How Does the Moon Shine?

Young children are quite aware of the fact that Earth receives its light from the Sun. But, do they know from where the Moon receives its light? Well, this is an interesting topic for kids to learn about. How does the Moon shine? Children must know the reason behind its shine or brightness. Therefore, you can conduct simple science experiments for kids so that they can practically perform the experiment and understand the concept behind it. There are many interesting science project ideas related to the Moon if your children ever want to pursue their career in astronomy. 

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How does the Moon shine? It shines when the surface of the Moon reflects the light coming from the Sun. Though the Moon shines so bright, it reflects only 12 percent of the sunlight that falls on it. To make your children understand about the concept of Moonlight, you can conduct science activities for preschoolers and kindergarten kids at home or in the classroom in a creative way. You need to present the concept in such a way that your children develop interests to learn deeply about how the Moon shines. If your children are looking for science project ideas? Then, how does the Moon shine can be one of the project topics for children? 

What is the Moon?

People love gazing at the Moon and appreciating its beauty. Children especially are attracted to the Moon and its brightness. Kids are introduced to the Moon from the moment they are born in the form of reciting poems, reading stories, and singing lullaby songs on the Moon. Therefore, they can easily recognize the Moon. But, all you need to do is explain to them about the Moon and the reason behind its shines. Moon is a natural satellite of the Earth, almost similar to the size of a planet. It orbits around the Earth and is the only celestial object that is easily observed at night in the sky. 

There are around eight phases of the Moon, such as the new Moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full Moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning crescent. We can say that the size of the Moon is one-fourth of the Earth’s size. You must have heard about the lunar eclipse, haven’t you? This basically occurs when the Earth comes in between the Sun and the Moon. Due to this, you will be able to see the reddish color shadow of the Earth on the surface of the Moon. To enhance your child’s knowledge, you can check out some of the interesting facts about the Moon. 

Fun Facts about the Moon 

  • The surface of the Moon is dark.
  • The Moon and the Sun are not of the same size. 
  • The Moon is slowly drifting away from the Earth every year. 
  • The Moon also gets quakes which are termed as Moonquakes. 
  • The Moon is responsible for the tides on the Earth’s ocean. 
  • The Moon is the only natural satellite to the Earth.
  • The Moon does not have its own light. The surface of the Moon reflects the light coming from the Sun. 
  • The Moon takes 27.3 days to travel to complete its orbit around the Earth.
  • The temperature of the Moon varies from extremely hot to extremely cold. 

Easy Science Project: How Does the Moon Shine?

Children must be wondering where the Moon gets its shine from. The Moon is actually very dark, and it gathers and reflects the light from the Sun. This is the reason for its brightness. To teach children about how the moon shines, you can conduct small experiments for kids. These experiments will enable children to understand the concept behind its shine. Performing the experiment will develop observational and analytical skills in children. It would create interest among children to learn about the Moon and appreciate its beauty and importance for the Earth. Let us check the science project ideas related to the Moon given below.

How Does the Moon Shine?

Aim of the Project

To experiment and observe how the Moon shines using the affordable materials available at home or in the classroom. 

Materials Required 

  • A lamp
  • A tennis ball or a white foam ball 
  • Dark gray color paper 
  • Glue 
  • A globe

Procedure

  • Take a white foam or a tennis ball and cover it with a dark grey color paper with the help of glue.  
  • Then, take a lamp and set it in one corner of the room.
  • Take the white foam or a tennis ball and keep it on a table at a distance from the lamp. 
  • Then, place a globe next to the ball. 
  • Switch off the lights of the room so that it becomes completely dark. 
  • Then, switch on the lamp and make sure the light falls on the tennis ball or a white foam ball. 
  • Finally, record your observations. 

Result

In this particular experiment, the light of reflection principle is introduced to the kids. It was observed that when you turn on the lamp, the globe acting as an Earth is able to see the light that is reflected by the tennis ball or a white foam ball acting as the Moon from the light emitted from the lamp, which is the Sun. The experiment concluded that the Moon does not have its own light but still shines as it reflects the light coming from the Sun. 

Benefits of Learning about the Moon 

Some of the benefits of learning about the Moon are mentioned below:

  • Enables children to understand astronomical events in a fun way.
  • Imparts knowledge on the celestial objects found around Earth to children.
  • Gives an opportunity to learn about how the Moon shines. 
  • Gives information about Moonquakes on the Moon. 
  • Helps in understanding the history of Earth and the solar system. 
  • Helps in getting aware of the different phases of the Moon. 
  • Provides information on how the Moon’s gravitational pull causes high-level tides in the sea. 
  • Gives information about the size and distance of the Moon compared to other planets. 
  • Enables children to use telescopes to study about the Moon in a fun way. 
  • Helps in conducting research on the Moon for their future studies. 

To know more information, explore science science games for kids, STEM activities for kids in the kids learning section at Osmo.

Frequently Asked Questions on How Does the Moon Shine?

How does the Moon shine?

The Moon does not have its own light, and therefore, we can see the Moon shining brightly when the surface of the Moon reflects the light emitted by the Sun.

What are the benefits of learning about the Moon?

The benefits of learning about the Moon is that it helps children understand the reason behind its shine and other important facts that contribute to strong connection with the Earth. Besides this, children will learn about astronomical events happening in the solar system.