Mars week had us making fizzy paint, slime, food rovers, and a red planet trail mix that wasn’t quite as red as I expected.
When I planned this week, I hadn’t done these activities before. The slime alone deserved a “pray for me.” But that’s been a lot of homeschooling so far. Finding something that looks fun, gathering the supplies, and figuring it out together.
Our homemade solar system is coming along, and Mars gave us plenty to work with.
Mars Read-Along and Worksheets
We kept Mars in our morning worksheet routine with our “All About Mars” read-along, matching review questions, counting, and patterns.
The read-along introduced Mars as the fourth planet from the Sun and explained why we call it the Red Planet. We also talked about its two moons and its rocky surface.
The counting and pattern pages carried the theme into our early math practice with pictures of rovers, astronauts, rockets, and planets.
I’ll share these individually so you can choose what works for your kids.
Fizzy Paint Mars
This was such a fun one. We used fizzy paint to make Mars for our homemade solar system, and the kids loved watching the baking soda react with the vinegar.
There was plenty to watch while we worked, which made the painting itself part of the science activity.
And I have to say, Mars might be our best-looking planet so far. Earth looks pretty great, too, but I really loved how this one turned out.
Mars Slime
We also worked slime into Mars week. This was one of the activities I was a little nervous about when I put it on the plan.
I’m learning that I can be excited to try something with the kids and still wonder what I’ve gotten myself into. Slime fits pretty well into that category.
It gave us another hands-on activity to go with our planet study and a different texture to explore alongside the painting and paper activities.
Red Planet Trail Mix
Our Mars trail mix included pretzels, dried strawberries, and yogurt-covered pieces.
I was going for a red planet theme. Did it turn out as red as I pictured? No. But we still made our Mars snack, and it didn’t need to match the vision perfectly to be part of the week.
That’s been a good reminder with these activities. Sometimes the idea and the finished product look a little different, and we can still enjoy doing it.
Making Mars Rovers Out of Food
We also made Mars rovers out of food, bringing another edible activity into our planet study.
This gave us something different to focus on beyond what Mars looks like. We could introduce the idea that rovers help us explore the planet, then make our own versions.
And apparently, if there’s a way to work a snack into our solar system study, I’m going to find it.
Our Paper Plate Mars and Clothespin Activity
I forgot to print the Mars cut-and-color template I’d been using for the other planets, so we improvised.
I had the kids color a paper plate with different shades of red, plus some brown and black. Then they cut out the middle of the plate, which gave us a Mars circle.
We used clothespins to pass Mars around in a circle. Each person had to clip onto the planet before the next person let go.
Working the clothespin was tricky for my youngest, but that was part of the practice. Opening it, getting it into position, and holding onto the plate took some coordination.
It ended up being a fun way to work on hand strength, fine motor skills, and taking turns. All because I forgot to print something.
Another Planet Added
Mars week had a lot of activities that were new to all of us, and I’m glad we tried them.
We painted, made snacks, practiced early math, and found a use for a paper plate when the original plan wasn’t available.
I’m enjoying watching our solar system grow, but I’m also enjoying seeing how differently the kids approach each activity.