Complete the Harvest Moon Picture
This is a fun activity for children - to complete the picture of what is happening underneath this lovely, orange harvest moon.
Harvest Moon
The harvest moon is the name given to the full moon occurring nearest to the autumn equinox - up to two weeks before or after the equinox, usually in September or October in the northern hemisphere.
Due to the angle of the moon’s orbit, the time at which the moon rises changes by only about 30 minutes near the equinox, so it appears that we get several nights of full moons. The moon also rises very close to sunset. The light that the moon provided was helpful to farmers who were gathering in their crops at this time of year, so the moon became known as the harvest moon.
We've got a collection of activities below to help the kids learn about the harvest moon.Do you know why the harvest moon looks orange? As it rises close to the horixon, we are looking at the moon through a thicker layer of atmosphere, which disperses more blue light. We therefore see more of the red and yellow light, and that makes the moon look orange.
Our Harvest Moon Activities
Harvest Moon Acrostic Poem Printable
Write a poem about the harvest moon using this acrostic poem printable, with various different pages to choose from. It's going to be quite a long poem, so better suited to older age groups!
Harvest Moon Cloze
Learn all about the harvest moon by reading our cloze activity and filling in the blanks, picking the missing words from the word bank at the bottom.
Harvest Moon How Many Words
Entertain the kids with this "how many words" challenge during autumn - late September or early October is about the right time for this one!
Harvest Moon Poster 1
This beautiful photographic poster of the harvest moon is perfect for putting up on the whiteboard or the wall, to show children just what we mean by the full, orange moon with this name.
Harvest Moon Poster 2
This simple illustrated poster shows an orange harvest moon in all its glory! It might make a good front cover for a project, perhaps.
Harvest Moon Puffy Painting
Create a washed background with watery paint and then make your harvest moon stand out against it with this homemade "puffy paint" technique. The result is a lovely, textural piece of art!
Harvest Moon Stencil Painting
The owl sillouetted against an orange harvest moon is a very effective use of a stencil, and a fun craft for the kids to try. Younger children will need help cutting out the fiddly owl template, or you can do it for them in advance.
Harvest Moon Story Paper 1
This photo-illustrated story paper might be useful for writing a story based around the harvest moon, or perhaps making notes on what you have learned about it.
Harvest Moon Story Paper 2
Write a story about a harvest moon - or use this paper to take notes or write down what it is all about ....
Harvest Moon Story Starter
The harvest moon, with its orange glow over the world below, can feel quite exciting and unusual - as if all sorts of things might happen beneath its glow. This story starter encourages the children to think up their own creative story.
Harvest Moon Tissue Paper Picture
This is an interesting way to create a truly stunning picture of the harvest moon against a sunset sky, using tissue paper strips. Even the youngest children will enjoy doing this, or you could have a younger child make the moon while an older child creates the background.
