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DR. REXINGTON’S PARENT FIELD NOTESWhispering Woods
SCIENCE
GUIDE

Moon & Night Sky Explorer Guide

Learn together · approximately ages 4–8

Turn an evening look at the sky into a gentle investigation of moonlight, phases, craters and changing patterns.

Six facts to share

1

Moonlight is sunlight

The Moon does not make its own visible light. The moonlight we see is sunlight reflected from the lunar surface.

2

Half is always sunlit

The Sun lights half of the Moon. As the Moon orbits Earth, our view of that sunlit half changes.

3

Phases repeat

The familiar sequence from new Moon through full Moon and back repeats about every 29.5 days.

4

There are eight named phases

The main phases are new, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning crescent.

5

The surface has clues

The Moon’s surface includes mountains, valleys, flat dark plains called maria and many impact craters.

6

The Moon is nearly round

Although phases make the bright part look like changing shapes, the Moon itself remains an almost spherical world.

Explorer word bank

Orbit
The curved path one object follows around another.
Phase
The shape of the Moon’s sunlit part that we can see from Earth.
Waxing
The visible sunlit part is growing.
Waning
The visible sunlit part is shrinking.
Crater
A bowl-shaped hollow, often made by an impact.
TRY IT TOGETHER

Keep a one-week Moon journal

Use paper, a pencil and a safe viewing place with a clear sky. The Moon may not be visible every night—and that is useful data too.

  1. At about the same time each evening, look for the Moon with a grown-up.
  2. Draw its bright shape and mark where it appears in the sky.
  3. Write the weather and whether the Moon was easy or hard to find.
  4. Compare the drawings after seven days and describe what changed.

Ask your explorer

  • Why does the Moon seem to shine?
  • Did its bright shape grow or shrink this week?
  • Which surface details can you see without magnification?
  • Can you find Whispering Woods on Dr. Rexington’s map?

Grown-up safety note

Choose a familiar, well-lit viewing place and stay with a grown-up. Never look directly at the Sun, even through binoculars or a telescope.