Lyrics

Verse I
We’ve just begun so far, with the strum of guitar
So let me set it off and tell you that the sun is a star
In the center of the Solar System filling the void
Along with comets and the planets and the asteroids
And meteoroids, and dust, but remember this fact
And if you do you’ll be heading to the head of the class

In fact, the sun makes up almost all of the weight
Of our solar system: it’s 99.8% of it all
That means it’s one heck of a ball
The energy of the sun is supporting us all
Important to call it by its right name, you know what it is
Energy from sunlight through photosynthesis
It benefits the flowers to get the sun’s power

The Earth revolves once over 24 hours
Now it’s better to remember it’s the length of a day so it
Doesn’t matter if it’s December or May
It’s still the same. So don’t be fooled in school like a dunce
‘Cause one year it takes earth to spin around the sun once
12 months to orbit, one way around
It takes 365 days they found

So now you’re primed, these numbers you’ll remember in rhyme
The earth’s tilted on its side, 23.5 degrees
Like a G, you wanna lean in the ride
And it’s for this very reason we get seasons and tides

Chorus

We have the sun, the earth, and the moon
Spinning around the other, with gravity too
The moon around the earth, the earth around the sun
Giving us the reason for seasons for everyone

Verse II
Back so soon, I’m bringing a few facts about the moon
How it provides the ocean tides and stabilizes the room
But actually dude, though true, what is actually felt:
The moon stabilizes the whole axial tilt

So fasten your belt, ‘cause if you come along for the ride
You could fall or rise, like the level of tide
Forever you’ll find that the moon and the earth are related,
Fatal like attraction as the tides created

The size is spacious, our moon’s sort of large with girth
But its diameter is only about a quarter of earth’s
For what that it’s worth, it’s earth’s only satellite known
Largest moon in the solar system spinning around its globe

And it’s been shown the moon affected our sphere
And may have helped develop life through our temperature here
So now that we’re clear about the earth, the moon, and the sun
Y’all repeat the hook, ‘cause this tune is done

Resources

Further Reading

Education World: The Educator’s Best Friend
Sites to See: Space Science
This website has over twenty recommendations for online resources to help students learn about space, including the solar system.

Kid’s Astronomy
Interactive Solar System
This website provides information about the whole solar system, including earth and its moon.

NASA
Sun for Kids
This website gives an overview of the sun, plus ten interesting pieces of sun trivia.

Nine Planets
Our Moon
This website provides fascinating trivia about earth’s moon.

Lesson Plans & Activities

European Space Agency Kids
http://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/OurUniverse.html
This website has information about the sun, moon and earth, as well as activities and labs.

Fourmilab
Earth and Moon Viewer
This site allows you to view either a map of the Earth showing the day and night regions at this moment, or view the Earth from the Sun, the Moon, the night side of the Earth, above any location on the planet specified by latitude, longitude and altitude, from a satellite in Earth orbit, or above various cities around the globe.

HowStuffWorks
Science Projects for Kids: The Moon
This website provides five different projects involving the moon, plus links to other resources.

NASA
Earth from Space
This collection of official NASA photos features the shots taken by astronauts from outer space.

NASA
Sun-Earth Day
This website contains several links to activities and lesson plans about the relationship between the sun and the earth.

Science NetLinks
Exploring the Solar System
This activity helps students plan a trip to the moon.

Science NetLinks
The Sun
This lesson plan introduces students to the sun, especially its structure and its features such as sun spots, magnetic fields, and solar flares.

Stanford Solar Center
Lesson Plans
This website contains several classroom activity ideas about the sun.

Universe Today
Moon for Kids
This website explains how to have students create “Moon Journals.”

Media

KidsKnowIt Network
Why Does the Sun Shine (song)
This simple song pronounces the importance of the sun.