WHAT YOU NEED:
- At least 5 Oreo cookies (generic brands work just as well)
WHAT YOU DO:
- Pull the cookie sandwiches apart, trying to get all the icing on one cookie
- Using a dull knife or spoon, scrape away some of the icing from the cookie to create different phases of the moon (refer to the picture below)
WHAT THIS TEACHES:
The moon governs our tides and months here on Earth, and the phases of the moon can help us mark those changes. By recreating the shape of the moon in its different phases, those shapes will be familiar next time you look in the night sky! The appearance of the moon, or how much we can see of it, changes because the moon rotates around the Earth.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
DISCUSSION IDEAS:
- How long does the moon stay in each phase?
- What other natural processes are governed by the phases of the moon?
- Track the shape of the moon each night for homework
