Your Planet Mercury Let's get some fun facts and questions answered right away: What are 5 facts about Mercury? Can humans live Mercury? Mercury's extreme temperatures and lack of an atmosphere would make it very difficult, if not impossible, for people to live on the planet. It also has extreme temperature fluctuations, from boiling hot to freezing cold. That means Mercury is not likely a planet that humans would ever want to colonize. Is Mercury the hottest planet? Even though Mercury is the planet the closest to our star (the sun) it isn't the hottest planet in our solar system. Venus gets that honor. Mercury gets very cold because it has almost no atmosphere to hold in heat and keep the surface warm. The temperature can drop down to minus 300 degrees … [Read more...]

All About A Solar Eclipse? One of the things that jump-started my young college career was the simple fact that I loved space. I wanted to take an Astronomy class more than anything, and finally got to when I was in 5th grade. I learned about all sorts of great things and eclipses were just one small thing we learned about. All About A Solar Eclipse I have offered you a FREE PRINTABLE Our Shining Sun Unit Study before, and also fun things like Cool Moon Phases Trading Cards. This pack talks a little more about BOTH of those things! What is a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse? Solar eclipses result from the Moon blocking the Sun relative to the Earth; thus Earth, Moon and Sun all lie on a line. Lunar eclipses work the same way in a different order: Moon, Earth and Sun all on a line. In this case the Earth's shadow hides the Moon from view. What happens during a solar eclipse? Here is a great video of a solar eclipse: I have a worksheet that shows it, in … [Read more...]

The Red Planet is our closest neighbor and a fun way to start getting your budding scientist into planetary exploration as it can be seen from the night sky with the naked eye. All about the red planet Mars is sometimes called the Red Planet. It's red because of rusty iron in the ground. Like Earth, Mars has seasons, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons, and weather. It has a very thin atmosphere made of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon. Why was the red planet named after the god of war? According to Universe Today, is named after the Roman god of war. Many believe that ancient peoples associated Mars with bloodshed and war because of its red color. The Romans were not the only society to associate the planet with bloodshed. The ancient Babylonians called it Nergal, after their god of fire, war, and destruction. See it in our store HERE: Know Your Planet Mars, Mars, Planets, Digital Download, Printable Download, Instant Download, STEM, STEM Activities, Planet Mars … [Read more...]

Do you have a little scientist or scientist want-to-be? This might be the perfect free color and letter tracing book for you! WIth eighteen pages of fun, you can explore the world of different knids of scinetist as you build manula dexterity skills and work on basic printing. Letter Tracing Book? I am living proof that kinds can learn to read and write much sooner than most people think of as normal. Add in the fact that my folks never "dumbed down" conversation with m e and you have a winning formula for getting your little scholar excited about the world of science. What is a Scientist? According to Wikipedia: A scientist is someone who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of interest. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophical study of nature called natural philosophy, a precursor of natural science. What you can expect from this letter tracing … [Read more...]