Lunar and Planetary Institute






Day and Night
Activity:


Illustrate!
Children illustrate the Native American story of Ant and Bear and their dances for day and night as well as the science story of why we have day and night cycles.

The Activity
Ask the children to think about the story they just heard.

  • What happened in the story?
  • What does it explain about our Earth?

Invite the children to illustrate how Earth got day and night  — or one aspect of the story.

Have older children work individually or in groups to illustrate the science story.

Extensions
Invite the children to create and illustrate their "own" story of how day and night came to be.

Expand the types of materials available to include paint, tissue paper, glue, scissors, etc., so the children can make mosaics, mobiles, or sculptures to illustrate the stories.

More Activities

Last updated
January 4, 2007

 

Who?
Ages 5 and up

How Long?
30 minutes or longer

What's Needed?

• Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
• Paper or poster board

Connections to the National Science Standard(s)

Standards A& D (grades K–4):Understand and communicate the explanation (this communication might be spoken or illustrated as well as written) of the apparent daily pattern of move-ment of the Sun.

Standards A& D(grades 5–8): Understand and communicate the scientific explana-tion of how objects in the solar system have regular and predictable motion, such as the apparent daily motion of the Sun in the day/night cycle.