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Space
*Moon
*Blue Moon
Discussion: Explain to the children that there is a full moon each
month. However, some months there are two full moons. And, the second
full moon in a month is called a Blue Moon.
Story: The Nightgown of the Sullen Moon the moon is painted blues,
greens, and purples. If not available then your favorite.
*Art
Need: white paper (8 1/2" x 11" (2 sheets per child),
circle patterns (about 7" in diameter), white glue, watercolors,
brushes, pencils, scissors, books and pictures about the moon, book -
"The Nightgown of the Sullen Moon"
Have children trace the circle pattern onto construction paper or
provide already cut out circles. Draw five to seven craters inside
the moon circle. Apply a bead of white glue on top of the crater
outlines. The glue outlining needs to partially dry.
Put on paint shirts and set out watercolors (shades of blue, green,
purple). Paint the inside of the craters first with a dark shade of
one of the colors. Use water-downed solutions of the other two colors
to wash across the face of the moon so it has a hazy appearance.
If children traced circles onto construction paper, when paintings
are dry they can cut out the moon circles.
*Snacks
Moon Balls
Ingredients: 2 C. Peanut butter, 1 1/3 C. Honey, 2 C. Raisins 2 C.
Dry milk, 3 1/2 C. Graham cracker crumbs (keep 1/2 c. separate)
Mix dry milk, raisins, and 3 c. graham cracker crumbs
Add honey and peanut butter, mix will (hands do best)
Roll into small balls
Place remaining 1/2 c. of graham cracker crumbs in a large baggie
Place several balls at a time into the baggie and shake, then place
on a
Cookie sheet.
Chill then eat.
*Other Sites
Tales about the Moon from the University of Michigan Site. The
Moon -- from the Menominee Tribe.
At the U.S. Naval Observatory
site you can a find Moonrise/Moonset Moon Phase, Moon illumination,
Eclipses, etc for an entire year. At this site you can also find
sunrise/sunset data for the future or past.
NASA - Exploring
the Moon
This NASA educator guide has activities for grades 4-12.
*Planets
*Art
Bulletin Board
Using black bulletin board paper, draw, paint or use cutouts to
display the positions of the sun, moon, Earth, and planets. Tape
white Christmas lights to the back of the paper, poking the bulbs
through, to create the stars (don't forget to plug in your stars!).
Have children imagine they are on the moon, looking back at earth.
Draw a picture of how big you think the sun and Earth would look from
the moon.
Space Creations
Give children a large piece of white paper. Demonstrate to the
children that if you trace the shape of a scissors, it will make a
rocket ship. Encourage the children to trace the scissors for a
rocket and use bottle caps and circular jar lids for planets and
moons. Have paints available for the children to paint their very own
space creation.
Galactic Mobiles
Need: 2 1/2 c. Boiling water 2 c. salt 4 c. flour , cookie
cutters(stars and circles)
Add salt to water, then stir into flour. Have the children knead the
dough until it is a good consistency for shaping. Let them roll the
dough out and use cookie cutters to cut out star and circle shapes.
Each child should have a couple of stars and a couple of circles.
Don't forget to put a hole at the top of each shape for hanging. Bake
shapes in the oven at 250 degrees for 2 -3 hours, checking frequently
after 2 two hours. Paint them another day.
Paper Mache' Planet
Need: round balloons, newspaper, flour, water, paint, paintbrushes,
cardboard(two pieces)
Mix flour and water to make a paper mache' paste. Mix to the
consistency of thick cream.
Tear newspaper into small strips. Cover the balloon with about 4 to 5
layers of newspaper dipped in the paste. Let the balloon somewhat
between layers.
When dry, paint the paper mache' balloon to look like the earth, the
sun, the moon or whichever planet you choose. Use markers and crayons
to add further details.
You can create a base for the planet using two pieces of corrugated
cardboard. Cut out a half circle in each piece of cardboard. Then cut
a slit on the top middle of one piece of cardboard and cut a slit on
the bottom middle of the other piece of cardboard. Place the two
pieces of cardboard together to form a t. When dry place your planet
on its base.
The Planet Ziba!
A new planet has been discovered and it has been named Ziba. One of
the creatures from Ziba is coming to earth, and you have been given
the task of interviewing the Ziba creature.
You'll need to decide on the ten best questions to ask and write
those first. Then you'll need to image what the creature might answer
and write those answers next to the questions. Include a drawing of
the creature. Good Luck!
Ziba space craft(wind whirlers)
Need: paper plates(2 per child), stapler, markers, crayons.
Give each child two paper plates. Have children decorate plates with
"extraterrestrial" designs such as flashes of light,
swirls, zips, and zaps. Spirals look great as spinning saucers whirl
through the sky.
To construct the whirlers, each child staples two plates together
either back to back or front to front. Back-to-back whirlers dip and
curve while front-to-front whirlers tend to fly faster and straighter.
After some individual whirler experimentation, players might want to
try additional modifications, such as cutting holes in the center or
adding other paper elements, to see how they affect flight patterns.
*Games
Man from Mars
One child is Man from Mars and stands in the middle of the field/gym.
All other children gather behind the line/boundary on one end of the field/gym.
Child says:
I am the Man from Mars
I'll chase you to the stars
If you have (on a color, a name that begins with...)
All children who fit description, run out and try to get to the
opposite side of the field before being tagged by the Man from Mars.
If tagged they join "Man" and assist in tagging. Continue
until all are tagged.
*Group Time
Invite children to pretend they're going to spend a day on the moon
or one of the nine planets, and to list their basic needs during
their visit to that particular environment.
Drama "Tour the Solar System
Let children be the guides on a "tour" of the solar system.
Divide them into ten groups and assign each group a different planet
or the sun. Have the groups create displays that highlight
interesting facts and features about the heavenly bodies they chose.
Direct them to prepare one-minute "tours" of their heavenly
bodies. Allow time for them to prepare and provide different books
from the library for research and display making. When all groups are
ready, take an imaginary journey into space. To increase interest,
arrange the childrens' chairs in a rocket shape before the journey
begins. As the class stops at the sun and each planet, let the
appropriate group present its display and tour presentation.
*Snacks
Rehydrated foods
Need: small ziplock bags, instant pudding, milk, straws.
Some foods are dehydrated in space by having water added to them at
mealtime. For snack, give children small ziplock bags in which you
have put one-eighth cup instant pudding and one fourth cup milk. Be
sure the bags are securely closed. Have the children gently knead the
mixture until the pudding forms. Snip off a small piece of one of the
corners. Encourage the children to drink the pudding with a straw.
The children will love it!
Cheese Robots
At snacktime cut cheese into different sized chunks. Then provide the
children with pretzel sticks and let them put the chunks together to
create "cheese robots."
*Other Sites
Rocketship dot-to-dot
The Spaceship Cards
ESL for kids flashcards. These cards teach space vocabulary such as
planets and prepositions such as over, under, and through.
Welcome to
the Planets
NASA's simple data sheet on each planet. Includes pictures of the planets.
A
Solar System Coloring Book - a page for each planet and other
terrestrial objects that includes facts from the University of Michigan.
The
Colonization of Mars: A Thematic Unit
This thematic unit was created for upper elementary students and
meets requirements for the National Standards for Science and Social
Studies. It is complete with lesson plans, worksheets, and homework suggestions.
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