Celebrate July--Moon Landing

Can you believe it's been 40 years since the moon landing? I can't! Well, mostly because it happened 10 years before I was born, but I do remember the 20th anniversary of the moon landing. At the time I thought 20 years was an eon. Now it's 20 years later, so that must make me officially old! :)

Take some time on July 20 to celebrate our beautiful moon and the creative, dedicated thinkers who made such an incredible feat possible. If you have a planetarium or museum nearby, chances are they're hosting an activity or two in commemoration.

The moon is waning now so that means it rises late. You'll be able to see the little sliver of the moon before it sets about 8:00 PM (MDT). You can find out the rising/setting time here. There's a link in the "modify parameters" box that allows you to change the location.

If you're looking for some home based entertainment how about snacking on a moon pie? Or try some favorite astronaut recipes. There are some great suggestions listed here. Follow the links she provides for even more suggestions. I wonder if Pillsbury still makes their Space Sticks?



If you order quickly, you might be able to get some freeze dried ice cream delivered in the mail before July 20. I took some back to my students after a trip to NYC and they loved it!

There are lots of fun moon crafts available on line.

• This is a paper plate moon and foil stars from Sprout
• There are educational activities from How Stuff Works
• Lots of space related kids books
• Funschool provides on-line games with space themes

If you have adolescents try having them do an oral history project. They're too young to know how the moon landing changed life, but there are plenty of people around who remember. Have the kids generate questions and then interview the more mature members of the family or neighborhood. They could compile their findings in a book or even create a website!