Phases of the Moon will take from 4-6 weeks so it should be started early. In general, the experiments (not counting class discussions) should take about 1/2 hour except where noted. I recommend doing the experiments in the order in which they appear in the book.
The purpose of this activity is to model how day and night occur and to observe that a solar eclipse is nothing more that the shadow of the moon falling on the earth.
Preparation:
Review the concepts of rotation and revolution and how the Earth, Moon and Sun move in the solar system. Review what the equator is. Talk about eclipses and the importance of not looking at the sun directly.
The kids will need to use a thick book or several smaller ones to hold up the flashlight.
The purpose of this activity is to observe the phases of the moon and that they are cyclical. The observations must be done at home (at night), however, the data analysis can be done in class.
Preparation:
The Moon is only bright because it reflects light from the Sun. And the Sun can only light up the half of the Moon that is facing the Sun. So, depending on where we are when we look at the Moon, we may see a complete circle of light, or no light, or a crescent.
Talk about what the new moon and full moon are. Also talk about astronomers and how they derive their knowledge from making many, many observations of the night sky.
Form your class into teams of seven students. Assign one student on each team a certain day of the week. It will be her/his job to make the observation that night every week for at least 4 weeks. Since the moon's cycle is 4 weeks long, making observations for 5 or 6 weeks will show your class that the cycle is repeating.
If your class is not an even multiple of seven, split the extra kids among the teams. You can have two of your less reliable kids make observations the same night or have each child make observations every 8-9 days (depending on the number of team members) rather than once a week. If someone forgets to make an observation, just have them write "no observation" across the moon on their record sheet.
You will need to make at least four copies of the record sheet for each child. As the kids bring in their observations, tape them together, in order, for each team. Hang them in the classroom so the kids can watch the phases changing.
The purpose of this activity is for the students to observe how craters are made and to encourage them to carefully observe photographs of the moon and planets.
Preparation:
Review with your class what craters are and how they're made. Have on hand some pictures of craters so that they can compare theirs with real ones.
Note that the higher you hold the ball, the faster it is going when it hits the pan. Therefore is should make a larger crater.
Cut up 24 slips of paper approximately 1" x 2". Have a few buckets of sand available with a cup or scoop in each. When they are done, the kids can dump the sand from their pans back into the bucket. Put newspaper under the buckets to help make clean-up easier.
The purpose of this activity is to explore gravity and learn, as Galileo did, that it pulls all objects to Earth at the same rate (except, of course, if there is wind resistance).
Preparation:
This is an excellent opportunity to introduce some early scientists and how scientific ideas and methods change over time.
The ping pong ball and golf ball are approximately the same size and shape but are different weights. Unlike what Aristotle thought, they will (should) both hit the ground at the same time. The tissue is approximately the same weight as the ping pong ball however, it is wide and flat and so will have air resistance counteracting gravity. If you were to crumple it into a ball, there would be less air resistance and it would behave more like the other balls.
Have a few buckets of sand available with a cup or scoop in each. When they are done, the kids can dump the sand from their pans back into the bucket. Put newspaper under the buckets to help make clean-up easier. Dropping the balls into a pan full of sand is simply to keep them from bouncing all over the classroom.
You will need to have safety goggles available for the child who is observing near the floor. This is to prevent sand from getting in his/her eyes. A broom and dustpan will be needed to clean up spilt sand.
The purpose of this activity is to help the kids see that gravity keeps the Earth and Moon together and that, without gravity, the Moon would fly away from the Earth in a straight line.
Preparation:
Talk about gravity and what it does for us. Talk about times when gravity gets in the way. Review that every object has gravity and that "down" is in the direction that gravity pulls things. The furthest down you can go on Earth is the center of the Earth.
The kids will need to know their weight so ask them to find out for homework. If they can't find out, have them use 40 pounds for a small child or 60 pounds for a large one. These numbers are both divisible by 4 to make the math easy.
Your class will also need to be familiar with basic fractions (1/2 and 1/4) and how to figure out what 1/4 of something is or what 2 1/2 time something is. They can use manipulatives, calculators, or draw a picture to help their computations.
The actual gravitational pull on the Moon is from 1/6th to 1/4th of Earth's. The actual gravitational pull on Jupiter is 2.63 times that of Earth's. These numbers were rounded to 1/4 and 2 1/2 to make the calculations easier for the students.
There will be paper towel balls flying around the room but, since they are soft, no one is likely to get hurt. Make sure the kids have plenty of space around them before they start spinning their "moons". This would be a good activity to do outside if the weather permits. Use thin string about 2 feet long.
The purpose of this activity is to introduce the idea of artificial gravity that might be used in spaceships and space stations. In the case of a spinning space station, "down" actually is in the direction of the outside edge.
Preparation:
Review the idea of weightlessness in space. Talk about what it would be like and how difficult certain things (like eating and going to the bathroom) would be.
If the kids have trouble spinning the space station from the outside, have them put one finger inside and spin their hand in small circles. The astronauts occasional come flying out of the space stations. Since they are wood, no one should get hurt. If there are no beads available, you can make balls (about 1/2-3/4 inches in diameter) out of aluminum foil.
For sticks, use 8" or 10" bamboo skewers. The pointed end can be used to poke the holes. If necessary, a push pin can be used to get the holes started. Save the skewers; they can be reused. You'll have to provide scissors and rulers.
The purpose of this activity is to introduce the idea that air being forced out of an object causes that object to move in an opposite direction. The activity also provides an excellent opportunity for the kids to practice predicting and then testing their predictions.
Preparation:
Explain to your class that the "space" in front of them is not empty but full of air molecules and that these molecules are always moving. Outer space, on the other hand, is "empty". Talk about rockets, spaceships, and other vehicles and how they move. Consider discussing the idea that, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." As the air molecules leave the balloon spaceship, their action causes the spaceship to "react" by moving in the opposite direction. The spaceship will go faster if the rate of the air leaving the spaceship increases.
Use large balloons, at least 11" in diameter, since they are easier to blow up. If they are still difficult to blow up, stretch them first. Each child should blow up one balloon. Remind them not to switch balloons to avoid exchanging germs.
Use masking tape for this exercise since it will form a better seal between the balloon's neck and the straw than cellophane tape.
Help your kids become intimately familiar with the solar system by having each child construct a 15 foot long, almost to scale model! They can do this in pairs or by themselves so they can take the model home when they are done. This activity takes about 2 hours and lots of floor or table space.
This solar system model is not entirely to scale; rather, it is to two different scales. The sizes of the planets are all to a scale of 16,000 miles per inch. The distances between the planets and the sun are also to scale relative to each other. This scale is approximately 23,000,000 miles per inch. If the distance from the sun were on the same scale as the size of the planets, the earth would be approximately 480 feet from the sun!
Preparation:
You will need to photocopy one set of planets for each student or team:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
The solar system is assembled on 15 sheets of white paper taped together along their short edge. Fanfold computer paper works well for this and eliminates the need to tape the sheets together. Tear apart packets of 15 sheets each.
The sun is represented by 5 sheets of yellow paper taped together along their short edge. This is the diameter of the sun on the scale used for planet diameters. The sun could be made as a circle of this diameter (55 inches), but it is more manageable to just use the strip of paper.
To help your class visualize the concept of the expanding universe and the idea that stars are constantly moving further away.
Preparation:
Review what the universe is. Make sure your class can measure with a ruler.
One theory of the creation of the universe is the Big Bang theory. That has all of the matter of the universe in one place until a giant explosion sends it flying out in all directions. Stars and planets form but they keep moving out. The further out they go, the more their light appears shifted to the red end of the light spectrum, the "red shift". Observation of this red shift helped develop and support the Big Bang theory.
Use balloons that are at least 11 inches in diameter so they are easy to blow up. Light colored balloons will be easier to write on.