Good morning, first graders! Today we are going to be learning about shapes.

Let's start with circles.

Here are some examples of circles. A cookie, the moon, and a ring are all circles.

You guys have done a lot of hard work today. Your families are here to pick you up.

Luna was so excited that her grandma picked her up from school. She couldn't wait to tell her what she learned that day.

Have a cookie, dear.

As Luna ate her cookie, she told her grandma all about the circles that she learned today.

When Luna told her grandma the moon was a circle. Her grandma asked, "Are you sure it is always that way?"

Luna thought she was sure, but she would check tonight...

That night, Luna noticed that the moon did not look like a perfect circle. She asked her dad what shape that was?

The moon was sometimes in the shape of a crescent. You should pay attention over the next couple weeks to see how it changes.

Luna loved this idea! She immediately got her journal to draw what the moon looked like that night.

On the next night, she was so excited to see that the moon changed again!

She checked all throughout the week, and the moon changed again! Luna could not believe that it looked different every night.

"Dad, I just don't understand how the moon can look so thin on some nights, but so much bigger on other nights? Does the moon change shape every day?"

"Let me show you something, Luna. Let's head to the kitchen."

Ok, watch how the light from the window looks on the lollipop as I move it.

Pay attention to how certain parts of the lollipop look different as I turn it.

That looks like the crescent on the moon!

How does it look now?

Now, there's a shadow on half of it.

What about now?

Now, it looks all lit up like the full moon.

How do you think this is possible?

Well, I know it has something to do with the light, but I'm not sure what?

Is the same amount of light shining in the window as I move the lollipop?

Yeah, the light stays the same.

So, let's think of the lollipop as the moon and the light from the window is the sun.

Does the moon move around the sun?

Exactly! The sun always illuminates the same half of the moon, but as the moon orbits around the sun and earth, the light looks different based on where the moon is positioned in its rotation.

I thought that the moon was actually changing shape, but you're saying it just looks different because of its position?