4th Grade Science — Astronomy — The Heavens Declare God's Glory
Students will learn about the moon's features, phases, and its purpose in God's design for Earth.
God created the moon on Day 4 of creation to be the 'lesser light' that governs the night. The moon does not make its own light — it reflects the light of the sun, much like Christians are called to reflect the light of Christ to the world.
The moon is about 239,000 miles from Earth and is about one-quarter the size of our planet. Its surface is covered with craters, mountains, and flat plains called 'seas,' though there is no water on the moon.
The moon goes through phases as it orbits the Earth — new moon, crescent, quarter, gibbous, and full moon. A complete cycle takes about 29.5 days, which is where we get our word 'month.' God designed this cycle to help people keep track of time.
The moon also controls the ocean tides through its gravitational pull. High tides and low tides happen because of the moon's gravity pulling on Earth's water. This is another example of God's perfect design — the tides help keep the oceans healthy and clean.
Keep a moon journal for two weeks. Each night, go outside and draw the shape of the moon you see. Label each phase. At the end, compare your drawings to a moon phase chart.