The Solar System Puzzle, Alison’s Montessori

Cosmic Education, 6-9+

The Solar System puzzle is definitely more engaging than any educational puzzles we’ve had. It is intricate, has lots of moveable parts, and a rich content when combined with the nomenclature cards.

The puzzle contains a wooden puzzle, a control chart, and wooden labels that include:

• Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Moon (Earth), Moons (Jupiter), Moons (Saturn), Moons (Uranus).
• Asteroid Belt, Kuiper Belt, Asteroid, Comet, Nebula, Nova, Supernova, Galaxy, Black hole.
• 6 unlabeled arrows.

I’ve collected quite a few materials to invite the children to use independently. We use them as a starter before engaging in research based on interest. For example, my newly 2nd grader wanted to learn, and write about black holes. He decided so, because he read in his booklet that black holes have cores with colossal gravitational forces. In other words, there’s no hole! Just like a planetary nebula has no planets.

Sometimes, the children will just undo the puzzle to reconstruct it. Sometimes, they will label each part. This puzzle is challenging enough, even for an adult; you’ll surely have fun with it yourself!

The nomenclature cards can be purchased separately. An improved new version of the nomenclature cards is out. I will write a separate post about it. The cards are suitable for 3-6, as well as 6-9+. They contain the classic 3 part cards, and description cards. The content is dense, but not impossible to read for a new reader. I read the cards to my 2nd grader, as he gets frustrated if he can’t read fluently. The texts contain rich vocabulary such as: compromised, potential, hypothesized, modesty, oblate spheroid, derived, guardianship, courageous, accumulates, prominent…

In addition, all the pictures on the nomenclature cards match exactly the puzzles pieces. Consistency across content is always appreciated.

We must have put this puzzle back together at least 50 times, and it is scratch-free. This puzzle is complementary with the layers of Earth, and the layers of the Sun puzzles. I will let you appreciate the materials through the pictures below. 🙂

Disclosure: I received this product for free; I am writing an honest and unbiased review as usual. No affiliate links.

Ready for a lesson?

Make sure to read about the Layers of the Earth puzzle, and the Layers of the Sun puzzle.