Moon Activities for Kids
Written by Fraser Cain
NASA's image of the Moon
Want to help your kids learn more about the Moon with some interesting activities? Here are some Moon activities that we can suggest:
- Learn the phases of the Moon – For this activity, you need a bright light to represent the Sun, and a ball that you can use as the Moon. Have your child sit on a chair away from the light. The child is the Earth. Then orbit the child in a counter-clockwise direction. The child should see the different amounts of illumination on the ball representing the Moon.
- Organize the phases of the Moon – Draw out all the Moon phases on pieces of paper and mix them all up. Let your children arrange them into the proper order, starting with the new moon going to the full moon, and then back again. You can refer to a calendar of Moon phases if you need to know if they're right.
- Make craters – Drop marbles or ball bearings into a material that shows how craters can form. To make your lunar surface, put a layer of a white material, like flour in a pan to a depth of a few cm. Then cover it with a thin layer of something dark, like cocoa powder. When you drop the marbles into the material, it will create very familiar looking craters.
- Feel your weight on the Moon – Calculate your child's weight on the Moon by multiplying their current weight by 0.165. For example, if they weigh 30 kg, they would only weigh 5 kg on the Moon. Have them stand on a bathroom scale and then support their weight until the scale shows their moon weight. Now let them walk around the room with you supporting the bulk of their weight. That's what it would feel like to walk on the Moon.
Want more activities? NASA has a huge list of cool space activities on their website.
We also have instructions on how you can build a model of the Solar System.
Want more information about the Moon? Here's NASA's World Book on the Moon. And here's NASA's Solar System Exploration Guide.
You can listen to a very interesting podcast about the formation of the Moon from Astronomy Cast, Episode 17: Where Did the Moon Come From?
Filed under: Astronomy
