Parents and Children Can Spark Amazing Conversations About the Moon

            The Moon is often a topic of conversation between Parent and Child.  At very young ages, children look up in the sky and ask questions of the parents as to what everything is and what it all means.

            No one has all of the answers in regards to the sky.  But, there are many answers we can give our kids about the Moon, which hopefully will spark more thought and more questions.  Conversations between parent and child are the most important component of parenting.  As the kids grow, parents want to be firmly established in the pattern of being the resource for their children.

            So, the next time your child looks to the sky and wonders about the Man on the Moon, you can actually tell them the importance of the Moon.  And, in the meantime, get their brains sparking, which will result into more blessed conversations! 

            Early astronomers first believed the Moon was covered in water, due to its craters, making it look like a wavy body of water. But now we know that is not true, of course. The Moon is actually believed to be a piece that collided with the Earth billions of years ago that did not stick and instead got kicked back and is now orbiting the Earth, due to gravitational pull. The Moon does a lot of pretty cool things that you may not know, though!

            For instance, did you know it's the Moon that causes our seasons to change? The Moon tries to pull the Earth towards it, kind of like a magnet, but the Earth's gravity keeps everything stable.  However, the Moon’s gravity does put the Earth on a 23.5 degree axis, though.

The tilt of the Earth, in relationship to the Sun, is what causes seasons, not the distance. If there was no Moon, the Earth would most likely wobble like a spinning top and change from a zero degree axis to a 60 degree axis, much like Mars. This would cause drastic season changes and the Earth would most likely be uninhabitable.

            Another effect of the Moon's pull on the Earth is tides in the ocean. Tides are the rise and fall of the ocean. There are 2 low tides and 2 high tides each day. The Ocean is constantly moving from low tide to high tide, then back to low tide. When the Moon is either new or full, and when the sun, Earth, and moon are in a line, the tides become especially strong. Low tides are extremely low and high tides are very high. During the high tides, many lifeguards will call everyone out of the water until the low tide comes back. These tides are known as spring tides, although they have nothing to do with the season.

            As strange as it may seem, we always see the same side of the moon due to both the Earth and Moon spinning. These sides are referred to as 'near side' and 'far side' of the moon. The near side is the side we always see. The far side is commonly referred to as the 'dark side' of the moon, even though it is just as illuminated as the 'near side'.

            The Moon is more important than people think it is. We have come a long ways in learning about the Moon, going from a big body of water, to the object that keeps our planet beautiful and habitable. So, the next time you see the Moon making your night perfectly illuminated, send it a little thank you for making Earth so perfect.

So, the next time you and your child are enjoying the night sky, tell your kids a little more about the Moon and spark many amazing conversations!