It seems strange that my youngest son did not know about the man in the Moon until he was eight years old, but it’s true. I guess it was just one of those things that never came up. When he finally learned about the man in the Moon from a book we were reading, he wanted to see it immediately. He had to wait two weeks for the Moon to be full. He couldn’t pick out the features at first, but with a little help, he soon saw the man in the Moon.

Several months after this experience, we at last turned to the subject of astronomy. Since we do all our units with two or more children we covered some material as a group and then divided to allow the younger children to study the solar system and the older children to study other aspects of astronomy. I’m focusing on the portion of our study that deals with the Moon. This is an ideal study to do with younger children because it can include many hands on activities and relates to many of the every day events they are learning to put into context in their lives.

One of the basic resources I use for all of our astronomy studies is Astronomy Adventures, a Ranger Rick’s NatureScope. One of a set of books published by the National Wildlife Federation, the astronomy book is packed with great activities and useful information for many aspects of astronomy. It’s now out of print but still available used online. The portions that deal with the Moon are very well done, including a section entitled "What Are You Really Seeing When You Look at the Moon?" Did you know you can see other shapes on the Moon besides the man in the Moon? Try looking for a rabbit. This section answers many of the basic questions children have about the Moon. Activities in the solar system chapter include "Crazy About Craters" with instructions for making your own mudsplat craters, "A Matter of Gravity" with a page of alien creature parts to create your own heavy gravity or light gravity aliens, and "Moon Madness" offers assistance in figuring out the phases of the Moon and eclipses with a reproducible sheet to use to make your own Moon phases flipbooks.

In addition to using activities from Astronomy Adventures, we read a variety of books. Journey to the Planets by Patricia Lauber has gorgeous photographs. Again this is out of print but available used. The text goes into more depth than most primary grade children would enjoy, but it will help you in talking about the pictures. If you have already read the preceding chapter on the earth, with its discussion of atmosphere and gravity, the pictures of the Moon will have greater meaning. Astronaut footprints that can’t be erased by blowing winds, photos comparing the impact of huge meteorites and a grain of dust on the Moon’s surface, and the sight of the earth rising above the horizon of the Moon all help children to understand the unique properties of our Moon. You can also look in later chapters of the book to see pictures of some of the other moons that orbit the planets in our solar system.

Exploring the Solar System, a Dover coloring book by Bruce LaFontaine combines the history of astronomy with the latest in events in space exploration. One page includes Galileo’s drawings of the moon, a portrait of Galileo and a diagram of the refracting telescope. Kits are available to build your own refractor telescope to use in viewing the moon. The coloring book also has illustrations of an astronaut on the lunar surface, the Clementine Spacecraft and the far side of the moon, the four largest moons orbiting Jupiter, Saturn and its major moons, and the moons of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Since this coloring book covers much more than the moon, you will find useful illustrations for your older children. Published in 1998, there are five illustrations dealing with the exploration of Mars, a double page illustration of spacecraft, past and future, and an illustration of the space shuttle and its since canceled future replacement the Venture Star. Short biographies of a number of astronomers are included with their portraits and illustrations detailing their contributions to the study of astronomy.

We supplemented our study by downloading pictures of the moon from several different websites including NASA educational sites. While using the Internet can enhance almost any study, astronomy is especially well represented on the Internet due to the efforts by NASA to inform the public of all they have learned and accomplished for mankind exploring space. There are a number of publications, videos, and other educational items available for download, purchase or borrowing from NASA organizations.

1. NASA’s Central Operation of Resources for Educators (CORE) makes NASA educational videos, slides and software available for purchase by mail order. A catalog of materials available can be requested online or from Lorain County JVS-NASA CORE, 15181 Route 58 South, Oberlin, OH 44074. Phone (440) 775-1400. The NASA CORE website.
2. The NASA Educator Resource Center Network has Educator Resource Centers located at all NASA research facilities and Regional Educator Resource Centers located at planetariums, universities, museums, and other nonprofit organizations nationwide. For more information about NASA Educator Resource Centers contact the NASA CORE office or visit the following website: http://education.nasa.gov/about/contacts/Educator_Resource_Center_Network.html . A listing of Educator Resource Centers by State can be found at http://education.nasa.gov/about/contacts/ERCN_State_Listing.html
3. NASA Publications - Send a request form to NASA Headquarters, Information Center, Code CI-4, Washington, DC 20546-0001. Please check availability of printed publication before ordering by calling the Information Center at (202) 358-0000. For more information on available publications, visit NASA Publications for Sale at the Information Center.
4. NASA Educational Products. This website offers for download teacher guides on many space and earth science topics, teacher guides for the videos available through NASA CORE, and other educational publications. All free of charge in Adobe PDF format. The Adobe PDF Reader is available free via a link from this site. Visit NASA Educational Materials

The Moon has figured in myths, legends, and stories of many cultures. Many of these stories have been adapted as picture books. In particular you will want to read "The Moon in the Millpond" by Joel Chandler Harris. It is one of the Uncle Remus stories which tells how Brer Rabbit tricked Brer Fox, Brer Wolf, and Brer Bear into getting soaked while trying to haul the moon out of the millpond. This story can be found in Brer Rabbit and Friends. You’ll find moon stories from different cultures in the following story collections: Stories of the Moon by Joan Marie Galat tells legends of the Moon from around the world as well as facts about the moon and astronomy and Moon Tales: Myths of the Moon from Around the World by Rina Singh is a collection of stories where the moon is a man, a woman, a princess, a sister to the sun, even a mischief-maker. More stories about the moon can be found in the resources section of this article.

The Moon and Her Mother by Aesop

The Moon once begged her Mother to make her a gown. "How can I?" replied she; "there’s no fitting your figure. At one time you’re a New Moon, and at another you’re a Full Mooon; and between whiles you’re neither one nor the other."

Nothing ever suits one who is always changing.

Moon Related Websites

• Earth and Moon Viewer This site offers you the ability to look at the moon from the Earth, the Sun, the nightside or above specific formations. You can change the latitude and longitude of the view to your own by entering the proper figures and updating the image. You'll also find dates for the current phases of the moon. One page is devoted to exploring the differences in the moon at perigee and apogee which include differences in brightness, position and size. The Lunar and Apogee Calculator will give you the dates when the moon is at apogee or perigee as well as the dates for new and full moons for the year. Following the procedures given on this website an older student could make their own study of the moon in apogee and perigee.
• The Moon as Seen From the Northern Hemisphere This site contains interesting photos of the moon shot on repeated evenings showing the changes in the phases of the moon. Other images include a multiple exposure shot of a lunar eclipse, photo of an airplane silhouetted against the moon, and photos showing the different images one can see in the moon such as a rabbit or the well known man in the moon. The site also explains a blue moon and shows what the moon looks like to viewers in the southern hemisphere.
• Touring the Moon with Binoculars Because the Moon spans 2,160 miles, about a quarter the diameter of Earth, and lies only a quarter million miles away, it exhibits a wealth of detail in a small telescopes and binoculars. Both will reveal the Moon's desolate landscape punctuated by bright highlands, dark plains, and rayed craters.
• Moon Phase Gadget - current the phase of the moon.
• Virtual Reality Moon Phase Pictures See the moon go through its phases in an animated picture. Includes a link to other data concerning the moon, earth and sun.
• Nine Planets: Moon This page, part of the Nine Planets solar system website, includes an extensive amount of information about the moon with pictures, information about NASA spacecraft sent to the moon, and links to other information.
• Views of the Solar System: The Moon The images on this site are explained in detail perfect for a junior high or high school age astronomy buff. Younger children will find the images interesting including the picture orange moondust. Links to a number of animations of the moon from various perspectives including Venus and astronauts on the moon are available for download.
• Chronology of Space Exploration This chronology deals with all space exploration, not just the moon. Some spacecraft are linked to textual information about the spacecraft and the mission it performed.
• Sky View Café 4.1 – The Interactive Planetarium has a Moon Phase Calendar. See a graphical representation of the phases of the moon for each day of the month.
• Myths About the Moon 14 myths from around the world Aztec to Hindu, Chinese to Roman.
• To the Moon - PBS Site for the Nova Special
• Google Moon - Google Moon has four different types of data.
  Visible - A mosaic of images taken by the Clementine mission. This is a black-and-white version of what you would see if you were in orbit around the moon.
  Elevation - A lunar terrain map.. This map is color-coded by altitude, so you can use the color key at the lower left to estimate elevations.
  Apollo - A collection of placemarks that tell the story of the Apollo missions that landed on the moon. This includes stories, quotes, images, panoramas, audio clips, and links to videos of the astronauts' adventures on the lunar surface.
  Charts - A collection of geological and topographic charts of various regions of the moon.

More Resources for a Moon Unit Study

This listing includes books for picture books, books for older children, and books for adults. It includes fiction and non-fiction. It also includes curriculum, videos, DVDs, and a strategy game that is included because it involves getting warring tribes of monkeys off the moon.