The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the best times in the year to admire the beauty of the moon. As part of the online activities for the Mid-Autumn Festival @ Jurong Lake Gardens, NParks has come up with a fun activity that families can do together. Here’s how to make an interesting Moon Phase Viewer.
Materials for a Moon Phase Viewer
Here’s what you need to make a Moon Phase Viewer:
- A cereal box
- Snack Canister
- Ruler
- Markers
- Scissors
- Penknife
- Pin
- Sticky Tack
- Pen or pencil
- Smartphone Torchlight
How to Make a Moon Phase Viewer
Start by flattening the cereal box into a single piece of cardboard. Outline the circumference of the snack canister and divide the circle into eight equal parts.
Draw the phases of the moon in the different sections. Shade and label the phases accordingly. Then use a penknife to cut out the shaded portions of the moon phases.
Next, make the light blocker by following these steps. Outline the circumference of the snack canister and create a second circle. Draw a 3cm x 1.5cm rectangle along the edges.
Divide the circle into eight equal parts and cut out one of the equal sections but leave 0.5cm of the cardboard remaining. Colour this circle black.
Assemble the moon phase card viewer by fitting the card with the phases of the moon into the snack canister’s cap. Place the light blocker on the other side of the snack canister’s cap and use a pin to secure it in place.
Attach some sticky tack to the end of the pin.
Cut 2cm above the bottom of the snack canister. Decorate the snack canister using various markers or decorations.
Stick some sticky tack at the bottom of the cut snack canister.
To play with the Moon Phase Viewer, attach a smartphone or torchlight to the Moon Phase Viewer.
You can now project a cool image of the changing phases of the moon onto a wall in a room.
Moonphase Viewer Video Tutorial
Watch the video tutorial by NParks here. This is also where you can learn how to make a Bunny Mooncake Box in the first half of the video.
