June 23, 2014

Erupting Moon Rocks

Kindergarten Moon Unit Study

Make moon rocks out of common household ingredients.  Once they are solid, kids will have a blast making them erupt and fizz!

We were done with unit two of My Father's World Kindergarten, a study of the moon, when I saw this foaming volcano that you can build, paint, and erupt from Fun at Home with Kids.  Immediately I knew that I would use her method to turn our moon dough into moon rocks.  Better yet, moon rocks that erupt.


How to make eruptions with moon rocks - a new recipe for PLAY.  The rocks are solid and hold their shape until  you add vinegar.  So cool!

How to Make Erupting Moon Rocks

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Supplies:
A brand new recipe for PLAY and LEARNING - Make MOON ROCKS out of common household ingredients.

Directions:  I pulled out our bin of moon dough, and before turning it into moon rocks the boys played in it for awhile.


The boys formed balls of dough by cupping it in their hands and patting it down until a ball had formed.

How to make MOON ROCKS - These look like so much fun!

J-Bug (5) had more fun crushing his balls rather than turning them into moon rocks.

Making and playing with MOON ROCKS, a brand new recipe for PLAY!

JZ (6) was intent on creating moon rocks.  To turn a ball of moon dough into a moon rock add water slowly until the entire ball is moist.  Squeezy bottles aren't necessary, but they are helpful for younger children to control the amount of water they add.  If you add too much water too fast the moon dough will dissolve.  At the same time, you want to add enough water at a slow pace to completely moisten the dough ball.

Making MOON ROCKS - Kid made rocks that are perfect for play and learning.

The next step requires a bit of patience.  Leave the moon rocks out until they are completely dry.  I recommend overnight for best results, but if you made them in the morning on a hot day, they would probably be ready by the afternoon.  Once dry, the boys were fascinated by how firm their moon rocks were.


Peanut (35 months) made it his goal to crush them.  I highly recommend making a big batch of moon rocks if you have multiple children.  We had plenty for Peanut to crush, while the other three boys preferred making their moon rocks erupt.


This time I filled the squeezy bottles with vinegar, so the boys could make eruptions.  The eruptions were awesome.  The glitter from the moon dough made them sparkly and gorgeous!


For more hands on activities to learn about the moon follow me on Pinterest.

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A simple play recipe, making MOON ROCKS.  These kid made rocks are perfect for play and learning, and guess what?  If you add a little vinegar they ERUPT!

More moon activities for kids:


How to make moon dust paint for an art project that is out of this world! Learn the phases of the moon with some gross motor fun! A cool way to learn how the moon gives us light.  I love hands on science for kids!

6 comments:

  1. I think your boys must have the most fun ever. This is great! Thanks for sharing at After School.

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  2. This is so neat....cannot wait to try with my boys!

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  3. Do you need baking soda for them erupt?

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  4. Yes, we used our moon dough to make the erupting moon rocks. Here is how to make the moon dough: http://www.learnplayimagine.com/2014/06/moon-dough-recipe-for-play.html

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  5. If we make the moon dough and then make them into moon rocks, do we add the water the second time? Wouldn't they be moist already from the moon dough creation? I'm trying to combine the two activities and I don't want them to be too wet.

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    1. I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner. You can add a small amount of water if necessary to form the balls. You'll know if it's too much or not enough water. Too much will dissolve the dough. If there isn't enough water the dough won't stick. As long as you add it slowly you won't have an issue. :)

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