Activities and Effects Using Science Picture Books for Infants Aiming to Acquire a Scientific Perspective on Moon Phases

Abstract

The moon is a familiar space object that children can easily find in the night sky. Most children will have emotional impressions when looking at the moon, for example, “How beautiful!”. The moon is not only a symbol of the night sky but also of a variety of concepts such as time and shape. However, “moon” motifs in some picture books and everyday life do not match the real (correct) appearance of the moon in time and space, which means regularity of the phases of the moon. This may lead to a low knowledge retention rate, despite study of the subject in junior high school science in Japan. Therefore, we created a science picture book titled, “The 7 Days of the Moon” based on the theme of “How the Moon Looks”. Next, we read the picture book to kindergarten children in Japan and then let them experience the appearance of the moon in the picture book. The children who experienced this developed sensitivity with scientific awareness of the moon that captured the essence of the phenomenon.