From the time children are toddlers, most of them are fascinated with the moon. The moon is FREE and it belongs to EVERYONE! Wouldn’t it be interesting to have children look at the moon every night for a month with their parents and draw a picture of what the moon looks like? What a meaningful way for families to do a little science together.
The Full Moon for October will occur on Sunday, October 9th. The New Moon will happen later in October on Tuesday, October 25th. According to the Farmer's Almanac, historically, the Native Americans who lived in the area that is now the northern and eastern United States kept track of the seasons by giving a distinctive name to each recurring full Moon. October's full Moon was called the Hunter’s Moon because this was the time to hunt in preparation for winter.
Facts for kids about the moon:
The moon goes around the earth.
The moon has no light, but it reflects the sun’s light.
The light of sun on the moon creates the different phases of the moon.
That’s why it looks different to us throughout the month.
It’s called a new moon when you can’t see it.
When the moon gets a little larger at night it’s called waxing.
As the moon gets smaller it’s called waning.
The moon is always up in the sky, but during the day when the sun is bright you can’t see it.
Here’s a neat website where you can get a calendar of the moon’s phases and other learning activities:
*What other things can you see in the sky? Take children outside and let them draw pictures of the things they see.
*Is there really a man in the moon? The moon has craters that make it look like a face.
Give children uncolored play dough and let them make a moon/pancake. Have them make craters in their moon with a pencil eraser or the end of a marker.
Here’s a book from Scholastic with the phases of the moon:
Don’t forget to read two of my favorite books GOOD NIGHT, MOON, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOON.
