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The Planets in Order

Eight planets, one order, one memory trick.

Lesson 25 of 41

Try this first

Before we start

Today’s story

The Planets in Order

Eight planets travel around our Sun. Some are close and hot. Some are far and cold. They sit at different distances, like houses along a long road.

The order from the Sun goes Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. That is a lot to hold in your head.

Here is a trick that helps. Say a silly sentence where each word starts with the same letter as a planet. Let's learn the order.

See it

Five steps. Every time.

    Hands on

    Planet Line-Up

    25 minutes · Do this with a grown-up nearby

    You need

    • A long string or hallway
    • Eight index cards
    • A marker
    • Tape
    • A ruler or a tape measure
    • Pencil and paper

    Do this

    1. Write one planet name on each card.
    2. Mix the cards up on the floor.
    3. Tape the string along a wall.
    4. Put the cards in order from the Sun.
    5. Check your order with this lesson.
    6. Make up a memory sentence and write it on paper.
    Write or draw: Draw your planets in a row. Number them from one to eight.

    Watch for: Notice which planets are near each other. Notice where Earth sits.

    Safety: Keep the string off the floor so nobody trips.

    Same every time

    Three rules

    Rule 1Say them from the Sun outward.

    The order always starts with Mercury.

    Rule 2Use a memory trick.

    A silly sentence is easier than eight names.

    Rule 3Remember Earth is third.

    We live on the third planet from the Sun.

    Grandpa Fenn’s notebook

    Say it like a scientist

    planet
    A big round world that circles the Sun.
    Mercury
    The planet closest to the Sun.
    Neptune
    The eighth planet and the farthest from the Sun.
    order
    The way things are lined up one after another.

    Poppy’s quiz

    Six questions

    Tap an answer. Green means right. You will see why.

    Talk about it

    Say it out loud

    • How do you know Earth is third? What would you tell a friend who forgot?
    • What is your own memory sentence? Say it to someone at home.
    Did you know

    Jupiter is so big that all the other planets could fit inside it.

    Someone who does this

    A space scientist uses the planet order to plan where spacecraft will go.

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