One Small Step for Man…
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” These were the famous first words uttered by Neil Armstrong, as he became the first human to step foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. Nowadays, July 20th is known as National Moon Day, a time to appreciate the momentous accomplishment of humans landing on the moon for the first time. If you really stop to think about it, how amazing is it that scientists and engineers found a way to build a vehicle that can safely propel humans out of our atmosphere, travel 238,900 miles, and land on a moving hunk of rock? A giant leap for mankind indeed!
The moon has been a source of wonder for ages. Many cultures and religions hold the moon in high regard. In fact, some cultures even measure time according to the phases of the moon (learn more about the lunar calendar here). If your child has ever stared in wonder the moon in the night sky, you’ve no doubt fielded questions about it. National Moon Day would be a great opportunity to learn more about the moon together and maybe inspire the next generation of astronomers. Here are some ideas for activities to do together in honor of National Moon Day:
Learn About the Moon Landing
To give kids some background about the moon landing, watching some videos together might be the most engaging way to make something that’s somewhat incomprehensible more concrete. Here is a short video for the younger kids, and a longer one for those with longer attention spans.
Read Books About the Moon
Some of our favorite books about the moon are Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle, One Giant Leap by Robert Burleigh, and A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin.
Make Some Moon Crafts Together
This resource has compiled some adorable and approachable crafts that highlight the moon, with ideas for a variety of ages! If you’d like to create something that you might want to use as decor, moon phase wall hangings have been very popular in recent years. Check out this video or this one for ideas—we’d recommend doing this with older kids.
This one small step for man has opened the door to more space exploration and has allowed us to learn more about our place in the universe (for extra credit, check out some amazing new images from the Webb Space Telescope here!). We hope these activities inspire some wonder in kids and adults alike—Happy National Moon Day!