Moon

LESSON 2

Children explore the moon by creating its phases with Oreos, conducting a hands-on demonstration, and discussing its significance to Earth.

The book “Moon!” by Stacy McAnulty

The book “Next Time You See the Moon” by Emily Morgan (optional)

Oreos

Lamp without its shade on.

White foam ball about the size of a softball.
Wooden skewer, pencil, or stick.

Materials

Preparations

Gather materials.
Have a plastic knife, toothpick, or a similar tool ready for scraping off the cream.
Watch this moon phase demonstration beforehand.

Help students create and recognize the 8 phases of the moon using oreos.

Guide students through a hands-on demonstration illustrating the lunar phases.

Read "Moon!" by Stacy McAnulty aloud, fostering comprehension and discussion about the moon's features and significance.
Encourage critical thinking by asking open-ended questions about the moon.

Objectives for Teachers

Children create and identify the 8 phases of the moon using Oreos.

Children participate in a hands-on experiment to demonstrate why the moon changes shape.

Children listen to the story "Moon!" to learn more about the moon's characteristics and its relationship to Earth.
Children discuss and share observations about the moon's importance and role in our solar system.

Objectives for Children

Collect and Connect

Practice singing the poem “Solar System in Motion” together with the actions you came up with.

Solar System in Motion

Tune: The Farmer in the Dell

The Earth turns around,

Once a day, every day,

The Earth turns around.

The moon goes round the earth,

Once a month, every month,

The moon goes round the earth.

The Earth goes round the Sun,

Once a year, every year,

The Earth goes round the sun.

The stars are all around,

Here to there, and everywhere,

The stars are all around!

Activity Flow

Begin by exploring the moon and its different phases with a fun and tasty activity using Oreos!

Oreo Moon Phases

Begin by giving your child an Oreo cookie. Then remove one of the cookies from the Oreo to reveal the cream filling.
Ask your child: "What does this look like to you?" They might say it looks like a circle or a ball. Follow up by asking: "Can you make it look like the moon?" They might say it already looks like the moon or start removing some of the filling to create a different shape.
Explain to your child that the moon has different shapes, called phases. Throughout the month it will change into different shapes. Show your child an image of the different moon phases from a book or mobile device. Reference the image as you work together to create the 8 different phases of the moon using the Oreo cookies.
New Moon: Remove all the cream.
Waxing Crescent: Scrape off a small crescent shape.
First Quarter: Half of the cream remains.
Waxing Gibbous: More than half of the cream remains.
Full Moon: All the cream is visible.
Waning Gibbous: More than half of the cream remains, but less than a full moon.
Last Quarter: Half of the cream remains (opposite side of the first quarter).
Waning Crescent: Scrape off a small crescent shape (opposite side of waxing crescent).
After creating the 8 phases of the moon using Oreos, spark curiosity and critical thinking by asking:

What do you know about the moon?
How far away do you think the moon is from earth?
What would you pack for a trip to the moon?
Can you imagine what it would be like to live on the moon?
How do you think astronauts get to the moon?
What shape is the moon?
Why do you think the moon changes shape?

2. Next, introduce a fun experiment that demonstrates why the moon changes shape. Gather the foam ball, wooden skewer, and a lamp without its shade. Follow the instructions below to create a demonstration of the moon phases. Refer to this video tutorial if needed. This activity helps children visualize and understand the lunar phases based on the positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun in space.

Moon Phase Demonstration

Position the lamp on a table or flat surface, ensuring it is turned on. A dimly lit space might be helpful for conducting this demonstration. The lamp represents the Sun in our solar system.
Explain to your child that they will be the Earth in this demonstration. Ask them to stand next to the lamp.
Insert the wooden skewer into the foam ball, making sure it's securely attached. This foam ball will represent the Moon in our demonstration.
Have your child hold the foam ball (Moon) on the skewer at arm's length, so it's between the lamp (Sun) and the Earth (person's head).
Slowly rotate your body (Earth) in a circle, keeping your head facing forward toward the lamp (Sun). As you rotate, observe how the light from the lamp (Sun) shines on different parts of the foam ball (Moon).
Explain to your child that just like in the demonstration:

When the foam ball (Moon) is between the lamp (Sun) and the person (Earth), it appears fully lit (full moon).
When the foam ball (Moon) is on the opposite side of the person (Earth) from the lamp (Sun), it appears dark (new moon).
During the rotation, the foam ball (Moon) shows different phases, such as crescent and gibbous, depending on its position relative to the lamp (Sun) and the person (Earth).

3. After the demonstration, find a comfortable place to sit down and read the story “Moon!” by Stacy McAnulty together.

4. After the story, conclude the lesson discussing what was learned in the book. Here are some questions you could ask:

What is something new you learned about the moon?
What can you find on the moon?
What won’t you find on the moon?
How does the moon help the earth?

Extension Activity

Create a moon phase identifier using this printable, and in the upcoming weeks, head outside at night to observe the changing phases of the moon.