Parshat Bo: Moons

So, I didn't actually teach this lesson because I was sick in bed all week with a terrible sinus infection. But, I actually had it all planned out! So, I will share the general idea sans photos of cute kids.

Strangely, in this parsha which accounts the final plagues in Egypt, the Torah gives what is considered the first communal mitzvah - Rosh Chodesh:

"The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be to you the head of the months; to you it shall be the first of the months of the year."

Many suggestions have been made as to why this mitzvah is found here - the most common being that whereas slaves have no power over their own time, the freed People will now be in control of declaring the new months. The Hebrew calendar is based on the moon's cycle. The waxing and waning of the moon has always been understood as symbolic of both the communal and individual potential for renewal and growth.

I wanted to take this opportunity to review with the kids the different phases on the moon. I wanted to make sure that they understood that the moon doesn't actually change its size (I am not sure they know that) and that they understood the basic science behind its changing appearance. My plan was to show them this Hebrew video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PTDfa3VEkI

And, I was excited to have the chance to do this fun activity that I first heard about this past summer - OREO moons - brilliant!

In terms of an art project, my plan was to keep it very simple. They were going to just do a "phases of the moon wall hanging." They would get 8 black cardboard circles and paint with white the different moon shapes and then string them together.