Kindergarten (Easy)

Objective: Introduce the kids to the idea that trees need certain things to grow, and the moon doesn’t provide them.

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 🌱
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)
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)

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.

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.