Sun Says...

This is a great activity to do out on the ball field, if you have the opportunity.  If not, it works perfectly well in the classroom, though you may have to move a few desks around.

The students form a large circle - they are the planets.
You stand in the middle of the circle of the students - you are the sun.

You, as the sun, call out directions to the planets, your students.  There are three different directions, you can all them out in any order you please, as many times as you please.

The directions are:
--"Rotate" - the students spin around in one place
--"Revolve" - the students walk around the sun in their large circle
--"Rotate and Revolve" - the students do both of the above tasks at the same time.

It's a great way to help students learn and understand the difference between rotating and revolving.  It's simple enough for 3rd grade students and fun enough for middle school students (who always love a reason to be out of their seats).