Objects in the Sky

Reaching for the Moon

Learning the phases of the moon can be so much more fun when it’s edible! We watched videos about how the earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits the earth. This showed us the different phases of the moon in a month. Then we put our knowledge into delicious action by using Oreos to make the eight different phases. Of course, we had a little nibble here and there!

 

Sun and Shadows

We did a shadow experiment during the Winter, which we will hopefully repeat during the Spring. We had a gorgeous sunny day (woohoo!), so we went outside in the morning and drew our shadows on the ground. We went to the same spot in the afternoon to check how our shadows moved. The kids were blown away when they realized how far the shadows had moved from their first spot! They excitedly took notes and measured their shadows, and then we discussed what caused the shadows to move (the earth's rotation on its axis). We can't wait for Spring to try it again!

Not everything that casts a long shadow is to be feared - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

 

Interactive class activities like this allow our young students to be active participants in their lessons, and it helps sharpen their critical thinking skills, which is fundamental in developing analytic reasoning.