3rd - Our Changing Moon

I was dissatisfied with a lab I tried from our new textbook last year. The point of the lesson was to show the students the phases of the moon and why the moon changes its appearance in the night sky.

The problem with the proposed lab is that it did nothing more than what was seen in the sky...it didn't show the "WHY".

So I tried something different this year and turned our entire classroom into a moon viewing gallery. We hung a "moon" (very large styrofoam ball) in the center of the class.

The windows were covered and we turned out the lights. I turned on the sun (light at one side of the classroom) and we paraded around the room.

I'm not sure who was more excited, me or the kids. It was pretty cool watching the visible portion of the moon change as our positions changed.

Watch the moon over a period of days with your child. Compare what you see to what the calendar says about the moon's phase.

Very small (atoms & molecules) and very large (planets & stars) are pretty abstract concepts. Revisit the moon's phases regularly with your child to help them internalize the concept.

Are you a little foggy on the concept yourself? Check out the links on the right for a refresher on why the moon changes phase.

Happy Moon Gazing!