Extensions

Crafts, activities, songs, and games that may allow further exploration

LRO Goes To The Moon, mmm-hmmm
By Christine Shupla, LPI
Sung to the tune of Froggy Went-A-Courtin’

Rocket took off and it did fly, mmm-hmmm,
Rocket took off and it did fly, mmm-hmmm,
The rocket took off and it did fly
With a bang and an orbiter at its side, mmm-hmmm.

Traveled all the way to the Moon, mmm-hmmm,
Traveled all the way to the Moon, mmm-hmmm,
It traveled all the way to the Moon,
And would not come back anytime soon, mmm-hmmm.

Orbiter started going ‘round, mmm-hmmm,
Orbiter started going ‘round, mmm-hmmm,
The orbiter started going ‘round,
It would not ever touch the ground, mmm-hmmm.

Lookin’ for where the water is, mmm-hmmm,
Lookin’ for where the water is, mmm-hmmm,
Lookin’ for where the water is,
So explorers will know where to dig, mmm-hmmm.

Measuring hot and cold out there, mmm-hmmm,
Measuring hot and cold out there, mmm-hmmm,
Measuring hot and cold out there,
The moon gets both without any air, mmm-hmmm.

Searching for valuable minerals too, mmm-hmmm,
Searching for valuable minerals too, mmm-hmmm,
Searching for valuable minerals too,
Gonna need them to build a lunar igloo, mmm-hmmm.

Gonna need it all to build a lunar igloo, mmm-hmmm, mmm-hmmm, mmm-hmmm.

About Space Colonies
The Lunar and Planetary Institute offers a site that discusses space colonization. It includes topics such as what humans would need in space, location of colonies, and features of a colony. There is also a link to an activity that presents the challenges of living on the Moon.  In the activity, children ages 8–13 have the opportunity to build their own colony!

Enchanted Learning’s Zoom Astronomy offers a coloring page of the Moon showing the Moon’s interior layers. This activity is appropriate for children ages 8–12.

This is a simple connect-the-dot coloring page of the Moon that very young children will enjoy.

HOU Workshop features a mosaic print-out of the Moon. Challenge children ages 8 and up to piece together the Moon.  There is also a link to other Moon Mysteries including an on-line jigsaw puzzle of the Moon.

Bring lunar samples into your educational setting! NASA offers training workshops to formal and informal educators so that they can borrow lunar sample sets to share with children and the public. Certification workshops explore information about the Moon, lunar samples, and securing the samples. Contact the Office of Education at the closest center for information about certification and borrowing samples.

The Hawaii Space Grant provides an activity for children ages 12 and up, including:
Lunar Landforms - identifying features of the Moon using photographs taken during the Apollo mission. 
Reaping Rocks - making predictions about the origin of lunar rocks by collecting and analyzing rocks on Earth. 
Regolith Formation - comparing the process of regolith formation on Earth and on the Moon. 
Exploring the Moon and Types of Rocks ....
Exploring the Moon - A Teacher's Guide with Activities for Earth and Space Sciences , provides a wide variety of hands-on activities for children ages 11–14 and background information and fact sheets for educators. While designed for the classroom, the activities can be adapted easily as demonstrations or hands-on experiments for after-school settings. Explore how lunar surface features form!

Make impact craters
Make lunar volcanos

Types of rocks found on the Moon can be ordered for children to examine and for display. The following links are for samples from Ward's Natural Science Company, but other science supply companies also have rock samples.

Basalt
Vesicular Basalt (gas pocket "holes")
Flood Basalt
Anorthosite  
Actual Impact Breccia from Earth
Basalt Breccia
Volcanic Breccia

Space Colony Web Quest challenges children ages 11–13 to work in teams to develop a proposal to put a colony of 600 humans somewhere beyond Earth. An educator page is also provided.  Nice collection of links about our Moon.

Space Walking in Style is an activity for children ages 5–9 to design a space backpack and helmet.

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Last updated
May 9, 2006