Science: (first circle)

Need for lesson - Pictures of the Moon in its different phases, Moon Phases Card Set (found in freebies section).

Index File Card

can be pasted onto an index file card for quick reference


Science 66

When we look into the sky at night we notice something about the Moon. Does it always look the same? The Moon looks different on different nights. The Moon travels around the Earth in a circle called an orbit. It takes the Moon about 27 days to go all around the earth and return to its starting position. As the Moon travels around the Earth, the Earth is traveling or orbiting around the Sun. As the Moon orbits, or goes around the Earth, the Sun's light reflects off the Moon. When we see the different shapes of the Moon, we are seeing the Sun's light shining on part of the Moon or on the whole Moon. (Show the models going around each other as you mention them, to just demonstrate it going around.)

The changing shape of the bright part of the Moon that we see is called its phase. The moon is illuminated, or lit up, because it reflects light from the sun. The part of the moon facing the sun is lit up. The part facing away from the sun is in darkness. The phase of the moon depends on its position in relation to the Sun and Earth. As the Moon makes its way around the Earth, we see the bright parts of the Moons surface at different angles. These are the "phases" of the moon. There are eight phases of the moon.

The eight phases of the Moon are; New, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, and Waning Crescent. These phases are named after how much of the Moon we can see, and whether the amount visible is increasing, or decreasing each day.

Le'ts look at the different phases of the Moon. Demonstrate Moon Phases Card Set.



Moon Phases Card Set

Children can make a booklet using a pencil (black best) to color over the moon to shade in its phase.

Additional Work:

Moon Game - I made this into a 'Book on the Shelf' activity. The book is, Moon Game by Frank Asch


 Book on the Shelf


Moon Phases


Moon Phases and Art

Have moon phase pictures to demonstrate and cut pieces of paper for the children to paint and glue onto a long piece of paper.


Moon Phases - Art

Circle Activity:

Oreo Moon Phases - Children can eat their way through an Oreo cookie in various phases of the moon. I made a large set of moon phase cards to lay out on the floor. As the children took bites and ate their cookie we looked for the moon phase in the center of the circle that matched their cookie.


Oreo Moon Phases


Science: (second circle)

Need for lesson -  Sun, Moon, and Earth models, and a lamp.

Demonstrate the Earth orbiting around the Sun, and the Moon orbiting around the Earth. Turn off the lights and replace the Sun with the lamp. A child holding the Moon can walk around stopping at eight points to see the light reflected on the Moon.


Earth, Sun, Moon

(Children take turns to act out this song using the Sun, Earth, and Moon models, necklaces with pictures of each can be used as well. Tune - The Farmer in the Dell) I cannot remember this source, but I will look and if I find it, I will post it

The Earth turns around, the Earth turns around, once a day, every day, the Earth turns around.
The Moon goes around the Earth, the Moon goes around the earth, once a month, every month, the Moon goes around the Earth.
The Earth goes around the Sun, the Earth goes around the Sun, once a year, every year, the Earth goes around the Sun.


Earth, Sun, and Moon