Hi, I'm the sun! I am the center of the solar system because I am the biggest object in the solar system. 

I am a very hot ball of hydrogen and helium gases. 

I make light and heat, and living things on Earth depend on me. 

The next largest things in the solar system are the planets. Here are the planets in order of who is closest to me(the sun) : Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. 

The planets orbit around me(the sun) in paths shaped like circles. 

Millions of small chunks of rocks and metals also orbit around me. These pieces of rock and metal are called asteroids. 

Some times people on earth see asteroids falling in the sky, and those are called meteors. 

All of these things that orbit around me create the solar system. 

The solar system was created 4.7 billion years ago! 

Scientists think that gravity pulled parts of the clouds together to form clumps. The largest clump became very hot, and then I (the sun) was created.

Over millions of years, the clumps turned into planets, and my strong gravity pulled the planets into their orbits.  

Content area and grade level: science and first grade

content standards: 

How will I use this? 

This would be a good project to first introduce the solar system so that the students could get an idea of what is in the solar system before learning about what everything in the solar system does. 

References: 

Content Standards for students. Retrieved September 4, 2021, from https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/stateboardofeducation/documents/massivemeetingsfolder/meetingfiles4/10-20-17_III_J_Non-Substantive_Changes_to_Math_ELA__Science_Standards_Attachment_2_-_ELA.pdf 

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). solar system . Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 4, 2021, from 

https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/solar-system/353789.