I'm "Over the Moon!"

If you teach phases of the moon, you know how hard it is to teach this abstract concepts to your kiddos.  How do you explain to them that the moon that is closest to the Sun is the moon that you can't see (New Moon)?  Well, I have tried many things.  I do all the traditional flashlight and balls demonstration, but kiddos have a hard time remembering the order of the phases.  I finally found a memorization technique that sticks with my kiddos! 

I teach them a mnemonic to remember the order of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

Smelly Monsters Eat Nachos
Sun-Moon-Earth= New Moon

Smelly Elephants Make Farts  (yes, I just said farts)
Sun-Earth-Moon=Full Moon

These phrases are silly enough for kiddos to remember (and keep talking about...)  My kiddos LOVED it!  They still remember it and can draw me a diagram of the moon phases.  If you are freaking out right now and saying in your best British accent, "Oh my! Did she just say something about flatulence?" the answer is, yes.   Now, I know we all have different kiddos and different maturity levels in our rooms.  If your children can't handle a funny word... change it to "Silly Elephants Make Friends."  Yippy!  The world is right again. =)   I'll be sticking with the first one.

Download the freebies below!  I have a notes page, poster activity, smartboard lessons, and a quiz. 

I would love to know what you think!
Enjoy!
Amy