DIY Cardboard Moon Phase Puzzle

This cardboard moon phase puzzle is easy to make, low-waste and will be a great addition to your child’s nature studies if you are learning about the moon. This week we’ll be studying the moon phases in preparation for our yearly Harvest Moon walk! The harvest moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the Autumn Equinox, and is named such because the extra moonlight allows farmers to continue harvesting past sunset. We love making learning resources out of cardboard, especially ones that we can keep in our collection and enjoy for years to come. You’ll find a pattern below that you can download and print so that you can replicate the puzzle easily.

Materials:

– two pieces of corrugated cardboard
– small nature items to use as handles such as small gumnuts
– circle cutter (plastic option / metal option)
– paint
– school glue

How to make the cardboard moon phase puzzle:

1. Start with two pieces of cardboard that are roughly 12” x 6.5”. Download the pattern above (print at 100%) and use it as a guide to mark off where your eight circles will go.
2. Use a circle cutter or an xacto knife to cut eight 2.5″ diameter holes out of your first piece of cardboard. Set the circles that you cut out aside. Those will become the puzzle pieces.
3. Glue the front piece of the board (the piece with the circles cut out) on top of the piece you are using for the back and let dry.
4. Use the pattern to trace and cut the circles into the moon phase shapes.
5. Paint each piece the appropriate color.

6. Attach small nature items using glue to use as handles. It may help to sand the back of the nature pieces on the bottom to flatten them before attaching.
7. Let dry completely before using.

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