Distance from the Sun Foldable and chart
Foldable Solar System
Several versions of this activity are available online with a shortened version detailed here. Per
Student:
 ~1 meter cash register tape (doesn't have to be exact)
*To have it fit in our notebooks, I cut paper strips from legal size paper (8x14 inches). I
cut them about 2inches wide, 14 inches long.
 pencil or pen
Directions:
 Write Sun at one end and Pluto/Kuiper Belt at the opposite end
 Write the names of the planets at their positions from the Sun to Pluto/Kuiper Belt (with
no help or discussion)
 Turn the strip over
 Again write Sun at the same end and Pluto/Kuiper Belt at the opposite end
 Fold strip in half - write Uranus on the fold line
 Fold Pluto to Uranus - write Neptune on the fold line
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Fold Sun to Uranus - write Saturn on the fold line
Fold Sun to Saturn - write Jupiter on the fold line
Fold Sun to Jupiter - write Asteroid Belt on the fold line
Fold Sun to Asteroid Belt - write Earth above (towards the Sun) the fold line
and Mars below the fold line
Fold Sun to Earth/Mars line - write Mercury above (towards the Sun) the fold line
and Venus below the fold line
How close did your first solar system come to the folded scale?
*Use the chart included to have students label the distances on the strip and glue strip into
interactive notebook.
1 yard = 0.9144 meter
1 foot = 0.3048 meter
Mercury
36 million miles
57.9 million km
Venus
67.2 million miles
108.2 million km
Earth
93 million miles
149.6 million km
Mars
141.6 million miles
227.9 million km
Jupiter
483.6 million miles
778.3 million km
Saturn
886.7 million miles
1,427.0 million km
Uranus
1,784.0 million miles
2,871.0 million km
Neptune
2,794.4 million miles
4,497.1 million km
References:
http://cmase.pbworks.com/w/page/52423844/Foldable_Solar_System
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/