Serving the Elements: Earth

Blessing of Earth

May the blessings of the earth be upon you,
A sheltering cave to bring you to birth and securely hold you,
The fertile soil to nourish you,
The green grass to lay soft under you.

- blessing from a Pagan handfasting ceremony

(via The Blessing Files)

Sadness of Gaia by Josephine Wall, used with permission

If Water is the element of flow, Earth is the element of deep stillness and slumbering power.  The element of caverns and fertile fields, of sandy shores and granite peaks.  Earth is the embodiment of Nature–every rock and every tree, the living landscape of life and the recycling of itself in death and in the grave.

A human being’s Earth is her body. From Earth comes solidity, stability, and commitment. We call Earth our home, both the home of all life that is Mother Earth, and the house or apartment we live in. By extension, Earth is hearth and family and all those qualities that make us feel “at home.”  To be an earthy person is to be pragmatic, realistic, and tactile. Good Earth qualities in a person make her “the salt of the earth,” but an excess of negative Earth qualities make her a “stick-in-the-mud.” Earth is that deep, solid, immobile place, both in the negative sense of stubborn and in the positive sense of patient. The Witches’ Pyramid describes this quality in the attribute “To Be Silent.”

Deborah Lipp

Scientifically Speaking:
Earth (unlike water)  is a bit of a complicated element…when it comes to “earth” from a scientific perspective.  It can refer to the planet in its entirety (either as a geological phenomenon or a ecological one), or it can refer to the solid stuff we walk on, known collectively as rocks and/or dirt.

Rocks: A rock is any naturally occurring mass of mineral matter.  All rocks fall into one of three broad categories that are based on the formation of the individual rock type.  Rocks are made  (and destroyed) in a cycle known (how’s this for complex naming systems?) as the Rock Cycle (lol).  The first type of rock, igneous rock, is made when molten rock cools and hardens, and includes granite, obsidian, basalt and pumice.  The second sort of rock is sedimentary rock, which is formed by the layering of deposited pieces of igneous, metamorphic and other sedimentary rock, as well as dead animals and plants, which make fossils.  Common types of sedimentary rock include sandstone, shale, limestone, coal and gypsum.  The third type of rock is metamorphic rock, which forms when sedimentary rock or igneous rock is heated or pressurized, and includes marble, slate and quartzite.

Dirt: Soil forms the outermost layer of our earth. It is composed of minerals (45%), organic matter (5%), water (25%), and air (25%). Soil is formed by a combination of geological, chemical, and biological processes–geology determines the rock type and mineral composition while chemical weathering, erosion and organisms such as fungi, lichen and plants (roots) break up rock to help form soil.  Developed soil forms layers called “horizons”, which make a cross-section of soil look a bit like a layer cake.  All soils have at least one horizon, but most have 3 or 4.  While the soil profile of any given location varies, the most common profile is the O-A-B-C-R profile, which is an abbreviation for the progression of horizons (Organic, A horizon–hummus, B horizon–subsoil, C horizon, Bedrock).  The different compositions of soil form various soil types, which are globally sorted into 12 orders.  In the United States alone, there are at least 70,000 soil types (though different countries have difference criteria and terminology for soil types and profiles).

World Map of the 12 Soil Orders

Etymologically Speaking…

In this worldview, the elements that made up existence were categorized quite broadly as the Classical elements of Water, Air, Fire, and Earth. Our term ‘Earth’, consequently, is derived from a much older word which meant simply ‘the ground’, or ‘the opposite of the sea’–much the way the word ‘earth’ can be used today. These early words for earth, in turn, are references to the Norse goddess Jörð, mother to Thor.

source

Traditional Correspondences:
Star Signs: Tarus, Virgo, Capricorn
Direction: North
Gender: female
Other Correspondences: cattle, pigs, goats, salt, money, winter, fruit, pregnancy, midnight, milk, preservation, fertility, stillness, pentacles (Tarot), caves, fields, bears, bulls, rabbits, lions, stones/rocks/crystals, sand/dirt/soil, seeds and grains, cabbage, potatoes and root vegetables, coins, pentacle, gnomes, goblins, root chakra, the grave
Magical Associations: fertility magic, prosperity rituals, money spells, home protections and blessing, crop/garden blessings, grounding rituals and meditations, rituals and spells for jobs or business success, dying/rebirth rituals, death rituals
Colors: Brown, Black, Greens
Deities: Geb(♂) , Gaia(♀), Emesh(♂), Enten(♂), Hou Tu(♂), Cybele(♀), Magna Mater(♀), Veles(♂), Asase Ya(♀), Asintma(♀), Daikoku-ten(♂), Ninhursag(♀), Beira(♀), Dhara(♂), Coatlicue, Erecura(♀), Proserpina(♀), Enki(♂), Persephone(♀), Demeter(♀), Diti(♀), Pachamama(♀), Ida(♀), Jörð(♀), Sif(♀), Ki(♀), Ops(♀), Prithvi(♀), Liluri(♀), Tu Di Gong(♂), Mat Zemlya(♀), Zemyna(♀), Voltumna(♂),  

Getting to Know Earth: After water, earth is probably the element I feel closest to.  Earth is what stabilizes and grounds us when we walk upon it.  It holds our energy when we need release, and recharges us when we are replete.  But not everyone is an earthy type, and even the earthiest of us can get to know Earth a little bit better.

“The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world. ”

~ Michael Pollan

• Play in the garden: if you don’t have a garden, volunteer at one or plant some plants in pots.
• Try out the art of rangoli–I once read something I have never forgotten the idea of (though I don’t remember the place, and its paraphrased because the exact wording is long forgotten, lol): “our feet are sacred because they are the place where our bodies are always engaging with Earth” and discussed the use of art such as rangoli (which has the added earth connection of its primary medium being sand or flour) or even the use of rugs and floor cloths as a way to more consciously think about how our feet meet the Earth.
• Go for a hike in the woods, walk along a trail in the park, or just sit under a tree
• Learn a bit about earth science or geology–from plate tectonics to types of rocks, learn about the mechanics and the physical properties of the Earth and of earth and how they work.  I haven’t finished reading it yet, but Amazon has a free earth science high school textbook for the Kindle; and there are a number of field guides available on rocks and minerals at the library or book store.
• Make a sand castle, jump in a mud puddle or dig for earthworms
• Pick up trash at a local park or vacant lot, better yet, re-purpose the trash you collect into art (even plastic starts out as part of the earth)
• Sleep outside, just you and a sleeping bag or blanket …either as a nap, or all night long.  I don’t recommend directly in the grass though…getting to know the earth is one thing, getting to know chiggers is something else.

Alternative/Adapted Correspondences & Earth in Ritual:

In my post about water, I wrote that I believe that witchcraft is about being able to *grok* the forces and cycles that are native to one’s location and to act as a force of change.  The witchcraft I practice is an extension of geography and ecology and self…and that means that sometimes traditional correspondences get modified…and sometimes they don’t.  My correspondences for Earth mostly match that of the traditional correspondence of Earth with winter and the North, as well as other traditional correspondences.  In terms of deity, I tend to associate Earth as Gaia, but I also recognize deities such as Demeter and Persephone, as well as deities such Pomona and Floralia, as being connected with the earth.    I also consider money to be a fantastic symbol for earth, as earth’s associations have to do with fertility and growth and abundance and prosperity (while this has been an association that I have seen bother some, historically, salt itself was used as currency).  And something else (a bit random) that many people don’t think about–plastics are part of the earth element…they are manufactured from oil (which is really fossil goop) in the ground.

We can draw upon the energies of earth and of the Earth to energize ourselves and our rituals.  While earth energy can be used in any ritual, it is more suited to some types of magic and/or ritual than others.  Earth as an element works very well as a  key component of spells and rituals for prosperity and fertility, in life-cycle rituals, and in grounding in ritual and meditation.  In cooking magic, earth can be represented by milk, salt, potatoes and carrots, cabbage, grains, etc.  These foods often make good offerings to the Earth itself or to the elemental energies or spirits of earth or of the land (with the exception of salt, which isn’t usually good for the soil).  Tobacco is also often considered an acceptable offering in North America (since it was used by many Native American tribes) for land spirits.

Serving Earth: There are a number of threats facing soil specifically and land in general.  Among these are soil erosion, deforestation, soil contamination, habitat fragmentation, urban sprawl, invasive plants and animals, desertification, solid waste pollution, wetland loss (drainage), suburban expansion and loss of farmland, and loss of biodiversity.  All of these problems though, boil down to issues of land use.

Land use is one of the most striking manifestations of humans’ presence and physical impact on the planet. More fundamentally, humans have altered the global patterns and prevalence of species and ecosystems. Several recent studies confirm that human-dominated ecosystems now cover more of earth’s land surface than do natural or “wild” ecosystems. According to one estimate, more than 75 percent of the earth’s ice-free land shows evidence of alteration from human residence and activity, with less than a quarter remaining as wildland…

…Changes in land use can affect the distribution and type of land cover (such as forests, cropland and urbanized areas), the ability of ecosystems to provide valuable services that support life, and even elevation and terrain.

(source)

So, what are some things can you do, wherever you are?

• Replace a portion of your lawn with Certified Wildlife Habitat.  Talk to your local school about creating a Certified Wildlife Habitat.
• Plant a native garden and get rid of invasive plants in your landscaping (like Bradford Pears, honey suckle, and some 1500+ other species)
• Support tree planting efforts locally and globally, to help prevent desertification.
• Get involved with local ecological restoration efforts! Nearly every community has them, and often they need help.
• Compost your kitchen and yard waste, rather than sending it into the waste stream.
• Reduce, reuse and recycle.  Try to avoid falling into the “planned obsolescence” trap that companies have set up for you by thinking you just *have to have* X product. Check out the Story of Stuff.
• Eat locally.  Buy from your local farmers… especially if they grow food sustainably (sustaibably is not always organic)
• Know about where your stuff comes from and try to buy it as close to home as possible (plus it creates jobs here), and with natural materials whenever possible (for example, cotton not Lycra)
• Pick up trash when you are out and about, at the park, walking down the street, etc.

Interesting Stuff:
Salt from seawater
Plate Tectonics Animations
Hymn to Gaia
Earth Meditation Ritual
Online Gallery of Minerals
History of Salt
Tree Meditation
Wikipedia Article on Earth as a Classical Element
Supreme Pentagram Ritual of Earth

*part 2 of my Serving the Elements series*

School at Home: Solar System Mythology (2 of 3)

(Continued from Part I)

While the names associated with the planets in Western Culture can mostly be traced back to gods of ancient Rome, other cultures seem to have seen their gods in the heavens as well.  Today, the planets and other celestial bodies (and the features of them) are named by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), which is a world-wide association of astronomers.  The IAU has, in many cases, continued the naming conventions started by the Greeks (who originally named the planets after their gods, perhaps on the belief that the planets were the gods going about their business in the cosmos) and maintaining the same naming themes.  Either way, taking a look at the gods associated with the planets of our solar system is a great introduction to the Greek and Roman pantheons and to how cultures related their gods to the world around them.  I’ve also included some basic facts on the planets themselves, as an introduction to our solar system and to compare the features of the planets.

The Inner Planets

MERCURY:

The planet Mercury probably moves as swiftly though the heavens as its winged shoe-wearing namesake was believed to have traveled.  The god Mercury is associated with a number of things, from travel to thievery in Roman mythology, and was grafted to the Roman pantheon from Hermes of Greek mythology.  One of Hermes/Mercury’s first acts as a child was inventing the lyre and stealing the cattle of Apollo (to whom he gifted the lyre as restitution), and he often acted as the messenger of the gods (hence the winged sandals, which he once lent to Perseus in his quest to kill Medusa).    In Babylonian mythology, the planet Mercury was associated with Nabu, son of Marduk, and god of wisdom and writing.

The planet Mercury is currently being visited by a NASA mission, aptly named MESSENGER, which has been orbiting the planet and collecting data since last Spring.  Mercury takes 88 Earth days to orbit the sun, and during two Mercury-years, rotates on its axis about three times (so Mercury has about 1.5 “days” each “year”).  The planet is thought to be composed of a large, dense iron core (which may be at least partially molten) with a thin, crater covered silicate crust and a very thin atmosphere (caused by solar winds blasting atoms off the surface of the planet, which quickly escape into space due to the extreme heat).  Mercury is both very hot and very cold, with a highly variable temperature ranging from -300 to 800 degrees Farenheit.  Much about Mercury is still a mystery, due to its proximity to the sun, some forms of observation aren’t an option, and the last mission to Mercury, in the 1970′s only mapped 45% of its surface.  In fact, the orbit of Mercury so erratic that was thought to be influenced by another (hypothetical) planet (sometimes called Vulcan), until the development of Einsten’s Theory of Relativity.

VENUS:

The Roman goddess of love and beauty is the only female deity to have a planet as her direct namesake.  This may have something to do with the planet being the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon.  Venus is often called the Evening Star or Morning Star because it is visible in the evening after sunset and in the morning before sunrise.  Though the Romans named the planet after Venus (who corresponds with the Greek Aphrodite), the Greeks themselves personified the planet of Venus as two brother deities–Hesperus (in the evening) and Phosphorus/Eosphorus  (in the morning).  Several geographical features are named after goddesses of other pantheons–a large plateau is named for Lakshmi, mountains named for Danu, a volcano named after Sif, while its northern “continent” is named after the Babylonian goddess Ishtar (Ishtar Terra) and its southern “continent” is named after Aphrodite (Aphrodite Terra).

Like Mercury,the planet of Venus  is what is known as an inferior planet (because its closer to the Sun than Earth, not because Earth is better!) and when viewed from a telescope, it has phases (much like our Moon–Mercury does as well, but they can be harder to see).  These planetary phases are actually part of the evidence that allowed early scientists to support heliocentric theory–the idea that the planets revolve around the sun.  Some other interesting characteristics of Venus–a Venus-day takes about 225 Earth-days to complete, and rotation around the sun is completed in about 2 Venus-days.  Venus also rotates the opposite direction of Earth and most of the other planets.

In some ways, Venus is much like our planet of Earth–like Earth, it is terrestrial, it has an atmosphere and it is similar in size (and therefore similar in gravity).  But it is also quite different, and because of some of those differences, the planet was not well-explored until the early 1990′s, and there is still much about the planet that is being determined.  The atmospheric pressure of Venus is like being half a mile underwater on Earth, and it is mostly made up of carbon dioxide (96.5%) with thick layers sulphuric acid clouds.  Due to the greenhouse effect, Venus actually gets hotter than Mercury!  Because of this heat, landing probes on Venus and getting information before the conditions destroy them has been difficult, while viewing the features of the planet is tricky because of the dense cloud cover.

EARTH:

Earth is the only planet whose name does not derive from Greek/Roman mythology, but rather from Old English and Germanic…and while it is technically not even a deity name, etymologically the word earth might be ultimately derived from references to the Norse goddess Jörð, the mother of Thor.

As far as we know, our planet is the only one with life. It is also the only one with liquid water. Both of these traits have contributed to the composition of our atmosphere, which is a mixture of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% other gases.  The outer atmosphere acts as a sort of shield that protects the planet underneath from many harmful rays from the sun and a number of small meteors.  The cycles of water, nitrogen and carbon, some of which takes place in our atmosphere, are essential to life’s continuance (and when they are messed with, can cause lots of problems).

The surface of the earth is made up of giant puzzle piece-like rock sheets that float on top on molten rock of the earth’s mantle (the inner layer).  Deep inside of the earth is the core–the outer core which is molten hot magnetic metal and the inner core which is solid metal.  The movement of Earth around its elliptical orbit takes about 365 days and the rotation on its axis takes roughly 24 hours.

MARS:

The planet Mars is named for the Roman god of  war. The planet might have gotten this association due to its red color, a designation that is echoed in Hindu mythology, where the planet of Mars is called Mangala and “ is identified with the war god Karttikeya” as well as in Babylonian mythology, where Mars is known as the war-like god of death and destruction, Nergal (interestingly, ancient Mayans may have associated Venus with warfare).  Mars, while associated with the Greek god Ares, is viewed differently in the Roman Religion.  Rather than being a god of destructive power, Mars is associated with military might as a means of keeping peace, as a father of Rome (and in one myth of Romulus and Remus), and even as a god of agriculture.

The planet itself is of considerable interest due to its similarity and proximity to Earth.  From spacecraft we have sent to Mars, we know that while much of its geological features are quite old (craters and such similar to the moon are found predominately in the southern hemisphere), there are some significantly younger features as well (relatively younger plains, ridges and rift valleys are predominantly found in the northern hemisphere).  The cause of this is unknown.  Our explorations have also determined that Mars once had plate tectonics like Earth, but the plates are now stationary and the crust of Mars is thought to be much thicker than that of Earth.  Mars has quite a bit of evidence of erosion from water and, though water is not an active force shaping Mars today, there is a frozen sea on the planet.  It is thought that Mars used to be quite earth-like, but the lack of plate tectonics meant that there was no recycling of certain elements, such as carbon dioxide.

Asteroid Belt:

The asteroid belt is an area of the solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter that contains somewhere around 40,000 asteroids (which are basically space rocks), most of which as .5 miles in diameter.  The largest of these asteroids include Vesta, Pallas, Hygeia and Ceres–Ceres is large enough that (like Pluto) it is actually considered a dwarf planet.  The asteroid belt is thought to have originated during planet formation in our solar system, as a sort of failed planet.  Over the millennial, countless collisions have created the asteroid belt we have today.

More Solar System Activities Projects:

Solar System Model
Figure out your age in space!
Make (and use) your own astrolabe!
Exploring the Earth’s Magnetic Field (from NASA)
Magnetometer from a Soda Bottle
Free Printable Space Themed Activities

School at Home: Solar System Mythology (part 1 of 3)

planet: late O.E., from O.Fr. planete (Fr. planète), from L.L. planeta, from Gk. (asteres) planetai ”wandering (stars),” from planasthai  ”to wander,” of unknown origin. So called because they have apparent motion, unlike the “fixed” stars. Originally including also the moon and sun; modern scientific sense of “world that orbits a star” is from 1640. (Online Etymology Dictionary)

Once upon a time, the people of ancient Greece and Rome thought the sun was a chariot of fire driven by the god Helios (or Sol to the Romans).  While we know this is not true today (and in fact, there is some arguement that it was not considered literally true then either), the planets of the solar systems go by names from Roman mythology (except for Earth and Uranus).  Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were named by the Romans after the gods they thought they best fit–the bright and lovely Venus was named after the goddess of beauty and love while the red planet of Mars was named after the god of war. Uranus was discovered by William Hershel in 1781 (who tried to name the planet after King George III, but that didn’t stick) and eventually came to be known for Ouranous, one of the Greek protogenoi.  Neptune was discovered in the mid 1800′s and Pluto in 1930 before it was downgraded from planetary status in 2006.

We’ve been studying our solar system on and off since early summer (when I first started writing and researching this post–which is now three posts…), and we took a trip a few weeks ago to the Virginia Air and Space Museum.  For anyone in the Hampton Roads area, this is a great place to take the kids–it *is* a bit pricey (~$40 for the family), but they have a yearly membership for a family of four that is equivalent to going twice (this is pretty standard around here, since its a touristy place–most places have expensive one-time prices but really reasonable membership rates).  They have a number of interactive exhibits (a few of them were broken, but I’ve never been to a museum where that wasn’t the case) that are good for a range of ages.

And…they have a NASA Educator Resource Center (ERC).  If you are a homeschooler, scout leader, teacher, or just a parent with a kid that likes space, your area ERC is your friend.  They have free supplementary material on the space program, outer space and aeronautics-related math and science topics (also some good climate and weather stuff). And you don’t have to pay to go to the ERC if you aren’t going into the museum. On our trip, the kids got loaded down with several posters, a lithograph set of the solar systems, stickers, coloring books, etc.  They even got temporary tattoos of the NASA logo and had a chance to “drive” their remote controlled robot!

About the Solar System:

Our solar system is composed of eight planets orbiting a central star, the sun, which is  thought to be located some 26,000 light years away from the center of the Milky Way galaxy on the edge of Orion, one of the galaxy’s spiral “arms”.  The “size” of our solar system, as measured in the approximate distance from the Sun to Pluto (though it is not considered a planet, it is on the outer edge of our solar system and makes a good reference point) is some 3.67 trillion miles.  Because the scale of distances in the solar system are so huge, it can be difficult to visualize the placement of the planets, many classrooms (even college level astronomy classes) will use a sized-down model, such as this thousand yard model or to the scale of a football field (using the measurements from the above link, just divide the distances by 10)–the thousand yard model in particular makes a great physical fitness activity  .  Another resource that might help with the visualization of the scale of our planets and sun in relative size are the graphics on this site.  A few places, such as Ithaca, NY and St. Louis’s Delmar Loop even have “planet walks”–a to-scale walkway with markers for the planets (something else we can do while visiting at Grandma’s!).

Other solar system model projects can help kids learn the planets and their identifying features, as well as the orbits of the planets and the arrangement of our solar system.  To learn the names of the planets, we made up a song (which you can see in the above video of Chickadee at the  Virginia Air and Space Museum), or make a solar system collage or a model. One of my favorite 3-D models is this yarn/thread model from Art For Little Hands.  There are also a number of edible solar system projects available online, from this one using candies as planets to this cupcake and cake model.  We had a solar system snack using the cross-sections of different fruits and veggies–our sun was an orange slice and Mercury was a carrot slice, Venus a banana, etc. Other options include making a solar system model with play dough, cut outs, or coloring pages, or making your own movable model (fun fact: a moving model of the solar system is called orrery) or DIY home planetarium (this one looks like a good way to learn constellations).  Working models of the solar system are also available virtually and commercially–this website has a nice virtual one, while this site offers a solar-powered model.

Facts about the Sun:

Many cultures connect the sun with a deity, both as a god (such as Sol Invictus, Ra, Apollo) or as a goddess (Sunna, Ameratsu, Shapash) .  Solar myths may also include the idea of a barge/boat or a chariot transporting the sun.

The sun is type of star called a yellow dwarf, and it it is thought to be around 4.6 billion years old (our solar system is actually thought to have formed all at once ).  Hydrogen (~75%) and helium (~25%) are the main components of the sun (with another 0.1% “other”, heavier elements).  The sun is actually plasma, which may or may not be considered a fourth state of matter (plasma sort of like a super-ionized gas).

“The Sun’s plasma is so hot that the most energetic charged particles can escape from the Sun’s gravity and fly away, out into space. We call this plasma the solar wind because it blows out away from the Sun and past the planets, interacting with their magnetic fields and/or atmospheres. Along with the solar wind comes the Sun’s magnetic field, which reaches from the Sun out to past Pluto and Neptune.”
–for more information, check out NASA’s Themis Mission Information

This interaction of the solar wind and Earth’s magnetic causes a phenomenon known as the Aurora Borealis (in the Northern Hemisphere) and the Aurora Australis (in the Southern Hemisphere).  In astronomy, an aurora is the name given to a display of lights in the sky–named after Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn (Boreas, from which Borealis originates, is the Greek god of the North Wind). The aurorae are most easily visible the closer one gets to the polar region, though the Northern Lights have been seen as far south as Mexico.  Their activity depends on solar activity, and different colors appear in the sky , depending on the altitude in our atmosphere where the particles from the solar wind are energized.  NOAA (the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) maps the position of the aurorae by satellite and the Canadian Space Agency in cooperation with the International Space Station will start filming the Northern Lights from space on Thursday and you can watch the aurora live via their AuroraMAX program, if you don’t live somewhere without light pollution at the appropriate altitude.

The energy from the sun, of course, does more than make pretty lights in the sky (and as beautiful as they are, the phenomenon that causes the aurora has other effects for our planet as well).  Our sun is the engine that powers most of our climate (which creates conditions friendly to life) as well as the very web of life that we are all part of, via photosynthesis.  Our planet’s angle and orbit around the sun  determines the seasons that we experience. Even the level of species diversity found in different ecosystems is thought to be somewhat influenced by the sun.  There are many simple projects that can be done at home to illustrate the effects of solar energy.  For example, this activity offers a simple example of how the greenhouse effect works, most effective for pre-k to 1st or 2nd grade, while this activity shows how water can be purified using solar energy, or this variation which collects the water from vegetation (both of which are good survival skills to learn and an awesome lead-in to a discussion of the water cycle).

Solar system multimedia for kids:

Magic School Bus: Lost in Space (book) and Space Chase (online game)
Fetch! Solar System Episode
nineplanets.org for kids (awesome site)
NASA planet info cards
Khan Academy: Scale of the Solar System, Formation of the Earth
Our Solar System by Seymoure Simon (Smithosonian book)
First Space Encyclopedia by DK books
Link list of solar energy projects (mostly geared towards older kids) from Build It Solar

**all images, unless noted otherwise, or pics of my kids (which should be obvious) are public domain from NASA and are available from their website**

Continue on to Part II