How to Teach Children About the Moon, Stars, and Space: Activities for Kids of All Ages

Where were you on July 20, 1969? For some of us we have no clue and others remember one of the most important missions in NASA history - " a man landed on the moon." It's been many years since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon during the Apollo 11 journey. Take time to research this event and tell your children about this historic story, and for them it's a story from another lifetime, but kids love outer space and now when they look up at the moon it will bring new meaning.

Think about visiting a nearby planetarium. These space theaters offer nothing less than a virtual-reality tour of the universe with their high-powered telescopes and state-of-the-art systems. You take your seats, the lights grow dim and suddenly you're surrounded by thousands of bright white stars. You feel as if you're rocketing past planets and galaxies into dark, mysterious space. Welcome to the new world of planetariums - your children will love the experience.

Let's get to know the night sky with some of these fun and educational activities that you can do at home:

- Try bringing a little nighttime magic indoors. Purchase or cut several handfuls of stars out of luminous (glow-in-the-dark) tape and arrange the twinkles on the ceiling or walls of your child's room. Don't forget to make a moon shape as well. Your kids will be delighted when the lights go out at bedtime and they can sleep under the stars!

- Make a night sky in a bottle. Use a clear water bottle filling it part way with baby oil and the rest water. Tint the water blue with food coloring to mimic the night sky. Invite the kids to add star sequins and glitter for sparkle. Glue the cap on securely. Shaking the bottle will give you a "star show" as the sparkling stars come twinkling down.

- Spend clear evenings outdoors and star gaze. Look at the moon too! What shape is it tonight?

- Have a "moon rock" scavenger hunt in your yard. Invite the kids to collect rocks and paint them with glow paints. Have an adult hide them in the yard. Let the kids loose to find and collect the moon rocks. Provide flashlights, it's much safer when you can see where you are going!

- Do you have any astronauts-in-training at your house? Spend some fun with this game. Players take turns completing the sentence, "I went to the moon and saw..." One way to complete the sentence is with a reversal of reality on Earth. Your child may say something like, "I saw a small purple creature with green hair and flowers growing out of its ears." Then you can ask questions about this creature like, "Where did this purple person go on his walk? What would he do once he got there?" See how much imagination and creativity can spur from this game.

- On a more scientific note, help your child understand the phases of the moon. Why does the moon look different throughout the month? To keep track of the moon's changes and its effects on you, try making a moon chart together. Take a large sheet of construction paper and draw in the appropriate number of boxes for each day of the month. In each box, draw a large circle. Clouds permitting, observe the moon and draw in the appropriate shading (if any). Continue this process until you have been through an entire month. The phases of the moon are as follows: new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter. Pick up books on the moon's phases and read about this phenomenon. By the way, you might check your child's behavior against the calendar - was he or she acting particularly zany on a specific day? Chances are it was on a full moon!