First Grade Goes Lunar!

Last week, the kids studied the moon! We talked about craters, phases of the moon and how it revolves around the Earth causing day and night. Monday, we watched our BrainPOP on the Moon.

Tuesday, the kids looked at how phases of the moon happen. Each group made a moon using a piece of foil and a popsicle stick. Then, they stuck it in a piece of play dough to keep it from moving, and situated a flash light (their sun) so that it would shine on one side of the moon.

Then, they used their Phases of the Moon cards to show where the different phases of the moon were all around the moon they made.

Wednesday, we looked at how craters are formed on the moon. Each table got a pan of flour (yes it was a messy day!) to act as their moon surface. They took turns picking different balls (which were our meteors) and dropped them on the the surface of the moon to see what kind of craters they would make.

The kids chose from different meteors of all sizes and weights.

Some meteors left huge craters on the moon's surface!

Other craters were small, but they went really deep into the moon's surface.

When we finished our crater lab, we talked about all of the different craters that were made on the moon's surface by the different meteors! We had, wide, narrow, deep and shallow craters. We also talked about the different patterns we say from the meteors when they hit the surface and why that happen. We learned about how scientists, like astronomers, can learn all sorts of things about meteors by the craters they make on the moon!

Thursday, we review the phases of the moon like we talked about in our BrainPOP. The kids used popsicle sticks, white play dough and black paint to make their own moons! 

They shaped their play dough into balls, then painted half of the ball black to show the dark side of the moon.

Friday, the kids colored pictures of the Sun, Moon and Earth, then put them together to show the cycle that the Earth takes around the Sun, and the Moon takes around the Earth.

We had a fun (and LONG) week learning all about the moon!