The Phases of The Moon 3D Pen Tutorial

The Phases of The Moon

15 Minutes
Beginner
Watch Video

This tutorial will walk you through creating a visual representation of the different phases of the moon. This hands-on STEM project is great for any age group, and helps boost retention by making learning tangible.

What You'll Need

1 Assemble your materials

Gather together your pen, plastic, and download and print stencil.

2 Create the Base of your Moons

Start outlining the different circles to create the base shape for each moon phase. At this stage, each circle should be hollow.

3 Fill in the Phases

Next, Doodle all the semi-circles. You should have 8 total. Then, attach the semi-circle at the appropriate angle for each moon phase. When looking at the stencil, the darker shaded portions of the circle will get covered in plastic so attach the semi-circle right where the darker shared area meets the white area.

4 Make the Moons 3D

Using tissue paper, create a ball shape, nestle it into the base, and Doodle on top of the paper to create a dome. After the shape of your moon phase is formed, remove the paper and go back over the dome to fill it in so it looks solid.

5 Your Moons are Ready!

Once you have created each moon you have all 8 phases. Now you can attach them to a piece of paper, or to strings, and label each one with the corresponding phase.