Day and Night

1. The Sun is Needed to Make Things Grow

Place a solid round opaque object on the grass. Leave it there for 3-4 days. Then check to see what has happened to the grass without any sunlight. What happened? Why?

2. The Sun Warms the Earth

In the morning fill two shallow pans with water. Place one in the sun; the other in the shade. Tell the children you will test the water at the end of the day. Later that afternoon test the water with the children. Is one warmer than the other? Why?

3. The Sun is Much Bigger Than You Think

Take two balls of very different sizes. (Note: tennis ball would be the moon and large rubber ball would be the sun.) Compare the sizes. Have one child hold the tennis ball which represents the moon. Have an adult take the rubber ball representing the sun and walk away from class. Have the adult stop periodically and hold up the ball.

Discussion:
Is the ball getting smaller? Is the teacher getting smaller? The farther away things are, the smaller they looks.

4. Moon Watcher

Everybody can be a moon watcher. For five consecutive nights have the children go out at night with their parents to look for the moon. Older children can draw and record what they see each night.

Discussion:
Who saw the moon last night? How did it look? Was it a "new moon", a "full moon" or a crescent? Check each day to see if the moon looks the same each night. Record the children's observations pictorially. Does the moon look like it is getting bigger or smaller? Even though we live in different places, did the moon look the same to all of us?
 

5. Bake Moon Cookies

4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cups soft margarine
4 tsp milk

Combine flour, baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt and set aside. Cream margarine, sugar and 1 tsp salt until fluffy. Add milk and vanilla; add flour mixture to creamed ingredients one cup at a time and blend together. Refrigerate cookie dough for at least 2 hours. Use rolling pin to roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Using floured cookie cutters (crescents and circles) make moon shaped cookies. (Children may shape cookies by hand) Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 9 minutes.