Materials
Pool noodle
Tempera paints: Yellow, Red, Orange, Black
2 paper plates
Containers to hold paint
Hole punch
Brass Brad
Newspaper
Directions
Cover the work surface with newspaper. Pour a small amount of paint in four different containers. Using a sharp knife, cut the pool noodle into four small two-inch sections. Using one pool noodle piece, invite your child to dip it into black paint and press it onto one of the paper plates. Cover the whole plate. This will be the moon. Using yellow, red, and orange, invite your child to cover the other paper plate. This will be the sun. Using a pool noodle gives wonderful texture to the surface and is easy for small hands to grip. Paint brushes or small sponge pieces clipped with a clothes pin can be used, too. Once the paint has dried, use a hole punch and punch a hole towards the edge of each paper plate. Place the “black moon” on top of the “bright sun” and hold togther using a brass brad.
Talk to your child about what happens during a total solar eclipse. Use the paper plate model to show how the moon moves in front of the sun. Invite your child to play with the plates, moving the moon on top of the sun.