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PIP’S STARHAVEN · ACTIVITY SHEET · CHILDREN

Two motions, one paper Earth

15 minutes · Paper · Pencil · A coin or cardboard disk

Your investigation

  1. Draw a Sun at the center of a page and an orbit around it. Place a disk on the orbit as Earth.
  2. Mark a dot on one side of the disk. Turn the disk in place and label that movement “rotation.”
  3. Move it once around the drawn path and label that movement “orbit.”
  4. Draw separate arrows for the two motions. Explain the distinction to a partner.

Think, draw, explain

Which movement helps explain day and night?

Which movement defines an Earth year?

Compare your explanation with the grown-up answer guide after you have tried.