Curriculum, Homeschooling
(Disclaimer- This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see Disclosure Policy.)

Supplies:

  1. Magic Tree House Book Midnight on the Moon and Magic Tree House Research Guide: Space – A Nonfiction Companion to Midnight on the Moon [I try to get books from the library whenever possible, but they don’t always have everything.]
  2. Backpack Journals for Book 8 (Click on the book and download the Backpack Study-Books 5-8. Print 1 Story Mapping with Annie page, and 1 Jack’s Facts page.) You can fill in facts you want to write down on Jack’s Facts page as you come across them in the reading.
  3. Optional: Magic Tree House Games and Puzzles from the Treehouse book [This gets used a lot, but I will try to find alternatives online when possible. I make copies of the pages for easy gluing into the notebook]
  4.  The spiral or composition notebook started with book 1
  5. Free account at Magic Tree House
  6. The usual: paper, printer, ink, pencils, crayons or colored pencils
  7. Other supplies will depend on what additional projects you choose to do: Build your own telescope; Moon Phases Oreos

[This unit covers more science than history and is longer than the ones done previously. We focused on space for 6 weeks.]

Day 1

Click on image to go to 123Homeschool4Me to download coloring pages
  • Read chapter 1 Research Guide: Space- Astronomy [For a cover page for this section, I made a copy of the cover of the MTH Space book]; or you could use the Solar System Coloring Page from 123Homeschool4Me pack [I printed all]
  • Watch Magic School Bus- Gets Lost in Space (Solar System) [available on Netflix at time of posting]

Day 2

  • Using the Astronomy Dictionary, write the following words and read the definitions aloud:

    1. Apollo
    2. asteroid
    3. astronaut
    4. astronomy
    5. atmosphere
    6. Astronomical Unit
    7. axis
    8. black hole
    9. comet
    10. constellation
      • (Don’t worry if many of these words seem advanced for your child’s age/grade level. This is just an introduction to some of those more difficult concepts.)
  • Watch Popular Mechanics for Kids: Spaceships (S1Ep17)** [available on YouTube** or Amazon Prime]

Day 3

  • Read prologue and chapters 1-2 of Midnight on the Moon
  • After each chapter, use the story map to summarize the main event in the chapter [We followed up the reading with a short discussion about real and pretend; specifically that time travel is what is called science-fiction and magic is pretend.]
  • On story map, draw the setting of where they said they wanted to go (picture in book Jack and Annie were looking at) and the the Mission Key
  • Read over yesterday’s words; Write the following 10 words in notebook and read definitions aloud
    1. day
    2. eclipse
    3. flares
    4. galaxy
    5. geocentric
    6. light year
    7. mass
    8. meteor
    9. meteorite
    10. meteoroids
  • Watch Crash Course Kids: Spaced Out**

Day 4

  • Read chapters 3-4
  • Story map after each chapter
  • I Spy on the Moon (Pg.36 MTH Games and Puzzles)
  • Watch video The Importance of Spacesuits
  • Read over yesterday’s words; Write the following 10 words in notebook and read definitions aloud
    1. Milky Way
    2. nebula
    3. nova
    4. orbit
    5. phases
    6. planet
    7. revolve
    8. rotate
    9. satellite
    10. shooting star

Day 5

  • Read chapters 5-6
  • Story map after each chapter
  • Maze (Pg.37 MTH Games and Puzzles); Alternative: Space Mazes
  • Read about the first manned moon landing. What did they place on the moon’s surface? What did they collect?
  • Read over yesterday’s words; Write the following 5 words in notebook and read definitions aloud
    1. solar system
    2. stratosphere
    3. star
    4. supernova
    5. troposphere

Day 6

Click image to go to 123Homeschool4Me to download worksheets

  • Do you know any constellations? Try to find one in the sky before bed. You can print a sky map for your hemisphere to help you, if you would like.
  • Add Constellations card to notebook (from 123Homeschool4Me Solar System Worksheets) [I only printed the pages with the cards; pages 3-7]

Day 7

  • Read chapters 9-10
  • Storymap after each chapter
  • Fill in clue #4 on the Travel Journals Page.
  • Take the Midnight on the Moon Passport Quiz (Don’t forget to log in!)
  • In chapter 1 of the Research Guide: Space, we read a little about 4 early astronomers: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton. Write the names of each and what they believed or discovered:
    • Ptolemy- believed Earth was the center of everything
    • Copernicus- believed the Earth and other planets traveled around the sun
    • Galileo- believed Copernicus and built his own version of a telescope to study the sky and try to prove Copernicus’ theory
    • Newton- discovered the law of gravity; believed it was gravity that kept the moon traveling around Earth
  • Learn more about telescopes with a Crash Course** video (aimed for older kids, but still good information)

Day 8

  • Read chapter 2 Research Guide: Space-The Universe [This chapter tells about the Big Bang. Use your judgement and personal beliefs as the basis for discussion.]
  • Watch Facts About Our Solar System; what was the most astounding fact you remember?
  • Add Universe and Galaxy cards to notebook

Day 9

  • Read chapter 3 Research Guide: Space- The Sun
  • Sun coloring page
  • Read more about the sun
  • Watch video The Sun
  • Play a game, then when it says to choose one, select the sun
  • Add Sun and Star cards to notebook

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Click on image to go to Blessed Beyond a Doubt to download notebooking pages

Day 13

  • Read chapter 4 Research Guide: Space, pages 56-57
  • Venus coloring page
  • Watch video about Venus**

Day 14

  • Read chapter 4 Research Guide: Space, pages 58-59, 60-61
  • Earth coloring page
  • Watch video about Earth**

  • Earth Notebook page; what does earth have that makes it unique? (the right environment for life)
  • Add Earth card to notebook

Day 15

  • Read chapter 4 Research Guide: Space, pages 62-63
  • Mars coloring page
  • Watch video about Mars**

Day 16

Day 17

;

Day 18

Day 19

Day 20

  • Read chapter 4 Research Guide: Space, pages 72-73 [Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet]
  • Pluto coloring page
  • Watch video about Pluto**

Day 21

  • Work on model of the Solar System

Day 22 

Day 23

Day 24

Day 25

  • Watch Learning about the Moon and its phases**

Cap’n C ate the full moon before I could get a picture 🙂

Day 26

  • Read chapter 8 Research Guide: Space- Living and Working in Space
  • Watch Popular Mechanics for Kids- Space Station (S3Ep20)** [also available on Amazon Prime]

Day 27

  • Read chapter 9 Research Guide: Space- The Future
  • Take the Research Guide: Space Passport Quiz (Don’t forget to log in!)
  • Add remaining cards to notebook: Satellite and Gravity

Day 28

Extras:

(Updated 11/28/18)

For more activities and ideas:
Living Loving Learning As We GoMagic Tree House #8 Midnight on the Moon/Space/AstronautsFollow On

(Disclaimer- This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see Disclosure Policy.)
**YouTube occasionally has inappropriate content. Make sure to set the safety filter at the bottom of page to on or watch with children to be able to reload page, if something objectionable comes up.

If you come across any broken links or resources no longer available, leave a comment on the Facebook page and I will get them fixed as soon as I can. Thanks!

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