We’ve had a fun week learning about the Solar System! What better way to learn about the different phases of the Moon than by doing an activity that involves OREO cookies! My daughter absolutely loved this activity! I’ve included the free printables below!
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Directions:
Carefully separate the OREO cookies. Make sure to use the Double Stuf OREO for this as the filling will be easier to shape.
Use a spoon to take away a small portion of the filling. Do this step on two cookies (waning and waxing gibbous).
Use a knife to cut the filling in half (first quarter and third quarter). Do this on two cookies. If your kids are older they could form the moon shapes on the OREO themselves! I really like these utensils for kids because they’re very durable, safe, and easy to use!
Use a spoon to carve out the filling to form a crescent moon (waning crescent and waxing crescent). I find a spoon works better than a knife for this due to the curvature of the spoon.
Place the OREO cookies on a plate. I made sure to place them where the phases were easily recognizable for my daughter. Example: Make sure an OREO is displayed with frosting on the right (first quarter) and have the other (third quarter) cookie with the frosting displayed on the left. Think of it as a matching game! The gray within the circles is the “icing” placement on each OREO.
*Note: I have updated the order of the moon phases on the free printables to display the starting phase as the New Moon.
Craft table ready to use!
Now let the learning begin! I was amazed at how quickly she picked up on the concept of matching the OREO “moon” cookie to the corresponding phase on the paper. We then went through and named each phase on the paper.
Printable (advanced):
Once your child has mastered the beginner version try letting them complete the blank activity without the OREO moon guides!
No food activity is complete without sampling the materials! After she finished her activity she got to pick an OREO to eat, and of course she chose the one with the most frosting! 😉 She has her Mommy and Daddy’s sweet tooth! This OREO activity was a great addition to our Solar System lessons this week! Check out the Moon and Stars Craft and Solar System Chalk Art for some more out of this world ideas! 😉
