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!
Playful Questions
How many moon rocks can you smash in one minute?
What do you think real moon rocks are made of?
What would happen if we didn’t let the moon rocks freeze completely?
Can you count how many moon rocks we have in total?
What would happen if we added a liquid to our bin of moon rocks?