Science Education Standards:

Science as Inquiry -- Content Standard A

Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry

• Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. Some involve making models.

Physical Science -- Content Standard B

Motions and Forces

• The motion of an object can be described by its position, direction of motion and speed.

Earth and Space Science -- Content Standard D

Earth in the Solar System

• Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion. Those motions explain such phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the Moon, and eclipses.
• Gravity is the force that keeps planets in orbit around the sun and governs the rest of the motion in the solar system. Gravity alone holds us to Earth's surface and explains the phenomena of the tides.

Short Description: Students model the gravitational fields of planets on a flexible surface. Children place and move balls of different sizes and densities on a plastic sheet to develop a mental picture of how the mass of an object influences how much effect it has on the surrounding space.