This demonstration uses a gyroscope (a bicycle wheel works well), string, and a turntable (optional) to show how the equatorial bulge of Earth causes precession. By balancing the spinning bicycle wheel on one hand, and pulling a string attached to the top axle with the other, the axis of the wheel traces out a circle (precesses). The site also explains how the moment of inertia is related to torque ... Full description.

In this activity, students will use Moon and tide data from the internet to construct charts and answer questions about the patterns they see. They will be reminded that the Moon has something to do with ocean tides and will discover what the connections are. They will also discover when tides, moonrise and moonset, and phases of the Moon occur. Full description.

In this activity students design and execute an experiment through which they will learn the distinctions between density, buoyancy, and volume. Students are asked to imagine a staysail schooner loaded with mid-ocean ridge basalt as it floats in a swimming pool in Woods Hole. They must determine what will happen to the water level if all the basalt is dumped over the side into the pool. Posing an ... Full description.

This National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) site provides classroom resources about the Moon. A teacher's guide contains basic detailed information about the Moon, such as the lunar landscape, craters, and Moon rocks. The lesson plan and activities sections cover phases of the Moon, lunar landforms, a Lunar Prospector model, and orbits. Full description.