The hypothesis is that creating Play-doh scale models of planets and moons will help students understand the relative size and distance between them.

You will predict and then make models based on the actual size and distance of celestial bodies such as the Moon, Mars, and planets in the Solar System using Play-doh. The models are as follows: 1) For the moon and Earth: Make 50 equal balls, 1 ball is the moon and 49 balls put together forms the Earth. The distance between the moon and Earth is 30 Earth diameters. 2) Divide the dough in half. One half is Earth. Divide the rest of the dough into 7 balls. One of them is Mars. Take one of the balls and divide into 7 balls. One of the balls is the moon. The distance between Earth and Mars is 7 city blocks! 3) For the Solar System, look at the Project page below for details. You will then compare your models to see how they differ from your predictions.

You will need 3lbs of Play-doh, paper, pens, and rulers to create scale models of the Earth, Moon, Mars, and the Solar System.

After creating Play-doh scale models of planets and moons, it is clear that the distances and sizes of celestial bodies are difficult to comprehend without visual aids. One observation that stands out is how small Pluto is compared to the other planets.

This science project is unique because it allows students to create tangible representations of the vast and complex celestial bodies in our solar system. It also helps students understand the relative sizes and distances of these celestial bodies.

1) Create a scale model of the entire Milky Way galaxy. 2) Research and compare the densities of different celestial bodies.

These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.