BJU Press Blog

moon model

The Macroscopic World: Making a Moon Model

by

moon model landscape
Just as it can be difficult to study the world on a microscopic level, it can also be hard to study things that are too large to make sense of. Models of large objects must be scaled down so that we can better understand them. In this activity from the BJU Press Science 4 Teacher’s Edition, we’ll create a moon model. (The clay we use here may be edible, but we don’t recommend eating it.)

Materials for a Moon Model

  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup salt
  • 2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • 1 cup water
  • Saucepan
  • Spoon
  • 12″ x 12″ square of cardboard
  • Toothpicks
  • Paper, cut into thin strips
  • Red, green, and blue food coloring (optional)

moon model materialsMaking the Model

  1. Help your child pick an area of the moon to model. The desktop version of Google Earth will let you explore the moon’s surface in some detail. Otherwise, you can explore the moon on Google Moon. You will also find interesting facts about the Apollo space missions. We chose an area visited by Apollo 11 called Double Crater, on the edge of the Mare Tranquillitatis.
  2. Have your child combine 1 cup flour, ½ cup salt, and 2 teaspoons cream of tartar in a saucepan.
  3. (optional) If your child wants to make a model the same color as the moon, she may add 1 drop each of the red, blue, and green food coloring to the water to turn the clay gray.moon model clay making
  4. Have her add 1 tablespoon cooking oil and 1 cup water to the dry ingredients.
  5. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the clay begins pulling away from the pan.moon model cookingmoon model kneading
  6. Take the pan off the heat and remove the clay from the pan. Since the clay may be too hot to handle right away, this may be an excellent time to teach the benefits of cleaning as you go. Once the tools she’s used are clean and the clay is safe to touch, she should knead the clay until it’s cool.
  7. Have your child spread the clay (using the cardboard as a base) and mold it to show the features of the area selected in step 1.
  8. She can use the paper strips and toothpicks to make little flags to mark important features.

Your clay will harden in about a day, leaving you with an excellent tool for activating prior learning in the future. It can become the landscape for Lego astronauts reenacting the Apollo missions, or an adventure straight from your child’s imagination. Your child will be able to add the terms she used in the lesson for the moon’s landscape to her play, solidifying learning even more.

We’d love for you to share your moon models with us! Please feel free to share your photos on Facebook or Instagram and tag us with @bjupresshomeschool.moon model moldingmoon model finished

Make It a Moon Day!

by

American Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the moon
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the moon by NASA/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

On July 20, 1969, one man took a small step, and mankind leaped over another hurdle in its exploration of what lies beyond Earth. When Neil Armstrong set his foot on the moon’s surface, he became the first human being to ever stand on another celestial body besides our world. With some hands-on activities and interesting facts, you can make the moon landing more real and more amazing to your kids this July.

Fantastic Facts

Younger kids like my preschool-aged son appreciate the story aspect of the moon landing, while older children enjoy hearing fascinating facts. For example, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin gathered 47.5 pounds of moon objects, including rocks and other material, to bring back for scientists to study. Another key fact is that the Apollo 11 mission marked the end of the space race between the United States and Russia. Also, the mission’s command module, the Columbia, was named after the science fiction spacecraft in Jules Verne’s 1865 novel, From the Earth to the Moon.

The Unsung Hero

One astronaut on the mission never got to step onto the moon’s surface. His name was Michael Collins, and he was the pilot of the command craft orbiting the moon. He faithfully stayed at his post and waited for Aldrin and Armstrong to come back so that he could take everyone safely home. This Moon Day, let’s take a few moments to talk to our kids about Collins’s job. What was interesting and important about it? Although he didn’t get the opportunity to walk on the moon, he does have the distinction of being one of just twenty-four people who have flown to the moon.

Moon Modeling

Now it’s time to cement the facts into those young minds with a little hands-on fun! Try a moon model craft. (You’ll find a step-by-step example in the BJU Press Science 4 textbook, page 147.) For this activity, kids create their own model of the moon out of clay. Shape the clay into a ball if you want to make the entire moon, or lay it out flat if you plan to model one section of the moon’s surface. Do an online search to find a close-up of the moon. Fingers, bottle caps, and pencils are great tools for creating the pits, dents, and ridges of the moonscape. If the kids have a tiny space shuttle, astronaut figure, or US flag, they can add it to their clay moon surface.

Moon Day Snack Time

Moon pies are the perfect snack on Moon Day. With a simple recipe, you can make the cookies the day before and then let your kids help you add the creamy white filling on Moon Day. If you have no time to make moon pies, substitute round creme-filled cookies or wheat crackers and spread out a chart of the moon’s phases on the table. Your kids will have fun taking smaller and larger bites to make their round crackers or cookies match the moon’s shape in each phase.

Moon Watch

In the evening, if the night is clear, your whole family can spread out blankets in the backyard for some good old-fashioned moon-watching. Powerful binoculars or a telescope make this activity much more interesting since the children will be able to see the night sky in more detail. As our kids identify the current phase of the moon, let’s remind them of its importance to our world, reflecting the sunlight at nighttime and moving the tides back and forth as God ordained.

Moon Movie Night

If the night is cloudy or rainy and you cannot spend time moon-gazing together, consider treating your little ones to an age-appropriate, moon-themed movie that fits your family’s entertainment guidelines. Gathering around the computer and watching a video of the moon landing helps children of any age understand the event more clearly. A quick clip of President John F. Kennedy making his moon landing promise to the American people helps children understand how important the event was for that generation of Americans. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle are two classic children’s books whose gentle tone, vivid illustrations, and simple storytelling make them ideal choices to close out a wonderful Moon Day.

As we tell our kids about the moon landing, the wonder in their eyes reminds us of one reason why we homeschool─to share these special moments with them.

• • • • •

Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.