Smashing Letter Moon Rocks | Activities

Have a smashing good time!

Kids will love this part hands-on science activity and part literacy activity! Encourage children to find the matching moon rock letters and then use a toy hammer to smash it once they find a match! All in all, this can be a messy activity so take it outside or in a sensory bin to let kids really explore their Hulk-like strength!

⚠️ Mess alert! This activity can be messy! Bring it outside and wear goggles if you can as bits of moon rock may go flying!

🥄 Everything but the kitchen sink! Don’t have a toy hammer to smash the moon rocks? Use a kitchen tool such as a wooden spoon, spatula, or plastic flipper.

❓ Did you know? Millions of meteoroids (space rocks) travel through the Earth's atmosphere every day, but most are small and burn up quickly.

Materials

For this activity you will need:

Flour

Water

Cotton balls

Dark food coloring or paint

Baking Sheet

Tin foil

Bowl

Spoon

Light permanent marker/ White paint

Toy hammer

Learning Outcomes

Domain

Language

Skills

Letter Recognition

Indicators:

Identifying letters

Instructions

Step 1:

Start by making your moon rocks. Mix equal parts flour and water together with a few drops of grey paint or dark food coloring in a bowl. Soak your cotton balls in them until completely covered.

Step 2:

Place cotton balls on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Place in the freezer for several hours until they’ve hardened.

Step 3:

Once your moon rocks have become hard, remove them from the tray and write letters on them using a light colored permanent marker or white paint.

Step 4:

Place the moon rocks on a sturdy surface (like the ground outside!) and call out one letter at a time. Have your child find each letter you call and smash the letter using their toy hammer. Continue this until there are no more moon rocks to smash!

⬆️ For older preschoolers: Incorporate lowercase and uppercase letters in this activity. Write out lowercase letters on pieces of paper and have your child find the corresponding uppercase letter and smash it!

⬇️ For younger toddlers: Younger children may benefit from matching letters on paper to the rocks. Write out the letters on a paper and have them find the letters from the paper on the rocks to smash. Visuals help a lot!