Learning kitGrades 6-8
Earth and space science
Catch the Moon
Find out why the Moon changes shape by dragging it round the Earth and watching the sky over a beach, then test the idea most people have: that it is Earth's shadow. Walk the Moon through a whole month, find out why there is not an eclipse every month, watch two high tides a day come from the same Moon, and then go outside on real nights and catch the real Moon where you predicted it. Ages 11 to 14.
- Time
- About 60 minutes on screen, in two or three sittings, and a few minutes outside on two evenings.
- Steps
- 6 steps, 6 of them in Moon and Tides Lab
- You need
- A computer or Chromebook with a mouse, trackpad or touch screen. A window or a yard with some sky for step 3, on two evenings (a cloudy night still counts if you made your prediction). A lamp and a ball are a nice extra for step 1.
The 6 steps
These open once the kit is unlocked.
- 1Test the shadow ideaIn Moon and Tides LabMost people, even many grown-ups, think the Moon changes shape because Earth's shadow falls on it. Before you look, pick what you think. Then drag the Moon round and turn on Earth's shadow to test the idea.
- 2A month in a minuteIn Moon and Tides LabA whole month of the Moon fits on one screen. Walk it through all eight phases, then turn the Earth to see when each one is up in the sky.
- 3Catch the real MoonIn Moon and Tides LabNow the real sky. Use the model to predict where tonight's Moon will be at 9 pm and what shape it will have, then go outside and look. Do it on two evenings. A cloudy night still counts once you have made your prediction.
- 4Why not every month?In Moon and Tides LabThere is a full Moon every month, so why is there not an eclipse of the Moon every month? The Eclipses tab tips the picture on its edge so you can see.
- 5Two high tidesIn Moon and Tides LabThe same Moon moves the oceans. On a planet covered in ocean, the Moon stretches the water into two bulges, so a beach gets two high tides a day. Then look at a real coast.
- 6Explain itIn Moon and Tides LabSolve a few puzzles, then write in your own words why the Moon changes shape. Use the words lit half and facing Earth.
Work on a computer. The apps need a keyboard and a bigger screen than a phone: a laptop, desktop or Chromebook. You can pay here and open the emailed link on the computer.
One learner
Unlock the kit, $5
- All 6 steps, worked on screen, with a lesson you can print if you like paper
- Moon and Tides Lab activities that check the work as it is done
- A numbered certificate with a page of the learner's own work: your predictions before and after, the phases you saw, the nights you went out, and your own explanation
Have a discount code?
Co-ops and classes: unlock it for a group
One payment and one code. Each learner types the code to unlock the kit on their own computer, and gets their own certificate at the end. Your pack page shows who has started and finished.
See a sample certificate (PDF) · Already paid? Find your link