School Based Activities
Activities: The Moon is lit and unlit too
Key objectives:
This activity aims to help student to:
• Identify the different phases of the Moon
• Know that the Moon does not produce its own light, but reflects light from the Sun.
• Be aware that the Moon moves around the Earth once a month.
• Know to look for the Moon in the day and night sky.
Moon myths
Background information
A month is the time taken for the Moon to make one apparent
orbit of the Earth, travelling at an average speed of 3,680 km/h.
The Moon rotates on its axis as it orbits the Earth, completing
one rotation every 27.3 days. This is the same amount of time
taken for the Moon to orbit the Earth; therefore we only ever
see one side of the Moon from Earth. The other side is known
as the far side. It was originally called the dark side, however
this is misleading, as it is not always dark. For example, when
we see a New Moon, the far side is lit and the side we see
(the near side) is dark. The far side was first seen in
December 1968, when astronauts travelling on Apollo 8
circled the Moon.
What you need
• Copies of worksheets: Lit and unlit
and Moon watch
• Myths from different cultures explaining
phases of the Moon
What to do
1. Read the worksheet Lit and unlit, in which Oscar is
concerned about the Moon appearing to change shape.
2. Discuss with the children the observations they
have made using their Moon watch worksheet
(see ‘What do Toys do at night’ activity). Ask them to
write what their soft toy has noticed onto the Lit and unlit
worksheet.
3. Read myths from various cultures which explain the day,
night and phases of the Moon. Discuss any
similarities/differences between the stories. Why aren’t they
factual? Ask the children to write their own myth.
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33 School Based Activities
Phases of the Moon
Background information
Research has shown that children will get confused if you draw the Moon and unlit area on
a blackboard using white chalk. They will not be sure which area – the blackboard or the
shaded white chalk – is meant to represent the unlit part of the Moon. Use a whiteboard or
large sheet of paper if you are illustrating the phases in this way.
Solar eclipses only occur during the time of the New Moon when the Moon lies between the
Sun and the Earth.
Lunar eclipses only occur during the time of Full Moon when the Earth lies between the Sun
and the Moon.
Eclipses are rare because the Moon's orbit is tilted by 5° compared to the Earth's orbit
around the Sun. Therefore, during most months, the Moon passes either above or below
the Sun as seen from Earth.
When the Moon is thin, from Last Quarter through New Moon to First Quarter, it is called a
crescent Moon.
When the Moon is fat, from First Quarter through Full Moon to Last Quarter it is called a
gibbous Moon.
When the Moon appears to be growing from New Moon through First Quarter to Full Moon
we say it is waxing.
When the Moon appears to be shrinking from Full Moon through Last Quarter to New Moon
we say it is waning.
It takes about 25 hours between one Moon rise and the next. This means that the Moon
rises about one hour later each day.
For best times to see the different phases of the Moon, see the table below.
Phase
New
First
Quarter
Full
Last
Quarter
Moon
rise
Sunrise
Moon set
Best daytime view
Sunset
Midday
Midnight
Sunset
Sunrise
Midnight
Midday
In daytime sky but
difficult to see (none of
the lit side is facing us)
Afternoon in the
eastern sky
Not in daytime sky
(appears in the east at
sunset)
Morning in the western
sky
Best night time
view
Not in night sky
Evening in the
western sky
In night sky
Early morning in
eastern sky
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What you need
•
•
•
•
Shadeless lamp with bright globe
Access to a darkened room
5cm polystyrene foam balls
Pencils
What to do
1. Skewer the foam balls onto pencils so that the pencils can act as handles. Place the
lamp in the centre of the darkened room with the children in a circle around it. (With large
classes you may need to have only half the class participate at a time.)
2. Allow time for free play, with the children holding the ball and turning in different positions
to notice the lit and unlit areas of the ball.
3. Have each child hold their foam ball in their right hand. Ask them to extend their arm in
front of them so that the ball comes between their eyes and the lamp.
4. Explain that the light globe represents the Sun, the ball represents the Moon and they
are the Earth. The view they get models what they see in the sky. Note that the ball is
reflecting light from the lamp and that it does not produce its own light.
5. In the starting position the ‘Moon’ blocks the ‘Sun.’ (This is actually demonstrating a total
solar eclipse which is very rare for any given location on Earth.) Usually the Moon
passes above or below the Sun as viewed from Earth so have the children move their
‘Moon’ up a bit so that they can also see the ‘Sun’. As they look up at their ‘Moon’ they
will only see its unlit side. This phase is called ‘New Moon’ (like ‘no Moon’).
6. The children should start to sweep their right arm back in a clockwise direction. By the
45° position they should see the left hand edge of the ‘Moon’ illuminated as a crescent.
The crescent will start out very thin and fatten up as the ‘Moon’ moves around the Earth.
When their arms are out by their side, the students will see the left half of the ‘Moon’
illuminated. This phase is called ‘First Quarter’. As they continue to move their arm
around behind them the ‘Moon’ goes into its ‘gibbous’ phase.
7. Ask the children to turn their heads to view the ‘Moon’ with their arm behind their back.
The section of the ‘Moon’ facing ‘Earth’ is fully illuminated (unless the student's head is
causing a lunar eclipse). This is called the Full Moon.
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35 School Based Activities
8. Ask the students to switch the pencil and ‘Moon’ to their left hand. They should hold the
‘Moon’ behind them in the Full Moon position and move their arm forward continuing the
clockwise motion. They will view a gibbous Moon with the right portion of the ‘Moon’
illuminated.
9. Once their arm is straight out to their left they will view the Last Quarter Moon with the
right side of the ‘Moon’ illuminated. Continuing to move their arms in a clockwise
direction, the children will then see a thinning crescent and a return to New Moon.
10.Throughout the demonstration, point out that half the ‘Moon’ is illuminated at all times
and that it’s just our view of the Moon that changes as it moves around the Earth.
Note: For smaller children this activity can be done by having the students turn around with
their ‘Moon’ so that it is easier for them to see the phases.
This diagram shows the apparent rotation of the Moon around the Earth, as viewed from
space. The inner ring of diagrammatic ‘Moons’ shows that the side of the Moon facing the
Sun is always lit. The grey arrows show our direction of sight. When looking at the Moon
from the Earth, what we see is shown by the outer ring of Moon photographs. For example,
when we see a New Moon, our view is of the unlit side of the Moon and when we see a last
Quarter Moon, we see the right hand side lit and the left hand side unlit.
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36 School Based Activities
Moon through my window
Background information
As seen from the Southern Hemisphere, the left portion of the Moon is illuminated at First
Quarter and the right side of the Moon at Last Quarter.
At the equator, however, the top portion of the Moon is illuminated at First Quarter and the
bottom portion at Last Quarter.
In the Northern Hemisphere the right portion of the Moon is illuminated at First Quarter and
the left side at Last Quarter, (exactly opposite to how we see the phases of the Moon).
This difference occurs because the Earth is spherical. When we move from one hemisphere
to the other, the positions of objects in the sky appear to rotate. It happens with all things in
the sky, which is why those constellations named in the Northern Hemisphere (e.g. Orion)
appear upside down to us in the South.
What you need
• Copies of the two Moon through my window worksheets
• Scissors
• Butterfly clips
What to do
1. Copy the two Moon through my window worksheets. For young children, make a
starting hole so they can easily cut out the ‘window pane’.
2. Ask the children to cut out the window pane on the first worksheet and the Moon phase
circle on the second worksheet.
3. Label each Moon phase.
4. Place the Moon phase circle in position behind the window pane and use a butterfly clip
to fasten it.
5. Move the circle around to view the changing phases of the Moon.
6. Read Oscar’s explanation for the changing phases.
Extension Activities
• Act out some myths used to explain the phases of the Moon or day/night cycle.
• Learn the names of the months and the numbers of days in each. Investigate how each
month got its name.
• Compare the size of the Earth and Moon and the distance between them. If you use a
globe of the Earth with a 30cm diameter, a tennis ball of approximately 6cm diameter
makes a good Moon. The Moon is about 30 Earth diameters away: in this case
approximately 9 metres. The Sun is 450 Earth/Moon units away. In this case 450 x 9m =
4050 metres away.
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37 School Based Activities
Worksheet – Photocopy this page.
Lit and unlit
“Toys, I’ve got another question. I think it has something to do with the Sun again,”
barked Oscar.
“What is it?” asked Tina.
“Well, the Moon looked like a half circle when the cow jumped over it. Now look at
it!”
“It’s a full circle. It looks a bit like a face,” giggled Nellie.
I’ve noticed…
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38 School Based Activities
Worksheet – Photocopy this page.
Moon through my window
“I understand now,” said Oscar. “Half of the Moon facing the Sun is always lit. The
half facing away from the Sun is unlit. The Moon moves around the Earth and the
view we see changes depending on how much of the lit side is facing the Earth.”
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39 School Based Activities
Worksheet – Photocopy this page.
Moon through my window
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40 School Based Activities
Worksheet: Photocopy this page.
Moon watch
Look for the Moon during the day and night. Write down the time that you see it. What part
of the sky was the Moon in when you saw it? Up high in the sky or low down?
Could you see the Sun too? (Remember – Never look directly at the Sun as it can hurt your
eyes).
Colour the picture of the Moon so it looks like the view you see.
Monday
Time:
Location:
Tuesday
Time:
Location:
Wednesday
Time:
Location:
Thursday
Time:
Location:
Friday
Time:
Location:
Saturday
Time:
Location:
Sunday
Time:
Location:
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