Moon "lit" science: make your day shine with moon-filled read-alouds and lunar science activities

Instructor, March, 2003 by Mackie Rhodes

Papa, Please Get the Moon For Me

By Eric Carle (Simon and Schuster, 1999). When the moon gets small enough, a loving father climbs a ladder and takes it from the sky to give to his child.

<> After reading this Eric Carle classic, ask students if they could really take the moon from the sky. This should provoke a loud "No!" and discussion about how the story is "made up." Invite students to share other imaginative ways to travel to the moon, such as using a giant slingshot or riding on the cow who jumped over the moon. Then have the children write and illustrate their own fanciful stories about traveling to the moon. Reading and sharing these stories is a fun way to launch your moon unit. Afterwards, spend time with your students learning about real space travel to the moon. You can find facts, photos, and audio recordings of the Apollo lunar missions at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Web site: www.nasm.si.edu/apollo/

<> The moon remains the same size all the time, though it appears to change. The moon is more than 2,000 miles in diameter and weighs more than 80 million trillion tons. You can't bring even a "small" moon home!

What the Moon Is Like

By Franklyn M. Branley (HarperCollins, 2000). This fun, fact-filled book describes the moon's surface and environment and makes simple comparisons between the moon and earth.

<> After reading the book together, have the class make moon and earth landscapes to boost their understanding. Begin by having the children work in groups to create moon-earth comparison charts. Then instruct half of the groups on how to create moonscapes, the other half "earthscapes." Give each group a shoebox, or a milk carton with one long side cut away. Fill the bottom of each carton with a thick mixture of Plaster of Paris. Have students use wide craft sticks to shape the mixture to resemble the surface of the moon or the earth. For example, the "earth" groups can make mountains: and indentations for lakes. After the formations harden, cut away a second side of the carton, as shown. Children can paint their landscape surface, and make a background using craft materials. Encourage them to use their moon-earth charts to help stay on track. Display the projects and charts together.

<> Both the earth and moon have craters and mountains. On earth, erosion from wind and water changes landforms over time. Since there is no air or water on the moon, its surface has remained mostly unchanged for billions of years.

Wait Till the Moon is Full By Margaret Wise Brown (HarperCollins, 1989). Moon facts are woven into this gentle story about a young raccoon who must wait for the full moon before he can go out at night.

<> Read this story aloud on the first day of a new moon. Explain that from one new moon to the next is the period of time it takes the moon to make one revolution around the earth. Then have students make a calendar grid on a sheet of large chart paper and mark the current date with "New Moon." Tell the class that each day one person will take the moon calendar home (in a poster tube). The student should go outside with a parent or to a window to observe the moon and add a drawing of how the moon looks that night. Save a brief moment in your morning routine for the moon report! You can show children daily images of the moon at http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/Earth/Moon Click on "Current Moon Phase."

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* Bringing Down the Moon, by Jonathan Emmett (Candlewick, 2001).

* When the Moon is Full, by Penny Pollock (Little, Brown, 2001).

* Jimmy Zangnow's Out-of-this-world, Moon-pie Adventure, by Tony Terlizzi (Simon & Schuster, 2000).

* Big Moon Tortilla, by Joy Cowley (Boyds Mill Press, 1998).

* Possum's Harvest Moon, by Anne Hunter (Houghton Mifflin, 1996.)

* Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen (Philomel Books, 1987).

The Birth of the Moon By Coby Hol (North-South Books, 2000). In this pourquoi tale, the sun creates a waxing and waning moon to remind animals to appreciate this special night light.

<> After reading the story aloud, explain that the sun does help us to see the moon! As the moon revolves around the earth, its surface reflects light from the sun. The degree of light reflected by the moon depends on its position in relation to the sun and earth. Do this simple demonstration to help your students understand the changes of the moon:

1. Make a "moon" by poking the point of a pencil into a 2 [1/2]-inch wide Styrofoam ball.

2. Tape a circle on the floor to represent the orbit of the moon. Add tape markers at even intervals around the circle. Then, set up a low-wattage desk tamp racing the circle to represent the sun. Turn off other lights.

3. Place a stool on the first marked point of the circle. A student should sit on the stool, holding the ball. The child's viewpoint represents what we can see from earth. By looking at the shadow the lamp casts upon the ball, the child can determine what kind of moon it is! For example, a new moon can be seen from point 1, a crescent moon from point 2, and so on.

4. Move the stool from point to point along the circle. At each tape mark, students can take turns repeating the experiment to determine what kind of moon they see. For example: when a small sliver of light shines on the ball, it is a crescent moon. When the ball is fully lit, it is a full moon.