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Ooo! I have an idea! And you do have plenty of time to prep.

For that age-group (I am a full-time mom to a third-grader and have won awards for my Junior Astronomer program so I have done this type of stuff a lot!) you want to keep it relatively short and lively.

Here is my idea:
Get a copy of "Why Does The Sun Shine?" {Live Version} by "They Might Be Giants" (iTunes has it. This is the best version of the song for this.) Here you can find the lyrics. Http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/lyrics/whysunshine.htm

Have the kids create a skit (like a live music video) to the song. You can dress them up in outfits that represent the Sun, The Earth, people, plants and things affected by the Sun, Hydrogen and Helium particles and so on. (You can use poster board, foam balls, paint, colored tissue/streamer, etc.)

After this skit is completed have an audience participation period using an astronomy version of the Hokey-Pokey! For one of my junior astronomer's meetings I rewrote the hokey-pokey to include the planets of the solar system.

Assign a planet (you can also include the sun and moon and even Pluto!) to a body part (you can include the head, feet, hands, knees, elbows, you may or may not choose to make Uranus the tush. (You have to gauge your audience's sense of humor before-hand. I think I chickened out and made it the left knee.) Play the hokey-pokey instrumental version as you do this to help maintain the right pacing.

Do a round where the students that have been practicing it do a demonstration, (see how easy it is? Mwuhahaa!) Have the kids practice this a lot so they will be confident with it (I put planet stickers on each body part to help the kids remember. If you had a fun practice session every Friday by the time the event comes around they should be experts. You can even have each kids take turns being the song-leader.) Then you do an explanation to the audience and then you do a couple of rounds with the audience and the kids together. Lots of smiles and laughs and goofing around should ensue!

A little bit of education (kids will learn the planets and about the importance of the Sun), some variety and a lot of fun and dress-up.

Dawn

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