A no-flashlight moon walk
Forty minutes on a clear night near the full moon. Lights off, give your eyes twenty minutes, then walk a path you already know and find out how much you can see and hear.
- Time
- 40 min
- Cost
- $0
- Ages
- 4 and up
- Where
- A path you know
What you need
- A flashlight with a red light, or a regular one covered with red paper or cellophane, kept off unless you need it
- Warm layers: it's colder after dark than it felt at dinner
- Something light-colored or reflective if you'll be near a street
- A cardboard tube for counting stars
Night safety: read this first
- Only walk a path you've walked in daylight, so there are no surprises underfoot.
- Stay away from water and roads after dark. Use sidewalks and wear something light near streets.
- Check the hours. Many parks close at dusk. Your backyard or your own street is always fine.
- Hold hands with little ones, and the grown-up walks first.
- Carry the light even though it stays off. Turn it on whenever anyone needs it.
Steps
- Walk it in daylight first. Pick a short path you know and walk it in daylight first.
- Pick a clear night near the full moon. Choose a clear night close to the full moon.
- Lights off, and wait twenty minutes. Sit outside with all lights off for about twenty minutes so your eyes adjust to the dark.
- The one-minute sound count. Close your eyes for a minute and count every different sound you hear.
- Walk slow, like a fox. Walk the path slowly and quietly, stopping to look around.
- Count stars through a tube. Count the stars you can see through a cardboard tube in different parts of the sky.
Sounds counted · stars in the tube
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date