Danisile Ntuli
 Who ruled over the earth?
 Why did the moon feel sorry for the people of the earth?
 Who did moon trust? Why?
 Who did the Hare meet on his way?
 What did the Hare say to tortoise?
 What happen to Hare when he met people?
 Why did Moon get angry with hare?
 What the Moon do to Hare?
 Did Moon do the right thing, when he beat up hare?
 What happen to Hare’s lip?
 How did Tortoise feel, when he saw Hare?
 Which character would you like to be? Hare or Tortoise? Why?

The Moon travels around the Earth in an
oval shaped orbit.

Scientists think the Moon was formed
long ago when Earth collided with
another space object.

We always see the same side of the Moon
from Earth. You have to go into space to
see the other side

The Moon is like a desert with plains,
mountains, and valleys.

The collision may have caused a big
chunk of rocky material to be thrown out
into space to form the Moon.

It also has many craters, which are holes
created when space objects hit the
Moon's surface at a high speed.

The Moon is a little lopsided.

There is no air to breathe on the Moon.

Its crust is thicker on one side than the
other.

Recently water ice was discovered at the
poles (or top and bottom) of the Moon.

The Moon is much smaller than the
Earth. However, the pull of its gravity
can still affect the Earth's ocean tides.

The ice is buried beneath some of the
dust of the Moon's surface.

Scientists think the ice may be left over
from a comet that once collided with the
Moon.

New Moon
The side of the moon facing the Earth is not
illuminated. Additionally, the moon is up through out
the day, and down through out the night. For these
reasons we can not see the moon during this phase.

Full Moon
When we can observe the entire face of the moon, we
call it a Full Moon. A full moon will rise just as the
evening begins, and will set about the time morning is
ushered in.

Waxing Crescent
During this phase, part of the Moon is beginning to
show. This lunar sliver can be seen each evening for a
few minutes just after sunset. We say that the Moon is
"waxing" because each night a little bit more is visible
for a little bit longer.

Waning Gibbous
Like the Waxing Gibbous Moon, during this phase, we
can see all but a sliver of the Moon. The difference is
that instead of seeing more of the Moon each night, we
begin to see less and less of the Moon each night. This
is what the word "waning" means.

First Quarter
During first quarter, 1/2 of the moon is visible for the
first half of the evening, and then goes down, leaving
the sky very dark.

Last Quarter
During a Last Quarter Moon we can see exactly 1/2 of
the Moon's lighted surface.

Waning Crescent
Finally, during a Waning Crescent Moon, observers on
Earth can only see a small sliver of the Moon, and only
just before morning. Each night less of the Moon is
visible for less time.

Waxing Gibbous
When most of the Moon is visible we say it is a Gibbous
Moon. Observers can see all but a little sliver of the
moon. During this phase, the Moon remains in the sky
most of the night.

The diagram illustrates that the
Moon always has a lit side (facing
the Sun) and a dark side (facing
away from the Sun). From the
Earth, we can only see the part of the
Moon that is facing toward us at any
time (which is often called the near
side of the Moon) and we cannot see
the part of the Moon facing away
from Earth
 The phase of the Moon, or the shape
of the lit part of it, that we see at any
time is then determined by the
combination of these two factors which part of the Moon is lit by the
Sun and visible to Earth at the same
time!
Learner Activities
Moon Jigsaw Puzzle
Cut a picture of the moon into 8 to 12 pieces. Allow
the learners to reconstruct the picture of the moon.
Organize the phases of the Moon
Using the template provided .Learners can arrange the
moon phases into the correct order, starting with the
new moon and ending with the full moon.
Colour In the Moon
Using different images learners colour in the moon.
Moon Characters
Learners trace images of persons, animals and
objects they see on the moon.
Place tracing paper over an enlarged image of
the moon and allow the learners to traces the
images they see with a marker.
Moon Poster
Learners draw a poster based on their knowledge
of the moon. It could include mythical
knowledge has well. Learners can use recyclable
materials to create the poster.
Paper Plate Moon Phases
Draw moon phases on a paper plate
Moon Flip Book
Learners create a flip book of moon phases.
Cut along the dotted lines of each Moon phase.
Place them in a correct sequence.
Align the right side of the book and staple the cover
page and the phases together to create a flip book.
Flip through the images to view the changing
phases!
Learner Activities
Make craters
To create a your lunar surface ¼ fill a container with
flour. Thereafter cover it with a thin layer of cocoa
powder or coffee. Drop marbles of various sizes from
different heights. When you drop the marbles into
the material, it will create very familiar looking
craters.
Feel Your Weight On The Moon
Calculate the learner’s weight on the moon by
multiplying their current weight by 0.165. Let the
learner stand on a bathroom scale to determine their
real weight. If they 30kg they will only be 5kg on the
moon.
Sun, Earth and Moon Model
Paper plate ( yellow or white)
Paint yellow (optional)
Scissors
Metal fastens
Cardboard (Cereal boxes)
Crayons/ Markers
Instructions
Cut out three circles according to the Earth, Moon and
Sun ratio.
Paste the circles on cardboard and colour them to
represent the sun moon and earth.
The educator needs to assist learners with the correct
celestial bodies.
Cut out 2 strips of cardboard which is 3cm wide .
Strip one should be 12cm and strip two should be 20cm.
Connect the short strip to the earth and moon.
Connect the long strip to the earth and sun.
You now have a model of the sun, earth and moon.
Sun, Earth,
Moon ratio.
I wish to thank the following people for their contributions:
 Muneerah Jacobs – Cape Town Science Centre
 Francois Taljaard – Graphics and Layout
 SAASTA – Adapted from Stories of the Southern Skies
The following websites were used for background information:
NASA
Lunar Planetary Institute
Gryphon House