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Moon & Its PhasesActivity for Kids

Moon Phases DIY

Duration: 15-45 min
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: $0 to $5

Make a model of the phases of the moon!

Visit The Full Lesson Download Instructions as PDF

Material List

1Lamp
1Pen or pencil
1Foam ball
1Science notebook & pencil
1Cellphone camera (optional)

Instructions

1Place the lamp on a table you can stand near.
2Carefully, push the pencil into the middle of the foam ball (the moon).
3Turn on the lamp (the sun) and turn off the room lights.
4Hold the pencil with the ball out at arm’s length.
5With your arm held out straight, turn your whole body slowly to the left.
6Take a photo of what you see each 1/8th of a turn (or draw it in your notebook).

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How It Works

As you move the moon, you’ll begin to see different phases. Remember that the moon (represented by the foam ball) does not make its own light, it only reflects light from the lamp (represented by the sun). The phases are caused by how much reflected light we can see from earth (that's you!). Since the moon orbits around the Earth every 27 days, these phases repeat over and over. It's a cycle!