Moonlit Night in the Forest

It gets dark earlier in winter, so you can see the moon in the sky in the evening. This is a great chance to tell your child more about the satellite of the Earth and observe it together with the baby - how it gradually grows, becomes round at the full moon, and then grows old and wanes.

Tell your child interesting facts about the moon. For example, that this is the only astronomical object outside the Earth, which has been visited by a person. There is practically no atmosphere on the Moon, and the gravitational influence of the Moon causes sea tides on Earth. A lot of interesting information can be found in children's encyclopedias and books, be sure to read them, look at pictures and photographs of the moon.

And how beautiful and magical is an evening in a winter forest, when the full moon is shining in the sky. Each snowflake sparkles and shimmers, and the Moon seems big, close, and you just want to touch it with your hand. Ask your child to help you draw this winter landscape.

You need:

• thick white paper;
• simple pencil, eraser;
• blue, white and black gouache;
• brush, jar of water;
• palette;
• old newspapers or oilcloth for the table.

1. Cover the table with newspapers, paint and a jar of water.
2. Draw a round moon and a few more circles, on a piece of paper, each subsequent one is larger than the previous one, this will be moonlight.
3. Paint the moon with white gouache.
4. Add a drop of blue paint to the white gouache (use a palette), stir to get a gentle blue color, paint a ring around the moon.
5. Add a few drops of blue paint to the white gouache to make a light blue color, paint the next ring, and so on. The child's task is to learn how to create different shades of color by mixing two colors in different proportions, to make a smooth transition from one color to another (in our case, from white to blue). This is how you have to color the whole sky.
6. When the paint is dry, paint the trees with black gouache, with snow on the branches and snowflakes with white.

Our lunar landscape is ready!

Take a picture of the painting. Write about what facts about the moon impressed your child the most.