The Spinning Universe
Take the sun out for a spin – and say hello to the solar system!
The Spinning Universe is a unique playground game inspired by our very own solar system. Children sit inside a sphere-shaped roundabout that represents the sun. As the carousel turns, the earth and moon, which are attached to an upper axis, move in relation to the sun. Display boards show the relative size and position of the planets, as well as their orbit around the sun.
As they engage in play, the children are provided with galactic information pertaining to the length of days, months and years – which are all determined by the earth's orbit. They also feel the centrifugal force that keeps their bodies in place as the sun spins – and the centripetal force that pushes them back toward the center of the circle.
Fun Universe Facts
The distance between the the sun and the earth is nearly 150 million kilometers (93 million miles).
During a solar or lunar eclipse, the sun, moon and earth are aligned in a straight row. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon hides all or part of the sun from us earth dwellers. A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun and moon are on opposite sides of the earth so that the earth keeps direct sunlight from reaching the moon.