National Moon Day is July 20! This celebration began in 1969 when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first American astronauts to walk on the moon. When Armstrong took his first steps, he spoke this now-famous quote: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” If you were to walk on the moon, what do you imagine it would feel like?
The moon is a natural satellite that orbits the Earth. An orbit is the gravitationally-curved route of an object, such as the path of a satellite around a planet. Our moon is Earth’s only natural satellite but other planets have many. Saturn, for example, has about 82 moons! In this project, we will create moonwalk models to hang at home — complete with footprints!
Supplies
- Cardboard
- Tinfoil
- Flat round objects (pennies, toilet paper rolls, bottle caps, etc.)
- Scissors
- Pencil
- PaintTape or glue
Instructions
Step 1: Cut out the shape of your moon (around 10 to 12 inches). Draw or trace a circle onto a piece of cardboard. Use scissors to cut out that circle.
Step 2: Create and attach round shapes to the cardboard that will represent the moon’s craters and dark spots. Use tape or glue to attach flat round objects to the front of your cardboard to create craters on your moon. Some objects are flat and will look like dark spots and others, such as bottle caps, can actually indent and look like craters when you cover with tinfoil. Tip: I am using pennies, bottle caps and cut rounds from a toilet paper roll.
Step 3: Cover your moon with tinfoil. Use a sheet of tinfoil to cover the surface of your moon. Be sure to shape the foil over and around the circles you created, turning them into crater forms. Wrap your tinfoil around the back of your moon and tape in place. Tip: You can put craft glue on the top surface of your moon to help the tinfoil stay in place.
Step 4: Add your prints. Spread out paint on a flat surface in a color of your choice.
Bare footprints: With your hand in a fist, gently dip your hand pinky side down into the paint. Press your painted hand down wherever you’d like onto your foiled moon. Dip the tips of your fingers in the paint and press them in size order at the top of your handprint to create a bare “footprint.”
Space bootprint: Using a small piece of cardboard, draw and cut out your footprint. Carefully separate the cardboard so that the folded corrugated part is exposed. Dip the corrugated side into the paint and press it onto your moon surface wherever you want. Have fun and add as many prints to your moon as you want!
Explore more of our Drop-in Art Activity video tutorials on our YouTube channel.
Show Us!
We want to see your moonwalk model. Share your photos online using #PEMpod or #peabodyessex