Surviving Like a Shark Energy Transfer Game

Kids love sharks! In this post you will find a book recommendation for a hilarious, yet factual, children's book about sharks, and an active science modeling activity for exploring the lives of sharks and the movement of food energy through an ecosystem.

Both the kid's book and science activity are great for your upper elementary school-aged kids at home or the students in your classroom. The modeling activity will get kids moving while building understanding of trophic pyramids and food chains.

If you are a teacher aligning your lesson plans with the Next Generation Science Standards, you will also find links for standards that this activity will help you meet.

This post contains affiliate links, meaning I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase after clicking a product link. Please see disclosures page for more information.

How to Survive as a Shark 

First of all, a read-aloud of Kristen Foote's How to Survive as a Shark is a must. This funny children's book, illustrated by Erica Salcedo, includes science facts about the life of sharks, white sharks in particular, their important place in the ecosystem, adaptations and more.

This book is perfect for upper elementary students. They enjoy the humor and understand the science. Even the kids who think they are too old for picture books get a kick of this one! The end of the story includes some discussion on what was realistic and what was fictionalized for the sake of presenting the information in the style of a humorous picture book. It is an all around great book for home or the classroom!

If you are reading How to Survive as a Shark as an intro to the activity outlined below, the strongest tie-in to the food chain and energy transfer is the discussion and illustration of the food pyramid (or trophic pyramid). In this story, white sharks are the apex predator. Depending on the species of shark, sharks may not always at the tippy top of their food chain. The food pyramid, discussion of the different levels of consumer and apex predators is a great introduction to the energy transfer activity below.

Shark Energy Activity

There are many food chains and food webs in any ecosystem, including the ocean. Energy moves through these ecosystems in the form of food. The active food chain activity outlined below allows students to model the transfer of food energy throughout a system and see it move first hand.

For this activity you will need:

• large open space, indoors or outside
• paper lunch bag or envelope for each kid/student
• bandanas for each kid/student (3 different colors)
• lots of small, colorful paper squares (about 1 in x 1 in) to represent plankton
• notepad or small white board and markers for data collection

 

Model Energy Transfer in the Ocean

 

Set up the game: 

Split the group of kids into thirds. One group will be the "sharks", one group will be "large fish", and the last will be "small fish". [Note: if you are studying a specific type of shark, adapt the game to be specific to that species, i.e. "large fish" might be "tuna" or "seals" instead.]

Assign each of the groups a different color. This will be the color of the bandana that they will tie around their arm to denote their role in the activity.

Give each student a paper bag or envelope, which represents their stomach.

After assigning some boundaries for the play area, spread out the colored paper squares evenly throughout the area. These represent "plankton" in the activity.

Game play: 

The goal of the small fish is to collect as much plankton as possible and put it in their stomachs.

The goal of the large fish is to eat the small fish, by gently tagging them, and transferring all of the plankton paper squares from the stomach/bag of the small fish to their own.

Similarly, the sharks will eat the large fish by gently tagging them, and transferring all of the plankton paper squares from the bag of the large fish to their own. (In reality, sharks may also eat small fish, but for simplicity's sake they will not in this simulation.)

Give just a few minutes (no more than 5) for game play. In order to have survived the round, small fish must have 5 plankton in their stomachs, large fish must have 10 plankton in their stomachs, and sharks must have "eaten" at least one large fish with 10 plankton in its stomach.

Write down how many of each animal survived after each round for graphing and data collection extensions.

Wrap it up:

Be sure to discuss the results of the modeling activity.
Guide your discussions with questions such as:

• What trends do kids notice? 
• How is this activity realistic or unrealistic?

Create a data table or graph the results. Introduce the idea of a trophic, or ecological, pyramid and show how the amount of energy changes as it moves through the ecosystem.

 

Extend the Energy Transfer Activity

 

To continue modeling important ideas around energy transfer and balanced ecosystems, see what happens when you change the rules of the game. Try these adaptations of the simulation and discuss the results with your kids or students:

• Change the number of sharks / small fish / large fish 
• Set out more "plankton"
• Release the small fish first, then the large fish, and eventually the sharks
• Set up a "safety zone" for fish

Align with the Next Generation Science Standards

This activity fits with the following 5th grade science standards:

• NGSS 5-PS3-1
• NGSS 5-LS2-1 

Additional Energy Transfer and Food Chain Book Recommendations 

Teaching about ecosystems is one of my favorite topics. If you are looking for other great books to share on the subject of energy transfer and food chains, you will definitely want to get your hands on a copy of Pass the Energy, Please! and The World of Food Chains with Max Axiom: Super Scientist.

I love Pass the Energy, Please! because of it's rhyming text and beautiful illustrations. Although it is a rhyming picture book, the vocabulary used is at an upper elementary level. The World of Food Chains with Max Axiom: Super Scientist appeals to upper elementary readers because it is written and illustrated in a graphic novel style.

Ocean Learning Activities

If your kids love learning about the ocean, then you won't want to miss these other fun ocean-themed science activities!

Experiment with fizzing sea shells in this activity on the Teaching Without Chairs blog, and recreate the layers of the ocean with this density activity over on From Engineer to Stay at Home Mom.

More Shark STEM and Science

Can't get enough shark science? Same here. Check out these AMAZING shark eggs we saw at the Shedd Aquarium.

You'll find a bunch of shark STEM activities here, particularly fun for all of you "shark week" fans.

Want to know how sharks float? You'll find a cool hands-on shark experiment here. 

Go visit some real sharks at an aquarium! Find out why we love the New England Aquarium and the Shedd Aquarium.

Buy a Book and Help a Good Cause

You may not be aware of this, but when you purchase a book published by The Innovation Press, like How to Survive as a Shark or How to Survive as a Firefly, you are not only getting a great book for the children in your life, but also helping others. For every 10 books sold, The Innovation Press donates one book to First Book, getting books into the hands of kids and schools in need.

DIY Paper Circuit Board Games

If you're looking for an activity that can keep kids engaged indoors for hours (literally) then you definitely want to try building your own light-up board games using paper circuits. This is a great STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activity because through the process, your children or students will put their creative powers to use designing the game and board, learn the ins and outs of electric circuits, plus- design, test and tweak their light-up circuits like an engineer.

When I was teaching in the science classroom I used "design your own board games" every year with my 4th and 5th graders as a way to review at the end of the term. Kids love building games, and they worked hard to make the games challenging for their classmates, which meant they really reviewed the material accurately to do so. I always had to incorporate extra time into my plan for building the games and the culminating game tournament.

This post contains affiliate links, please see disclosures for more information.

Paper Circuit Board Game Materials 

You will need:

• Copper tape
• LED light bulbs
• Lithium coin cell batteries**
• cardboard, colored paper
• scissors
• tape

You might also want:

• markers
• dice
• boxes or bins for storage

**PLEASE NOTE: Lithium coin cell batteries can be harmful, even fatal, if swallowed. Please keep away from small children. 

Build a Board Game

It's a good idea to first map out what your game will be about, the objective and the basic idea behind how it will be played. How many people can play? What additional supplies might you need? A spinner or die? etc.

Kids and students will also need to understand the general idea of an electrical circuit. They will learn a ton through trial and error figuring out how to build them, but giving some background is important. You'll find an engaging lesson to learn about circuits and conductivity here.

The copper tape makes it easy to build circuits into your paper and cardboard game board. You peel off the paper backing, and stick it anywhere. The prongs of the LED light bulbs need to make a connection with the copper, and the same goes for the battery. Depending on the conductivity of your copper tape, you might need to fold the corners, rather than put one piece of tape over another. (There are some great tutorials on how to deal with corners and curves here
and on this instructables page.)

The easiest way to connect the battery to the circuit is to fold the corner of the paper over the battery as we did in this example, however, I'm sure that there are many other creative solutions.

Common hang-ups can be placing the prongs of the LED bulbs backwards (they only work in one direction) or not placing the copper tape in the right place to connect with the battery. This is a great tutorial from the Exploratorium on paper circuits.

There will definitely be some trial and error, and that is what makes this an excellent STEM learning activity.

Have kids start out with simple circuits, one bulb only. This way there are only so many things to test and switch if it doesn't work right away. Then once they become experts, they might want to try multiple bulbs (each bulb will need its own battery), or making a "switch" to turn on the lights.

We connected the circuit with the game piece by placing a gap in the circuit on the game board and sticking copper tape on the bottom of the game piece. The possibilities are endless once you get the hang of what you are doing. Here is another great resource for help with paper circuits.

STEAM Saturday

Check out these other great STEAM activity ideas for keeping your kids or students busy indoors!

Ivory Soap Science Experiment :: Schooling a Monkey

Straw Boats Engineering Challenge for Kids :: Science Kiddo

Teach Your Kid to be a Project Engineer :: From Engineer to SAHM

Looking for another paper circuit project? Make a light-up lightning bug life cycle! Instructions here. 

 

Exploring Reflections: Creating 4-Leaf Clovers With Mirrors

Mirrors and reflections are super engaging from preschoolers through adulthood! That is probably why we find some great mirror exhibits in science and children's museums! For some fun with reflections at home or school, try this low-tech and easy-prep mirror activity.

This is a great STEAM activity for around St. Patrick's Day. It requires a bit of creativity, drawing and understanding of the science of light and reflection.

This post includes affiliate links, meaning I receive a small commission from purchases made from these links at no additional cost to you. See disclosures for more information.

A St. Patrick's STEAM Challenge

Can you make a four-leaf clover with just a green dot on a piece of paper and two small mirrors?

 

To try this out you'll need:

• drawing paper or index cards
• 2 small plastic mirrors
• colorful markers or crayons
• modeling clay or small cans to hold up mirrors (optional)

First, draw a green circle on an index card. By holding your two mirrors at an angle, can you turn the circle into two circles? How about four? Can you make the reflection look like a four leaf clover?

For small hands, it makes it easier to hold the mirrors in place either by creating a stand for each out of a ball of clay, or attaching them to something so that they stand up. We taped ours to two small cans to make it easy to move and adjust.

 
Keep adjusting the angle and placement of the mirrors. What is the greatest number of leaves that you can make on the clover? A fun extension for older students is to measure the different angles of the mirrors with a protractor and compare that to the number of leaves it creates on the clover. Is there a pattern?

Try this with other shapes and drawings. How about a rainbow, or symmetrical shapes or letters? The possibilities are endless.

So what is the science? Light is being reflected or "bounced" from the surface of the mirror to your eyes. In this case, you are observing the light being emitted by the green dot. The placement of the mirrors results in the light bouncing back and forth off of the smooth surfaces of the mirrors. With each "bounce" another image is visible.

Want to teach a lesson on reflection? I highly recommend the "Mirror, Mirror" lesson featured in More Picture Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children's Books to Guide Inquiry, K-4 . This lesson uses the great picture book I See Myself by Vicki Cobb

Looking for more great STEAM projects? Check out STEAM Kids!

Pirate Science: Tricks of the Eye

ARRR! It's once again the time of year to brush up on your pirate lingo for International Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th). We're excited to participate again in a pirate blog hop hosted by Witty Hoots.

In this post you'll find 2 real science experiments that have to do with your little pirates! The first will investigate how well pirates see while they are wearing an eye patch. 

The next is a cool telescope optical illusion! (You don't even need a telescope to try it!) In addition to this post, you'll find all sorts of other great pirate activities and fun down below.

If you're looking for more pirate science, be sure to investigate last year's post: Pirate Science! Fool's Gold, Parrots and Shipwrecks.

 

This post contains affiliate links, meaning I make a small commission for purchases made after clicking these links at no additional cost to you. Please see disclosures for more information. 

Pirate Science Experiments

Have you ever wondered how wearing an eye patch affects a pirate's vision? Whether they wear it due to a swashbuckling accident, or simply to help them fit in with the other pirates, an eye patch does indeed affect how well a pirate can see. Most likely pirates with patches would find themselves bumping into things and having trouble aiming their cannons because as you will soon see having just one eye affects your depth perception. 

Humans have what is called binocular vision. No, you don't have to be holding a pair of binoculars to have it! It means that we have 2 eyes with overlapping fields of view. Any animal with eyes situated on the front of its face has this type of vision. (Chimps and apes, as well as owls, etc.) This type of vision helps us to have good depth perception, or the ability to see things in 3 dimensions and perceive the distance of objects.

When you take away one field of view, then it hinders your ability to determine the distance of something. An eye patch definitely takes away one of these fields of view! Try this experiment to see what I mean.

You will need:

• a helper (a first mate or other crewmen will do, no scalawags!)
• a table
• 2 chairs
• several small objects like coins (gold doubloons, or any small treasure)
• a cup
• an eye patch (or your hand)

Sit down with your first mate at the table. Arrange the cup so that it is about 2 feet in front of you. Ask your first mate to hold your doubloon about a foot and a half above the cup, moving it around slowly. They may have to stand or kneel, carefully, on a chair. It might be best to choose a crewmen who does not have a peg leg!

With both of your eyes opened, watch while they move the treasure around above the cup. When you think the treasure is directly above the cup tell them to drop it. Try this several times. What happens? Did the treasure land in the cup?

Now put your eye patch on, or cover one eye. Repeat the activity. Try it several times. What happens when they drop the treasure?

You most likely found out that it was easier to be accurate when you could use both eyes to see. With only one eye it was more difficult to judge the distance to the cup. This is because with only one eye available, you lost your depth perception! Knowing this, I'm not sure I'd want to sail the high seas if my captain only had one good eye!

Telescope Optical Illusion Experiment

Now here is a fun experiment to try with your pirate telescope.

You will need:

• 1 good hand (a hook won't work!)
• 2 good eyes (no eye patches this time)
• a telescope (a cardboard tube or rolled piece of paper will also work)

Hold your telescope in your right hand, and hold it up to your right eye. Take your left hand and hold it up in front of your face, about halfway down the telescope. This hand should touch the  side of your telescope. For a good diagram of how to do this, click here.

Keeping both of your eyes open, simultaneously look through the tube, or telescope, and look at your hand. Egad! You have a hole in your hand!

Quick! Move your telescope away from your eye. Oh good, it must have been a mirage from being at sea for so long, your hand is still intact. Switch hands to try it again and see if the other one is okay.

Why did you see a hole in your hand? Each of your eyes sees a different image. Your brain puts these images together. Normally, this works out, but you've tricked your brain a bit here. One eye is seeing the hole from the telescope, the other is seeing your hand. When your brain puts the two images together, you've got a hole in your hand!

For more information about experiments like these, or how your vision works, check out the following links:

• Exploratorium Science Snacks: Thread the Needle
• Exploratorium Science Snacks: Hole in Your Hand
• University of Washington: Neuroscience for Kids, Vision Experiments

Talk Like a Pirate Day Blog Hop

Talk Like A Pirate Day 2017 Blog Hop

 

Welcome to our annual Talk Like A Pirate Day Blog Hop!  Packed full of ideas, activities and all things to do with the sea, pirates and scallywags!

Make the 19th September a fun-filled, ship-shape day and remember to have lots of swashbuckling and arrrrrring as well!  

Join my pirate mateys and me by hopping over onto the posts below before you walk the plank, me hearties!

Witty Hoots - Salt Dough Pirate Coins

CrArty Kids - Swirling Seascape Art

My Storytime Corner - Ahoy! Pirates Storytime for Preschoolers

Share it! Science - Pirate Science: Tricks of the Eye

Growing Play - 5 Pirate Party Games

International Talk Like a Pirate Day A Quirky Blog Hop: 2016

Celebrate on September 19th this year. This blog hop is all about sharing interesting crafts and activities aimed at kids of all ages, hosted by Witty Hoots. Joining in with this quirky blog hop are some wonderful bloggers from around the world: 

Peakle Pie Shares some Salt Dough Pirate Treasures

Great Ideas for Pirate Board Books for Toddlers from The Jenny Evolution

Kitchen Floor Crafts shares a fabulous Pirate Treasure Sensory Bin with Letter Matching

Pirate Science 20 Ways to Play and Learn these are fun ideas from Kids Minds
 
Share It! Science features some amazing Pirate Optical Illusions

And a Crafty Pirate Round-Up from Witty Hoots

Sloth, Armadillo and Anteater Adaptation Scavenger Hunt!

X is for Xenarthra!

When you are thinking of animals from A-Z, the letter X poses some problems. There just aren't many animals, or words for that matter, that start with X!

Today, X is for Xenarthra. "Xen...what?" You might say. Xenarthra, pronounced "zen-arth-rah", is the group of animals that includes anteaters, tree sloths and armadillos. These are some interesting and bizarre creatures, each with some pretty amazing adaptations that help them to survive in their own niche in various locations on the planet.

Adaptations are how an animal is built, or how it behaves, that help it to survive. Often humans borrow these ideas for adaptations to help us do things. Today we are going to go on a Xenarthra adaptations scavenger hunt. You'll be looking for things humans have constructed that do the same jobs as the amazing adaptations of anteaters, tree sloths and armadillos. You can search in your house, outside, or in your classroom. For example: you might be looking for something protective like the armadillos bony plates. Maybe you'll find a bicycle helmet, or some hard plastic knee pads.

First, let's learn about some of these animals wild adaptations, then you can print out some scavenger hunt cards and go on your adventure!

Anteaters

Giant Anteater image: Malene Thyssen (Own work) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons

Anteater Adaptations

• The anteater has a long pointed nose, that is not only great for finding food, but also can be held above the water when swimming- like a snorkel!
• The anteater's long tongue can reach up to 2 feet! It has tiny barbs and sticky saliva to catch ants. It moves quickly, so if you're an ant, you don't stand a chance! 
• Anteaters have long tube-like mouths with no teeth. Their specialized stomachs have strong muscles and powerful acid so that they don't have to chew their food. 
• On the inner toes of each foot, the anteater has long claws. These are used to break open ant hills and termite mounds, in addition to protecting them from predators and climbing trees. They walk on the sides of their feet so that they don't wear down these important tools.
• The anteater's tail is used as an additional appendage. It can be used like a kickstand to help the animal keep its balance when standing on its hind legs. It can also be used to hang on branches. Part of the tail is hairless to help the animal grip. The rest has long hair which helps to keep the animal warm when it wraps the tail around its body.

Tree Sloths

Sloth image: Geoff Gallice [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Sloth Adaptations

• The sloth has a stomach that includes many compartments. The food the sloth eats is difficult to break down, so this helps the process. It can take a long time, sometimes a month, for the food to break down! 
• The sloth's metabolism is super slow and the creature maintains a low body temperature. Both of these adaptations allow the animal to survive on food that doesn't give them much energy. 
• The sloth's fur is different than other animals. When the sloth is hanging upside down in a tree, the fur points down to help it shed water. Sloths living in very moist and wet conditions may have 2 types of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, growing on their fur. This gives them a greenish color that helps them camouflage. 
• Sloths have curled claws that help them climb and hold themselves up in trees. These claws can help with protection, but they mostly rely on camouflage to hide themselves from predators. 

To learn more about sloths and for another great adaptations activity, check out my International Sloth Day post!

Armadillos

Southern Three Banded Armadillo image: Ltshears derivative work: WolfmanSF (SouthernThreeBandedArmadillo065.jpg) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

Armadillo Adaptations

• Armadillos are known for the hard bony plates that cover them from head to tail. Depending on the armadillo, they can have anywhere from 7-11 telescoping bands of plates. In between each plate is soft skin and hair. These plates serve as excellent protection!
• When an armadillo needs to protect itself, it finds a hole and wedges itself inside with those bony plates pointed outward. This creates a strong wall that is very difficult for another animal to dislodge.
• Animal behaviors can be adaptations too. An armadillo's first response to a predator will be to jump up in the air, which usually surprises the predator enough that it will run away.
• Armadillos have strong claws for digging and burrowing.

Armadillo image: Arnaud Boucher derivative work: WolfmanSF (Chaetophractus_vellerosus.jpg) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Now it's time to have a little fun. Print out this Xenarthra Adaptations Scavenger Hunt and see what you can find!

Be sure to check out the other great activities in the A-Z of Animals Series on Teach Me Mommy.

Also, don't miss the previous posts in this series: W is for Whale: Wonderful Whale and Water Bead Sensory Bin  and W is for Wolf: Wolf Science: Exploring the Sense of Smell.

Follow my Pinterest board to save all the great activity ideas in this series!

Spectacular Summer Science Series

We're so excited to be hosting the Spectacular Summer Science series! Share it! Science News is teaming up with some other science-loving bloggers to give you 8 weeks of summer inspired science activities and projects. Paper air toy physics, pickle chemistry, solar oven challenges and more! Come back here each week for something new to try! 

Week 1: Share it! Science News- Flying and Twirling: Paper Toy Physics

Week 2: Share it! Science News- The Great Backyard Butterfly Experiment

Week 3: Thriving STEM- How to Learn Chemistry By Making Delicious Pickles

Week 4: Growing with Science- Fish Activities for Kids

Week 5: Share it! Science News- Over 25 Ways to Explore and Learn in Nature

Week 6: Share it! Science News- Over 40 Water and Ice Science Activities to Keep You Cool!

Week 7: Share it! Science News- Solar Oven STEM: Engineering Design Challenge

Week 8: Growing with Science- Nocturnal Animals and Light Pollution

Battling the 'Summer Slide': Integrating Science and Literacy

Have you heard of the summer slide? This is the phenomena that occurs over the summer months when kids aren't practicing the skills they need to maintain the level of academic achievement they have reached during the school year. If a student goes without reading during the summer months, they can slide back up to 3 grade levels by the time the new school year starts up!

So how can we combat the summer slide and still let kids be kids? A great way is to incorporate some reading and fun open-ended science activities into your summer routine.

This post contains affiliate links, please see disclosures for more information. 

A great way for kids to do a little reading and then create their own science investigation is by using the Everyday Science Mysteries series from the National Science Teacher's Association (NSTA). These books are meant to be guides for teachers, but could easily be used in the home as well. Each of the books includes short stories written for upper elementary and middle school audiences.


From determining why the mass of a piece of chewing gum changes after you've chewed it, to building a timer powered by water, there is a lot that can be explored through these stories. Although many of the mysteries ultimately have a "right" answer, there are so many ways to come to that conclusion that kids will have to use their own creativity and critical thinking skills to get there.

You can find Everyday Science Mystery books on Amazon, or purchase them at a discounted rate if you are a NSTA member.

If you are looking for picture and chapter books that lend themselves to science activities, then you'll definitely want to explore the Storybook Science Series at Inspiration Laboratories blog. This is a month of science activities linked to stories. You'll find our post: The Dandelion Seed: A Seed Design Engineering Challenge there along with all sorts of other fun activities. Check it out and then head to your local library to pick up some of the books.



Another favorite of mine that connects reading with authentic science is the Natural Inquirer, a free science research journal for students published by the Cradle of Forestry in America Interpretive Association, the USDA and the US Forest service. These journals follow actual research scientists and their studies. The journal is reviewed by students before going to press. You can order free copies of the Natural Inquirer here.

image: www.naturalinquirer.org

Kids can also find science news articles written just for them by following the links on my page Science News for Kids. 

If you are looking for other ways to engage kids in science this summer, you won't want to miss my post: Over 13 Ideas to Keep Kids Engaged in Science all Summer Long.  

Read more about the summer slide here:

• National Summer Learning Association: "Know the Facts"
• Edutopia: "Parents: Inspiring Readers Through the Summer Slump"
• Homeroom Blog- U.S. Department of Education: "Become an "Education Coach" and Keep the Summer Slide at Bay All Season"
• Education.com "The Summer Slide" 

Want to know more? Find out what other bloggers have to say about the summer slide:

• Thriving STEM: "How to Stop the Summer Slide with Science Books"
• The JE 411: "Summer Learning Loss is Real"
• Room to Play: "Why Boredom is Good for Kids"
• Planet Smarty Pants: "Why I am Not Worried About Summer Slide" 
• 3 Dinosaurs: "Having Fun to Prevent the Summer Slide" 
• Mama Smiles: "Fun Educational Activities to Beat the Summer Slide" 
• Creative Family Fun: "Stop Summer Slide with Fun Reading Challenges" 

May the 4th Be With You: Star Wars Astronomy

May 4th is Star Wars Day! I'm so excited to be participating in the Star Wars Day Quirky Blog Hop hosted by Witty Hoots.  Get ready for some Star Wars inspired STEM!

Have you ever wondered what our planet would be like if we had two suns like the planet Tatooine? What if we had two moons? Are the planets in the Star Wars movie realistic at all?

Let's answer those questions and have some fun with some hands-on science activities!

 

 

This post contains affiliate links, see disclosures for more information.  

2 Suns: A Tatooine Like Earth

You may have observed that Luke Skywalker's home planet, Tatooine, had two suns. Astronomers have found evidence of a planet outside of our solar system that is orbiting two stars. This planet, Kepler-16b, is part of a system much like George Lucas's fictional planet, Tatooine.

On Earth we have one sun, that provides us with light and heat. It holds our planet in orbit. It affects the seasons on Earth. How would this change if we had two suns? If Earth were like Kepler-16b we'd experience slightly colder temperatures because we'd be at a greater distance from the sun. 

Kepler-16b's suns are slightly smaller than our sun, so the pull of gravity would be less and we'd have a longer year because we'd orbit more slowly. If we had two suns the same size as our sun, then we'd have a faster orbit and a shorter year. Scientists aren't sure if a moon would form in this type of system, so our nights would be a little bit different, and the ocean tides would be affected.

Try this activity from NASA that models the rotation of Earth and the night/day cycle. You'll need a globe (or a large ball) and a flashlight. Once you've tried this out under "normal" circumstances for Earth, try it again with two suns, or in other words, two flashlights.

• How does this change where the people on Earth are experiencing daylight?
• Does it make the days longer or shorter?
• What effect do you think this has on the seasons?
• How might the human sleep cycle, or circadian rhythm be altered by having two suns? Would other animals and plants be affected too?

An Earth with 2 Moons

What would our planet be like if there were two moons rotating around it? Earth is the only planet in our solar system with just one moon. Some planets do not have any natural satellites, whereas others have dozens.

Our moon and its gravitational force gives the ocean its tides, is the reason we have a 24 hour day and it keeps the planet at the tilt that gives us seasons. The moon reflects the sunlight in the night time and we can view its phases and eclipses. How would all of this be different if we had two moons?

Night time would be brighter, which would affect nocturnal animals. Tides would be much more extreme. Our calendar, which is based on the cycle of the moon's phases (each cycle = approx. 1 month, or "moonth")

Try the "Dance of the Moon and Oceans" as a movement activity with several kids to learn about the tides. How would this movement change if there were more than one moon in this "dance"?

If you do not have a group of kids to try this with, you can learn about the tides through this video.

• How would having two moons change how our tides work?
• How would more extreme tides affect life on Earth?

What about the moon's phases and eclipses? Would we still see the moon the same way if there were two of them?

Try this: First, model the phases of the moon to get the hang of what is really happening up there. You can model it the way Emily Morgan, author of "Next Time You See the Moon", does it here:

Now add in another moon. You might have to find a friend to help. Experiment with where you place the moon.

• Have the moon's phases changed?
• How is this affecting the night sky on the Earth?
• What if one moon were orbiting faster than the other? How would that change things?

Other Star Wars like Planets

Are there other planets that resemble the fictional ones in the Star Wars universe? Yup. But they aren't in our solar system! Exoplanet OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb resembles the fictional cold world planet, Hoth. Mustafar, a hot molten world in Star Wars is similar to Kepler-10b and Kepler-78b.  Kepler-22b is thought to be like the fictional ocean world, Kamino. It is also believed that there are real-life similarities out there to Princess Leia's home planet, Alderaan and to Endor, home of the Ewoks.

Still Interested? Read more:

• Washington Post: From 'Star Wars' to reality: Astronomers discover Tatooine world with two suns
• Live Science: What Would Earth be Like with Two Suns?
• NASA: NASA's Kepler Mission Discovers a World Orbiting Two Stars
• Universe Today: What if the Earth had two moons? 
• Star Wars: Science Fair Book 

Join us as we celebrate Star Wars Day - May 4th with some wonderful galactic inspired crafts, recipes and activity ideas!

Try this Star Wars Sensory Bin from Something 2Offer

The Jenny Evolution has some great Activity Books for All Ages

Yummy Rogue One Ice Cream recipe is a favourite from Nerdy Mamma

Share It! Science News has some fabulous Activities for Exploring Planets with 2 Suns!

Make some of these fabulous Droid Crafts from Play & Learn Everyday

These DIY Party Favours from Kidz Activities would be a hit at any party!

Mrs LeBlancs Learners are learning Star Wars in the Classroom

Defying Gravity! Sounds like great fun from Kid Minds

Make your own Airplane Fly Off like Royal Baloo!

Brush up on your galaxy sums with Daily Math from 3 Dinosaurs

KC Edventures is sharing a great Planets Math Activity

Erupting Death Star plus an I Spy Printable, some fun ideas from Little Bins

Peakle Pie shares some cute Paper Plate Ewoks

An InLinkz Link-up