Our educational series are designed to be used as conversation starters. As well as the eight planets teach children about dwarf planets and the contribution Voyager 1 & 2 spacecraft have made to space discovery.
 
Do you know the difference between a meteoroid and a meteorite?
 
This mat includes our signature search and find box as an additional activity.
 
Our large educational series mats measure 40x30cm
 
Sold as a single mat or the option to add on pens.
 
These butter-soft premium mats made from 100% silicone, are a Planet-friendly solution to colouring. Heat resistant to 220 °C so can be sterilised too for your peace of mind.
Easy to clean with soap and hot water they are both dishwasher & microwave-safe.
 
HELPFUL NOTES:
The solar system has eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. There are five officially recognized dwarf planets in our solar system: Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.
 
The discovery of Eris in 2005 led to the creation of a new category of Solar System objects called dwarf planets. Eris is similar in size to Pluto. Astronomers realised that there were probably many more objects like Eris and Pluto out there.
 
This led to a lot of questions... should they all be planets? Should there be a new category? Should Pluto stay as a planet?
 
After a lot of discussion, the International Astronomical Union came up with a new definition of a planet. This led to Pluto being 'downgraded' to the dwarf planet category in 2006.
 
To be classed as a planet the object must:
Orbit around the Sun.
Be massive enough for its gravity to pull it into a rounded shape.
Have cleared any smaller objects out of the area around its orbit.