This is a Christian Home School Lesson Series for first graders on the Solar System that aims to fulfill the Science Content Standards from the California Department of Education.
Lesson 10: Pluto
Purpose: To explore and know more about God’s creation of Pluto.
Book(s) read:
Christine Taylor-Butler, Pluto: Dwarf Planet
Other tools:
Paper
Pencil
Crayons
Learning Objectives:
- Learn general knowledge about Pluto.
- Learn the vocabulary concerning Pluto.
- Learn a spiritual lesson concerning Pluto.
Lessons
1. Learn general knowledge about Pluto.
Tool 1: Read Christine Taylor-Butler’s Pluto: Dwarf Planet.
Tool 2: Questions
What is your favorite picture from what we read?
Point to pictures that shows Pluto.
Tool 3: Further period of interactive instructions
Pluto is not officially a planet but is what is called “Dwarf Planet.”
Dwarf Planet is smaller than planets.
There are other dwarf planets found in our system including Ceres which is between Mars and Jupiter and Eris located at the Kuiper Belt outside the orbit of Neptune (Christine Taylor-Butler, Pluto: Dwarf Planet, 23).
Pluto is made out of rock and ice (Christine Taylor-Butler, Pluto: Dwarf Planet, 12).
Pluto is far away from the Sun and is passed Neptune.
Pluto is almost 3.5 billion miles away (Gregory Vogt, Pluto, 22).
Pluto is so far away it gets very few sunlight (Gregory Vogt, Pluto, 9).
Pluto has three moons (Christine Taylor-Butler, Pluto: Dwarf Planet, 14).
The largest moon is called Charon (Gregory Vogt, Pluto, 33).
Pluto’s other moons are called Nix and Hydra and very little is known about them (Gregory Vogt, Pluto, 38).
It takes a long time compared to Earth and all the planets we learned about for Pluto to circle the Sun: Pluto takes 248 Earth years to orbit the sun (Gregory Vogt, Pluto, 23).
Pluto is so far away and so little that there is very little we know about it compared to the planet we covered.
Fortunately pictures of Pluto was finally first seen in 2015 when NASA sent a spacecraft called New Horizon and it sent back images. Check it out here.
2. Illustrate what is learned in this lesson about Pluto.
Have four blocks to draw in.
First block label and draw a picture of Pluto.
Second block draw Neptune again but this time with its three moons. Label “Pluto’s moons.”
Third block label and draw orbit. Have a picture of the sun circle by Mercury (color: grey), Venus (color: Orange/Crème), Earth (color: Blue), Mars (color: Red), Jupiter (color: Orange), Saturn (color: pale yellow), Uranus (color: Blue-white or light blue), Neptune (color: blue) and Pluto (color: grey with little brown).
Fourth block label and draw a picture of spacecraft New Horizon circling Pluto.
Switch paper and see the similarities and differences in one another’s drawings.
3. Learn a spiritual lesson about God’s creation of Pluto.
Tool 1: Bible
““The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;” (Acts 17:24)
This verse shows God created “all things”
This includes Pluto!
Since God is Creator He does not need us; we need Him!
Have you thank God for life?
Tool 2: Questions
Are you amazed at how God created Pluto?
Review: Share what you learn today.
The Domain for Truth 
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Thanks for the reblog!
Yankee Whiskey Bravo 🙏
Poor Pluto! Get’s no respect. Stripped of its full-fledged “planet” status and consigned to second string. 3.5 billion miles away just boggles my mind.
I know some actually do protest with signs…to make Pluto a planet again! LOL. It blows my mind how far away Pluto is and I wonder what kind of battery power would it take to send out signals back to Earth! It blows my mind, I can’t comprehend it. Have you seen some of the new photos of Pluto from the last few years? It’s incredible if you haven’t seen it already
I just googled photos of Pluto. Yeah, incredible to see photos of something so far away.
God’s creation is truly amazing!
It is have you seen the photo of Pluto from a few years ago? It’s worth googling
The ones from Horizon as it flew by? Those were awesome! It is incredible how far away from the sun Pluto is, and still reflects enough light to be photographed.
Amazing pics on google…!
Isn’t it amazing God’s Creation…and that God has given us the ability to capture incredible images even as far away as Pluto?
Yeah ! Fascinating!
Whoops I forgot about Pluto when I linked to your lessons. I’ll have to add this too it. A popular homeschool mom share it with her group, it’s now the most popular post I’ve got. I’m so thankful that all those kiddos are getting God centered, creation focused, science lessons!
Thank you sister for sharing this, we have been getting quite a stream of traffic and I appreciate you sharing them! Not that it is primarily about numbers but that 1.4 million milestone isn’t in a vaccuum. I am thankful and appreciate it very much all the resources you have shared from our blog with others on social media and elsewhere!
1.4 million is a fantastic milestone, to know so many are getting well fed it such a blessing!
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