Enter the National Geographic Mnemonic Planet Contest
SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 10/31/2007 8:45:00 AM
It’s not surprising if your students have trouble remembering the order of the planets in the solar system. That’s why the National Geographic Society is asking kids to come up with a fun and memorable mnemonic sentence to help.
The planet contest consists of coming up with a mnemonic—a verse or phrase intended to assist the memory—using the first letter for each of the planets in their order of distance from the sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Eris (with Ceres, Pluto, and Eris considered as dwarf planets). Here's an example: My Very Excellent Mother Can Jump Slowly Under Nelly’s Plastic Elephant
The winner’s name and mnemonic will be printed in an upcoming National Geographic book about the planets, 11 Planets: A New View of the Solar System by David Agullar. The winner will also receive a tote bag filled with books, as well as a t-shirt, hat, toys, and other merchandise.
To enter, students and educators can visit a contest web site or mail entries to: Planet Contest, National Geographic Society, 1145 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036-4701. The same Web site will offer news of the winner. The deadline is December 15, and the winner will be announced online. http://kids.nationalgeographic.com.
