# Kindergarten (Easy) **Objective:** Introduce the kids to the idea that trees need certain things to grow, and the moon doesn’t provide them. 1. **Introduction (Simple, bold text with pictures):** - **What do trees need to grow?** (Big colorful images of the sun, soil, water, and air) - Sun for warmth and light ☀️ - Air for breathing 🌬️ - Water for drinking 💧 - Soil for standing and food 🌱 2. **What’s different on the Moon?** (Visual comparison between Earth and Moon) - No air (simple “X” over a cloud of air) - No water (simple “X” over a water droplet) - Too much sun with no protection (UV rays image) - Different soil (moon dust vs. Earth soil image) 3. **Activity:** - **Challenge:** How can we help a tree grow on the Moon? - Example solutions (visual): Build a bubble, bring soil, give the tree a space helmet. - **Cut and paste activity:** Provide basic shapes (bubble, helmet, water droplet, etc.) for them to cut out and paste on their tree drawing. --- # 3rd Grade (Medium) ### **Handout for 3rd Grade (More In-Depth Problem-Solving)** **1. Introduction:** - **What do trees need to grow?** - **Sunlight** 🌞 – Trees need light to make their own food through photosynthesis. - **Water** 💧 – Water helps trees drink and grow. - **Air** 🌬️ – Trees breathe air (specifically carbon dioxide). - **Soil** 🌱 – Trees need soil to hold their roots and get nutrients. - Include small pictures/icons next to each item to make it visual and engaging. **2. What’s different on the Moon?** - **No air:** The Moon has no atmosphere, so there is no air for trees to breathe. - **No water:** There is no liquid water on the Moon. - **UV Rays:** The Sun’s rays on the Moon are much stronger without Earth’s atmosphere to protect plants. - **Different soil:** Moon soil, called “regolith,” is very dusty and doesn’t have the nutrients trees need. **3. Activity:** - **Challenge:** How can we help trees grow on the Moon? - Provide a few prompts for them to think about: - **How will the tree get air?** - **How will the tree get water?** - **How can we protect the tree from the Sun’s strong UV rays?** - They should try to **come up with their own solutions** by thinking about: - Building a special **container** to give the tree air and water. - Designing a **shield** or using glass to protect the tree from UV rays. - Mixing special **soil** to help the tree stand tall and grow. **4. Sketching Their Ideas:** - Provide a large box where they can **draw** their idea for how they would help the tree grow on the Moon. - Encourage creativity: “Can you build a dome around the tree? Or give it space boots? Maybe it needs a special watering system?” - Include fun ideas like **bubbles** or **domes** that could help them visualize. **5. Additional prompts (Optional):** - **How would astronauts care for these trees?** - Have them think about how people living on the Moon could check on their trees and water them. --- # 5th Grade (Hard) ### **Handout for 5th Grade (Engineering Design & Problem Solving)** **1. Introduction:** - **The problem:** Trees need sunlight, air, water, and soil, but the Moon doesn’t have these things. - Briefly recap each element: - **Air:** The Moon has no air (it’s a vacuum). - **Water:** No liquid water is available. - **Sunlight/UV Rays:** The Moon has no atmosphere, so the Sun’s UV rays are too strong. - **Soil:** Moon dust (regolith) is different from Earth soil—no nutrients for trees. - Provide short, scientific explanations next to simple visuals. **2. Engineering Challenge:** - **Your Mission:** You are an engineer designing a system to help trees grow on the Moon. - Ask them to think about **three main problems**: 1. **Providing air** – How can we make sure the tree has enough air to breathe? 2. **Providing water** – How can we give the tree water in an environment where there is none? 3. **Protecting from UV rays** – How can we protect the tree from the Sun’s strong rays? **3. Engineering Design Requirements:** - Introduce the idea of **requirements** and **constraints**: - **Requirements:** Things the design must do. Example: The tree must be able to breathe air. - **Constraints:** Limitations to the design. Example: It must use materials that astronauts can bring to the Moon. **4. Activity:** - **Sketch Your Design:** - Provide a large space for them to draw their solution to the problem of growing trees on the Moon. - Encourage them to think about: - **What materials would you use?** - **How will the tree get water and air?** - **Can you create a system to recycle air and water for the tree?** - Prompt them with ideas like a **bubble dome**, a **watering system**, or using **solar panels** to power the tree's environment. **5. Write About Your Solution:** - Add a small section where they can write 2-3 sentences about **how their design works**. - Example questions to prompt them: - “How does your tree get air?” - “How does your system protect the tree from UV rays?” - “What materials will you use to build your solution?” **6. Bonus:** - **What if something breaks?** (Optional prompt for advanced thinking) - Ask them to think about how astronauts or engineers could **fix** the system if something stops working.