Understanding the phases of the moon can be a tricky concept for a child in elementary school. There are many different aspects of the phases of the moon that children should learn. A moon phase lesson plan should be educational, yet fun so the students can better understand the lesson they are taught. Some concepts of teaching about the moon phases will be reviewed here.

First, you should help the children understand moon phase activity (the cycle of the moon), which is divided into 4 parts: new moon (where you see no moon at all), first quarter (only half of the moon can be seen), third quarter (only half of the moon can be seen), and full moon (the entire moon can be seen).

Your moon phase lesson plan should explain the difference in these moon phases. Use pictures and diagrams or software that illustrate what these moon phases look like.

Your moon phase lesson plan should go over the earth and moons orbit. You should first explain that the earth orbits the sun. Explain that the earth orbits the sun in about 365 days. Next explain that the earth rotates on its axis a full circle in about 24 hours. Then explain that the moon orbits the earth. The moon takes about 28 days to orbit the entire planet of earth. Then you can explain how the position of the earth, sun or moon affects the phases of the moon and which part of the moon we can see.

Next, explain how the moon does not produce any light, it merely reflects light from the sun. You should also explain that the moon can be seen both during the day and night.

To help your students understand this concept, you may like to do a hands on experiment. For this experiment you will need a darkened class room, soft balls or styrofoam balls, and flashlights. Information on how to execute this experiment can be found at www.eduref.org. It will help you in teaching the phase of the moon. This experiment is approved for children in grades K-6.

Allow plenty of time for your moon phase lesson. If your students have questions, be sure to answer them and clarify it by example, as the phase of moon can be a very confusing subject.

Keep it fun and interesting for the students. Remember that students will understand the phase of the moon better (and enjoy your lesson more) if you use a variety of teaching tools such as hands on experiments, diagrams, pictures, software and verbal explanations.

David Rose is the creator of QuickPhase Pro, a popular moon phase software program. Visit http://www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases to discover the fun and easy way to view the phases of the moon.

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Newts are a type of amphibian that look a lot like salamanders. However, unlike salamanders, newts spend most or all of their life in the water. They are descended from salamanders, but branched off around sixty million years ago. Now, they're found in many temperate parts of the world, including Asia, Northern Africa, Europe, and North America.

Some types have a terrestrial form (referred to as an eft), that lives on land to find a new home, then come back to the water when mature. Newts are popular among pond owners. They're charming, cute little creatures in their own right. However, having a population of newts also means that your pond is very healthy, since these creatures have somewhat specific living requirements. If you're thinking about colonizing your pond with newts, or setting it up to attract these little creatures, here's some information that might help.

Newts are often food for other creatures. This means that having newts might draw some impressive looking birds to your pond, but it also means you'll have to pay attention to what's living in and around it if you want to keep your newt population alive. Carnivorous fish often pick off these little lizard-like creatures, making it hard to keep the population up. As well, if there are any ducks frequenting your pond, they may eat the vegetation your newts are laying their eggs in, giving them no place to breed. This doesn't mean you have to chase off all predatory birds or remove newt-eating fish from your pond. It does mean that it's a good idea to try to provide habitat and other conditions that encourage a thriving population that won't be damaged by predation.

Another danger that can kill stocked or native newts is the pump of a small pond. If you have a smaller pond which requires a pump for circulation, newts can be sucked into the pump and killed. Even if you use wire mesh, these pumps can kill very small newts. You can solve this problem by using an ultra fine mesh, or by placing your pump underneath a weighted upside down pot with a hole cut in it. Remember to use mesh over this hole as well. These methods will cut down on the number of newts you lose, and on unpleasant filter cleaning.

Newts can live in fairly shallow ponds, and prefer slopes with lots of plants. High density weeds will encourage them. A good environment for newts will help you develop a breeding population that will stand up to even predatory fish and birds. While tadpoles and young newts may fall prey, a pond that can support them will encourage their numbers to increase. Expect to see baby newts around April and May, if your animals are breeding. You can either make your pond suitable for the local species of newt that you'd like to attract (specific conditions vary by species) or purchase newts and stock your pond. The second is more expensive, but also gives you a better chance of seeing these animals live and grow in your waters.

Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who represents a number of UK businesses. For pond maintenance, he recommends Seapets, one of the UK's leading pond supplies specialists.

¶ 12:37 PM 0 comments

From a technical standpoint the Vernal Equinox is an astronomical event, its one of the four quadrature days of the Earths orbit. However for people both modern and ancient, the Vernal Equinox marked the transition from winter into spring. The Vernal Equinox occurs on March 20th or 21st and is one of two days during the year when there are 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness, the other day is the Autumnal Equinox.

People have been marking and celebrating the Vernal Equinox for thousands of years. The Great Sphinx which was constructed over 4500 years ago on the Giza Plateau in Egypt, faces due east on the Vernal Equinox. The monoliths located at Stonehenge, which are estimated to be over 3000 years old, mark the position of the rising sun on the Vernal Equinox. In Central America the Ancient Mayan Caracol Tower and Temples of the Sun and Moon also have alignments that coincide with the suns position on the Vernal Equinox.

Most historians believe that this knowledge was important to ancient cultures in choosing a time to plant their crops. In Iran they celebrate Norouz (which roughly translates to new day) on the Vernal Equinox. In China they celebrate Chunfen on the Vernal Equinox. In ancient Europe they celebrated the arrival of the goddess of spring Ostara on this day. Ostara was also known as Ostera and Eostre in different parts of Europe. Many historians believe the Christian holiday Easter gets its name from Eostre, as she had an enchanted rabbit that could lay eggs. In more modern times the Vernal Equinox marked the first Earth Day celebration in 1971.

One of the odd traditions that that occur on the Vernal Equinox is egg balancing. The story goes that it is possible to balance a raw egg on its oblong end on this day. There is no truth to this rumor its just as easy (or hard) to balance an egg on its end on this day as it is any other day. This story is perpetuated by the media who usually run a small segment on it, during news shows on this day.

This article is Copyright Holiday-Central.net

Kevin Buyer runs the website http://www.Holiday-Central.net where he writes about origins, history, legends, and traditions associated with calendrics, celebrations, festivals, and holidays.

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