Oreo Cookie Phases of the Moon Activity
Activity for ages 7-9 years
I remember as a kid celebrating the Winter Solstice in my 2nd grade class. Leading up to the event, my teacher prepared us for the celebration by learning the phases of the Moon. We drew and colored in the cycles of the Moon and learned why the Moon looks the way it does throughout the month. While students are learning from home, I thought this fun and yummy activity would be a great addition to the blog to get kids at home interested in the learning the phases of the Moon.
What are Moon phases? When you look up at the sky at night, the Moon tends to change shape over time. Is it a bright ball of light? Or is it not there at all? Can you only see a little sliver, or does it look like a lopsided ball? Throughout each month, the Moon appears to change shape while it appears in the sky at different times, including in broad daylight! Anyone can observe these changes as they happen. The Moon's ever-changing shapes are called "lunar phases."
A lunar phase is the shape of the sunlit part of the Moon, as seen from Earth. The Moon is always a big ball of volcanic rock in the sky, but based on its position around the Earth and Sun, only certain portions of it are lit up by the Sun at different times. The Moon’s shape changes because the Moon orbits the Earth, but also because both the Earth and the Moon orbit the Sun.
Important cycles to know include:
The Earth’s orbit around the Sun is roughly 365 Earth days (a year!)
The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is roughly 28 Earth days (one month!)
Phases of the Moon Using Oreos
There are eight phases of the Moon, which occur each month. I demonstrated the phases by using Oreos. Twist the Oreo and separate the two cookies from each other. Then use a toothpick to separate the frosting to create your Moon phases.
New moon
New Moon: During a New Moon, the side of the Moon facing the Earth (us) is not illuminated by the Sun at all. At this time, the Moon is not up at night, but it is up during the day. We just can't see it. Solar eclipses can occur during the New Moon, depending on how the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up in their orbits.
waxing crescent
Waxing Crescent: As the Moon waxes (grows) into its crescent phase, it begins to show up low in the sky right after sunset. Look for a silvery-looking crescent. The side facing the sunset direction will be lit up.
first quarter
First Quarter: Seven days after the New Moon, the Moon is in first quarter. Only half of it is visible for the first half of the evening, and then it sets.
Waxing Gibbous
Waxing Gibbous: After First Quarter, the Moon appears to grow into a gibbous shape. Most of it is visible, except for a dark sliver that shrinks over the next seven nights. Look for the Moon at this time during the afternoon, too.
full moon
Full Moon: During a Full Moon, the Sun lights up the entire surface of the Moon that faces Earth. It rises just as the Sun sets and disappears beneath the western horizon when the Sun rises the next morning. This is the brightest phase of the Moon and it washes out the nearby part of the sky, making it difficult to see stars and faint objects such as nebulae.
waning gibbous
Waning Gibbous: After the Full Moon, the lunar shape starts to wane, meaning it gets smaller. It's visible later at night and into the early morning, and we see a steadily shrinking shape of the lunar surface that's being lit up. The side that is lit up is facing toward the Sun, in this case, the sunrise direction. During this phase, look for the Moon during the day, it should be in the sky in the morning.
last quarter
Last Quarter: At Last Quarter, we see exactly half the sunlit surface of the Moon. It can be seen in the early morning and daytime sky.
waning Cresecent
Waning Crescent: The last phase of the Moon is a Waning Crescent. As the Moon continuously wanes and steadily-shrinks it enters into its final crescent phase. We can see only a small sliver from Earth. It's visible in the early morning, and by the end of the 28-day lunar cycle, it has vanished almost entirely. That brings us back to the New Moon to start the new cycle!
Oreo Cookie Phases of the Moon Activity
Supplies I found around the house to try out the activity
For this activity you will need the most important supply, Oreos! Everything else is pretty much up to your own discretion and can be executed in many ways. In addition to creating the Moon phases by using Oreos, it is nice to also draw out on a sheet of paper the cycle of the phases. You could use paper, I also tried a paper plate. To draw the Sun and Earth, round up some paint, markers, crayons, colored pencils, anything and get to creating!
my first attempt on a paper plate. I liked that the plate was round and held the cookies, but there was not enough room to label my phases.
in the middle of my second attempt. in this model, I was able to Label my phases.
My first attempt was with a paper plate. I painted my Earth and placed my phases of the Moon around it. The only problem was there was not enough room to write down the phases or include the Sun.
My second attempt was a bit more successful. In this model, I was able to draw the Sun to demonstrate where the Sun would be positioned in regards to the Moon and the Earth when the phase is visible in the sky.
Take This Activity Further:
Observe the Moon over the course of a month. Go outside each night and see if you can spot and identify the phase of the Moon. Keep a journal of your findings!
If you do not have Oreos at home, draw eight circles and color them in for each phase of the moon. This way is not as delicious in the end, but can still help a student learn the phases of the Moon.
Draw your Moon phases chart in chalk. Spend a nice day outside making a large scale phases of the Moon chart in your driveway. Let your neighbors see what you have learned!
Participating at Home? Share a picture of your work!
Tag us on Facebook, Instagram (@msdiscoverycenter), and Twitter (@msdiscoverycntr)
Citation:
Petersen, Carolyn Collins. "The Once-Mysterious Phases of the Moon Explained." ThoughtCo, Feb. 11, 2020, thoughtco.com/what-are-moon-phases-3883581.
