• The Moon orbits around Earth once every 29 days. Over that time, the Moon goes from being invisible (what we call a “new moon”) to gradually appearing as a full circle in the sky, and then shrinking away again.
• Explore the phases of the Moon using a ball that is painted white on one side and black on the other.
• Keep one side facing the Sun while the Moon moves around the group.
• How much of the white paint can you see as the Moon moves around the circle?
• Scrape icing off of cream-filled cookies to show the different phases of the Moon that you saw.

Phases of the Moon

• Divide the ball in half. Paint one side black and the other side white. The white side represents the half of the Moon that is lit up by the Sun.
• Choose one side of your meeting area to be the Sun.
• One person will hold the Moon. Everyone else should sit or stand together in a group. This group is Earth.
• Slowly, the Moon travels in a circle around the group, as if it were orbiting Earth, making sure that the white side is always facing the Sun.
• What do you see from Earth as the Moon goes by?

Cookie Moons

• Each person will need eight cookies for this adventure.
• Slowly twist your cookies apart, trying to keep the icing intact.
• Scrape or eat away the icing to create the different phases of the Moon.
• Can you line them up from new moon to full moon and back?
• You may not want to eat all of the cookies at the end of this adventure. You might put some into small bags to take home.