When we did our space unit several months ago, my kids and I spent a lot of time studying and observing the phases of the moon. We also did a simple Montessori activity to learn about the surface of the moon.
The phases of the moon art and science activity I am sharing today builds upon those previous lessons to reinforce some facts about both the moon’s surface and the phases of the moon during the course of each 28 day moon cycle.
Note: For more moon-related activities, see my Space Unit Study page.
Although we had previously learned about the phases of the moon, we started this activity by reviewing the names of the phases using my Montessori phases of the moon 3-part cards.
The kids then selected their “favorite” moon phase to do an art project.
I invited them to use a paintbrush and glue to paint their selected moon phase on black construction paper.
We then reviewed what we had learned about the surface of the moon, especially how it is very dusty. We decided to model that in our artwork.
So while the glue was still wet, QBoy and XGirl poured craft sand onto the glue. (Our craft sand was a mixture of colors left over from previous projects, but plain white craft sand would also work well.)
At this point we stopped and took a break. Then, a couple of hours later when the glue was dry, we poured the excess sand off the paper.
And voila! We had a beautiful, dusty painting of a first quarter moon!
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More resources to learn about the moon
More posts about the moon from Gift of Curiosity:
- Phases of the moon printables
- Phases of the moon activities
- How did the moon get its craters?
- Books about the moon
You’ll find more resources for learning about the moon on my Space Unit Study page and my Space and the Solar System Pinterest board.
Follow Katie @ Gift of Curiosity’s board Unit Ideas: Space & the Solar System on Pinterest.
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