Hobbies And Interests
Monitor Changing Phases
For young children, simply monitoring the moon for a 28-day cycle and observing the differences from day to day will impress upon them how the moon appears to change throughout the month. Have them look at the moon at the same time every night and draw a picture of it. Each day they can cut out the shape they drew and paste it on a poster board divided into 28 boxes.
Simulate Moon Phases
Children who have observed the different phases of the moon might want to try simulating the process to better understand what makes each shape. To do this, you will need a basketball or soccer ball, glue, a glass, foil, scissors and a flashlight. Glue the foil to the ball's surface and place the ball on a small table in the center of a darkened room. Have one child shine the flashlight directly toward the ball, which represents the moon. Other children can stand at other points surrounding the "moon" and describe what phase they see.
Effects on Tides
Older children can use data on high and low tides to plot when these tides occur in relation to the phases of the moon. For one 28-day cycle, students should record the phases of the moon on a chart for a nearby location. For that same period, students should also document high and low tides in that area. By looking at this data, children should be able to draw conclusions about how the moon affects tides.
Moon's Effects
According to legend, the full moon affects people in strange ways. Some data suggest hospital emergency rooms and police departments are busiest during these times. Gather data from local hospitals and police departments for a five-year period and plot it next to the phases of the moon to determine if there is a correlation between a full moon and a rise in accidents, violent behavior or birth and death rates.