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Craft Corner: 3 Fun Activities to Help You Celebrate Moon Day

🚀 Cool Crafts to Celebrate the Anniversary of the First Moon Landing (Moon Day is July 20)

By Julie Follansbee, Macaroni Kid Johnstown PA Publisher July 16, 2014


July 20th is the anniversary of the day man first walked on the moon. On that day in 1969, the words "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" became immortalized.

I remember sitting with my family gathered in front of our TV set watching in awe as Neil Armstrong took that first step. In my 11-year-old mind (and it was my birthday to boot!) that step proved that anything was possible... that the sky truly was the limit.

This week's crafts are in honor of those brave astronauts and all those who went before them and those who followed in their famous footsteps!


FILM CANISTER ROCKET
To get to the moon, the first thing you need is a rocket! This is super easy and so much fun!

What You Need:

  • 35mm film canister (the white ones with lids that close inside are the best)
  • Effervescent antacid (like Alka-Seltzer)
  • Water

What You Do:

  1. Fill the film canister ⅓ full with water.
  2. Put ¼–½ of an antacid tablet inside.
  3. Close the lid, put lid side down, and move away (or "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"). The carbon dioxide trapped in the canister will propel it into the air. The bigger your piece of antacid, the higher your rocket will go!
  4. Optional: Decorate your "rocket' with glitter, stickers, or paint.


HOVERCRAFT
While this doesn't hover very high (performs more like an air hockey puck) it's great fun!

What You Need:

  • A CD or DVD
  • Pull-open lid from a drink bottle or dishwashing liquid bottle
  • Glue Gun and Glue
  • Balloons

What You Do:

  1. Glue the lid to the center of the DVD or CD.
  2. Make sure that the lid is closed.
  3. Blow up the balloon.
  4. Quickly put on top of the lid without releasing the air.
  5. Now this is important... the disc has to be on a solid smooth surface to work best.
  6. Open the lid and watch the disc "hover" and scoot around!


MOON DUST

We know that first line that Neil Armstrong said upon landing, but did you know he then said something like ... "it's fine and powdery and I can lift it with the toe of my boot." He was talking about moon dust!

What You Need:

  • Baking soda
  • Black Sidewalk Chalk (Crayola makes it)
  • Glitter
  • Water
  • Vinegar and squeeze bottles
  • Cheese grater
  • Cookie sheet

What You Do:

  1. Put about ½–¾ cup of baking soda on the cookie sheet.
  2. Grate ½ stick of black sidewalk chalk and add that to the baking soda, along with about 1 Tablespoon of glitter.
  3. Let kids mix with hands.
  4. You can use it just like this and it's great to practice letters, numbers and spelling, OR 
  5. You can make it into paint by adding water, OR
  6. You can make craters by adding a little bit of vinegar and it will bubble and ooze and become clay like! 


A special thank you to Julie Follansbee, Macaroni Kid Johnstown PA Publisher, for sharing these fun and fabulous moon crafts!