We're Going to the Moon! - By Rachel Clair

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! We’re going to the moon!

Hey Good Buddies!

This week, we’re blasting off into outer space to visit that giant light bulb in the sky, otherwise known as the moon!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to the moon?

On July 20, 1969, U.S. spacecraft Apollo 11 landed on the moon, and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first two people to ever step foot on the moon.

Since then,12 different men have walked on the moon. In 1972 Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt walked on the moon, and no human has been back on the moon’s surface since. Who knows? Maybe your little astronaut will be the next person on the moon!

The surface of the moon is covered in a fine dust often called lunar soil or moon dust.
This moon dust was created over many many years as the moon was continuously hit by meteors. The meteors broke off chunks of the moon’s surface, and over time, as more meteors hit the moon, they ground these chunks into fine dust.

Scientists also believe that the moon was originally made up of several active volcanoes. Over time, the magma in the volcanos cooled and hardened. The dried magma turned into a sort of colored glass. When meteors smashed into the surface of the moon, the volcanic magma was broken up into fine pieces, adding green and orange colors to the moon dust we see today.

We thought it’d be fun to experiment a little bit with what it would feel like to be on the moon. With just a few common kitchen ingredients, you and your kids can make your own moon dust.
Just follow the recipe below and indulge your imagination in a little space exploration!

Moon Dust
(this recipe is adapted from Mommy Evolution)
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Ingredients:

• 2 C Flour

• ½ C Coconut or Vegetable Oil

• An aluminum pan or play tray covered in aluminum foil

• Blue Food Coloring

• Optional: Silver glitter (optional: green or orange glitter to resemble the volcanic glass)

Directions:

1. Cut flour and vegetable oil together using a fork.
2. If your dust seems really dry, add a bit more oil. Moon dust should be firm enough to hold its shape for the ultimate playtime experience.
3. Drop a bit of blue food coloring on top and mix with the fork . The food will turn most of the dust a grayish color, resembling that of the moon. The rest of it will leave little blue chunks throughout the dust.
4. Optional: Sprinkle in your glitter for some intergalactic magic.

Grab your toy spaceships or turn a toy car into a space rover and have some fun!​