Moon Phases Learning Craft for Kids + Printable Worksheets

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We dove into this Moon Phases Learning Craft when my son (1st grade at the time) came home from school recently saying he was learning about the Planets and the Moon Phases. The following week my oldest son (4th grade at the time) came home with the same science agenda.

I was a little thrown off at the age difference learning the same material at first but then I was all for it. As much as I love my kids they learn best with hands-on activities. So- the Moon Phases Learning Craft was a major hit.

We had so much fun creating these Moon Phases Learning Crafts. All four of my kids can properly identify all the phases now, even my preschooler!

Maybe they just wanted to eat the Oreo’s after? Either way, edible learning is always a hit in my home!

Moon Phases Learning Craft

What You Need

1 pkg. Oreo Cookies

1 can Vanilla Frosting

1 Sugar Cookie, unfrosted

Food Coloring—blue and green

Black Paper Plate

White Paper

Black Marker

Glue Stick

How to make Moon Phases Learning Craft

Prepping the Plate

Color about 2 tablespoons of frosting blue and about 1 tablespoon green.

Frost the entire top of the sugar cookie with the blue frosting and spread some little spots of green around on it to resemble land. It should look like the earth.

Cut a circle from the white paper the same size of the paper plate and set it on the plate. Place the earth cookie on the center of the plate.

Cut 8 small strips of paper and write each moon phase on one. The moon phases are First Quarter, Waxing Crescent, New Moon, Waning Crescent, Third Quarter, Waning Gibbous, Full, Waxing Gibbous.

Relted: Astronauts and Space Shuttles Printable Workbook

Making the Phases

Pull apart 7 oreo cookies gently so that the cream stays on one side of the cookie. Set another oreo cookie aside as it will remain closed.

Now take a butter knife and we are going to cut away some of the cream to make the moon phases. Here’s what each phase will look like on the cookie:

First Quarter—the right half will have cream
Waxing Crescent—the right side will have a crescent shape
New Moon—this will be the cookie you left closed
Waning Crescent—the left side of cookie will have a crescent shape
Third Quarter—the left half will have cream
Waning Gibbous—the left 2/3 of cookie will have cream, a crescent will be cut out of the right side
Full—all the cream stays on
Waxing Gibbous—the right 2/3 of cookie will have cream, a crescent will be cut out of the left side

Finishing Up

Now set the cookies around the earth, putting the First Quarter at the top and going around in the order in step 6.

Use the glue stick and glue each corresponding paper strip on the edge of the plate by the phase on each cookie that it matches.

Very Easy and Fun way to learn about the moon!

Printable Worksheets for Moon Phases Learning Craft

I created these printable homeschool worksheets to go along with this craft. They seemed to really help my kids when we were creating the phases.