Moon Phases

I found a great activity for kids to learn the phases of the moon. All you need are kids and Oreo cookies. It would help if the kids are not extremely hungry because you might run out of cookies. Below is a picture of the project that I created. I used Oreo cookies to create the phases of the moon and took a picture. On paint, I added labels for each phase as well as the Sun and the Earth. This is a fun and yummy activity. Below are basic directions for this activity.


 


  Step 1: Form the kids into groups (2 or 3 unless you want them to work individually)
  Step 2: Talk about the moon and ask the kids about what they know about the moon (if it changes each night etc)
  Step 3: Describe and talk about each phase of the moon (new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent).
  Step 4: Show the kids an example of what they will be creating. This can be in picture form, like mine below, or an actual model they can look, touch, etc.
  Step 5: Explain to the students that they have to take apart the cookies so that all the white filling is on each cookie. Then they have to take some of the filling off to represent each moon phase and how we see it.
  Step 6: Give each group 8 cookies. Use your own judgement, but you don't want to give them too many or they will eat them and run out.
  Step 7: Help the kids work on it giving them tips or helping them when needed.
  Step 8: Take a picture of each groups project. If you would like you could print out copies to hang on the walls.
  Step 9: AFTER the picture is taken, help the students divide the moon cookies and the leftover cookie bits between the group members. This is where extra cookies may be needed in case of sickness, dropping parts on the floor, uneven number of cookies for each student, etc.
  Step 10: Eat.