Creatively Celebrating the Moon Landing

On July 20, 1969 Apollo 11 became the first manned landing on the moon!  Even those of us not born at that time (cough cough) know the words uttered by Neil Armstrong “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

It is amazing to think that was 41 years ago!

The anniversary of such a huge event is a perfect time to reflect on outer space, the moon, rockets…so much fun stuff to explore!

Here is a list of ideas to get you started:

• Why not make models of the moon, or even the solar system using polystyrene balls (it’s an oldie but a goodie!).
• Have students make up their own planet using polystyrene balls. Plasticine is great to cover the surface of the polystyrene and add some mountain ranges, land masses and seascapes.  Now name it, describe what it would be like to live there, what creatures inhabit it, how many moons does it have, is it hot or cold…a great topic for a week long assignment.
• Go online and research the moon landing – Wikipedia has some great resources. Ask students to imagine what it must have been like for those astronauts on Apollo 11, use this as a basis for creative writing.
• Why not create model rockets using cardboard rolls, foam sheets, honeycomb mesh and stems…have students create their own fabulous space machines.
• Make model space men – use Cutout kid shapes as a basis and add space suit details with foam sheets or collage with paper, or just draw them on with marker pens.

Space exploration still holds fascination for many people, see if you can use the anniversary of the moon landing to inspire and maybe inspire a career path or two!