Tasty Oreo Phases of the Moon Worksheet With Answer Key: Free & Easy Print

Oreo Cookie Phases of the Moon Worksheets Pin

Are you looking to be voted the best homeschool mom of all time?

Or the most fun co-op science teacher ever?

Then you need this deliciously fun Oreo Cookie Phases of the Moon worksheet packet!

Nothing, and I mean nothing will get your kid’s attention and increase their engagement level like a package of Oreo cookies during school hours.

I’m pretty sure that’s a scientific fact.

Wait, What Are The Major Phases Of The Moon Again?

Graphic of lunar phases

The phases of the Moon occur in a regular cycle, known as the lunar cycle, which takes approximately 29.5 days to complete. This cycle is caused by the Moon’s one month orbit of our planet and the position of the Moon, Earth, and Sun relative to each other.

Let’s take a quick look at the different phases of the Moon and what causes them.

The first phase of the Moon is the New Moon. This occurs when the Moon is positioned between the Sun and the Earth, with its dark side facing towards us. During this phase, the Moon is not visible in the night sky.

The next phase is the Waxing Crescent. As the Moon orbits the Earth, it becomes visible as a thin crescent shape in the sky. This phase occurs when the Moon is between a New Moon and a First Quarter Moon.

The Third phase is the First Quarter Moon, during this phase we can only see half of the moon from Earth. The right-hand side of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun and the left-hand side is in darkness.

The fourth phase is the Waxing Gibbous, which occurs when the Moon is between a First Quarter and Full Moon. The Moon appears as more than half but less than fully illuminated in the sky.

The Fifth phase is the Full Moon. It occurs when the Moon is positioned on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. The entire visible side of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun’s light.

The sixth phase is the Waning Gibbous, which occurs when the Moon is between a Full Moon and Third Quarter Moon. The Moon appears as more than half but less than fully illuminated in the sky, but in the opposite direction of the Waxing Gibbous phase.

The seventh phase is the Last Quarter Moon or Third Quarter moon. During this phase, the Moon appears as a half-moon shape in the sky, but again in the opposite direction of the First Quarter Moon. The left-hand side of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun and the right-hand side is in darkness.

The eighth and final phase is the Waning Crescent. It occurs when the Moon is between a Third Quarter and New Moon. The Moon appears as a thin crescent shape in the sky, but in the opposite direction of the Waxing Crescent phase.

How To Prepare Your Student For The Oreo Cookie Moon Activity

Oreo Background

To make this science activity fun and educational, your child will need to have a grasp on how the moon changes and why it changes.

You can check out library books and/or watch the above Youtube video together to learn all the terms.

Here are three big ones to know:

Waxing: the moon is appearing larger as more of it is illuminated
Waning: the moon is appearing smaller as less of it is illuminated
Gibbous: the lit portion of the moon is larger than semi-circle but smaller than a full circle

If you want to get really hands-on, you could put your kids in a dark room. Turn on a lamp and have a globe and ball of foil to act as your moon.

Have your kids hold the earth and “moon” as they rotate around the lamp. This is a great visual to show your child that the moon isn’t actually changing shape. We are only seeing the part that the sun has lit.

To take it a step further, go outside at night and try to identify what phase the moon is currently in using your own charts.

Supplies Needed

oreo moon activity supplies

You will only need a couple of things at the grocery store:

Paper Plate
Plastic knife or popsicle stick
7 Oreos for each child (they make gluten-free now!)
Oreo Cookie Printables (link to print at bottom of the post)

Optional

scissors
glue

These optional items are only for if you plan to use the word bank.

Instructions And Tips For Oreo Cookie Edible Astronomy Activity

Oreo moon activity with finished worksheet

Now that you have your supplies, make sure that each of your children has 7 oreo cookies, a plate, a plastic knife, and a worksheet.

****You don’t need 8 cookies because the New Moon doesn’t need any filling. Just use one of the leftover parts of the cookie that is twisted off.

Show the child how to gently twist each cookie apart so that most of the creme filling stays on one side.

Use the plastic knife to carve a portion of the frosting away to reveal different shapes of the moon.

I would recommend starting with the easiest shape of the moon to help your student get familiar with the materials and avoid frustration. To make the First Quarter, all the child has to do is make a line down the cream filling and scrape half of it away.

From there, the child will be able to start working on more oreo moon creations, such as the crescent moon, gibbous moon, etc.

Encourage the child to put the extra frosting on the paper plate instead of in their mouth. Provide paper towels and wet wipes for sticky fingers.

Assure them that they can eat their oreo moon phases once the project is complete.

Once the student has completed the oreo phases of the moon, they can label each phase.

Check Out Your Own Delicious Phases of the Moon Guide:

As you can see, this free printable worksheet has the 8 phases of the moon in the correct order.

Your student just needs to carve each oreo to match!

Older kids who know the different moon phases may be able to label this without help, but there is a word bank below if you choose to use it.

Extra Challenge: Have kids take their oreo moons off the worksheet. Scramble them and see if they can put them back in the correct order without the worksheet.

This word bank is purposely in random order. It could be used in two ways.

You could provide it to help the child with spelling the phases, or you could have them cut out each strip and paste it in the appropriate area.

This answer key is perfect for you to grade each project or for the student to do self-grading.

If the student struggled through the project, be sure to review the concept with them. Consider watching the Homeschool Pop video with them again, pausing it at each phase to make their own oreo version.

Click Here To Download Your Oreo Moon Worksheets!

The above text link will take you to a pdf file where you can print out your packet today! Terms of Use: All of The Simple Homeschooler printables are appropriate for homeschool, co-op, classroom, and personal use. Commercial use is not authorized.

Using the creme filling of an Oreo is definitely a great way to help kids learn the lunar phases. All age groups will want to join in and explore the solar system if they can eat it!

Remember to bring in the library books, Youtube videos, make your own moon shine with a lamp, globe, and foil ball moon, and definitely go outside to see the moon in all its glory.

Consider keeping your worksheet and going out each night for a month to take pictures as the moon changes.

How fun it would be to go through those pictures and directly see what they are studying. You could even repeat this oreo activity after the month is over to see how much easier it is for them.

If you enjoyed this activity, be sure to check out this Valentine’s Day Stem Activity and the rest of the free resources in the Printables & Activities section.