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The Moon Seed - Week 2 of the Summer Book Club

The Moon Seed - Week 2 of the Summer Book Club

Welcome to Week 2 of our Summer Book Club

The Moon Seed - Week 2 of the Summer Book Club

For our second week of book club, we are sharing a book we love to the moon and back! Written and illustrated by Sally Anne Garland, The Moon Seed launches young readers on a dreamy journey inspired by a real moment in space history when seeds were carried aboard Apollo 14. In this tender reimagining, one of those seeds returns to Earth with its roots in the soil, but its heart still reaching for the moon.

With gentle illustrations and poetic prose, the story blends science and imagination, reminding us all to nurture big dreams, no matter how small we start. A celebration of wonder, possibility, and the magic of looking up.

Day 1: Read and Discuss

For the first day of book club, gather together, find a cozy spot, and settle in with your children for the story. As you share this story out loud, encourage your children to take time to look closely at the illustrations, noticing the details in each piece of artwork while slowly absorbing the story.

After you’ve finished reading, invite your children to ask questions and to share their favorite parts of the story. Ask if there are any parts that really stick out in their minds. For this story, the moon and seeds are both wonderful references that kids have easy access to. Having time to talk about the elements of a story allows the story to more deeply sink into your little one's hearts and minds.

The following questions will help to prompt your discussions but this is just a starting point!

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think it would be like to be on a space shuttle headed to the moon? What are the things you would most love about it and what are the parts that might be more challenging?

2. Have you ever wanted something so badly that it was hard to stop thinking about it? What were some ways you distracted yourself from these thoughts? If you could talk to the tree, what would you tell it?

Day 2: Writing and Drawing Prompt

On Day 2 of our Summer Book Club, we dive deeper into the story by encouraging children to revisit and retell it through creative expression. Drawing, writing, and imaginative play are wonderful ways for kids to process and internalize what they’ve heard.

Many children love to act out the story or invent their own version. Follow their lead! If your child enjoys writing or sketching, set up an inviting space stocked with paper, crayons, and pencils. Keep the book close by so it can serve as a spark for their next masterpiece.

Writing Prompt

For this book, we created the following prompt to spark your children's summer writing adventures: What would happen if the seed did actually land on the moon? Tell the story of what it would be like to be a seed trying to grow on the moon! 

Drawing Prompt

For this book, we created the following prompt to spark their drawing adventures: In honor of the tree in this story, gather some leaves from outside. Place them in whatever arrangement you would like on a hard surface and place a piece of paper on top. With your beeswax crayons, rub over the paper to reveal beautifully colored leaves! 

Crayon rubbing of a leaf.

Day 3: Craft a Little Lunar Magic

As we journey through The Moon Seed, a story of dreams, wonder, and one very special seed that longed to return to the moon, we invite you to bring that longing to life with this glowing Moon Lantern craft. Just like the seed that soared on Apollo’s wings and never forgot the beauty of space, this gentle lantern will light up your home with a soft, celestial glow. Whether you’re crafting by sunlight or starlight, this hands-on project is a wonderful way to connect storytelling with creativity and keep little hands engaged with the magic of the moon.

Moon lantern made out of paper mache on top of a starry playsilk next to a moon shaped tea light candle holder and two star baby waldorf dolls from Bella Luna Toys

Materials Needed

  • Tissue paper
  • White glue or Mod-Podge
  • A balloon
  • A glue brush
  • A circular cookie cutter, bowl, or jar lid to mark the opening of the lantern
  • An led tea light
  • Optional: Yarn to form a handle, watercolor paints

Instructions

Step 1:

Gather your materials.

Tissue paper, a bowl of white glue, a brush, and an uninflated balloon next to a moon shaped tea light candle holder.

Step 2:

First, you will need to cut your tissue paper into smaller sheets that will be workable across the balloon. Then, pour your glue into a bowl where you can dip a brush into it. Now, blow up your balloon to the size you'd like your lantern to be.

You now can begin to dip your brush into the glue and spread it across the inflated balloon. Spread a layer about as big as you plan to cover with one or two sheets of tissue paper. If any area of tissue paper does not stick to the balloon, go over those spots with the glue brush and more glue. Do this gently though, as tissue paper is prone to rip when it is covered in glue.

Cover the entire balloon with a layer of tissue paper. Repeat, adding at least three more layers of tissue paper to form a sturdy shell over top of the balloon. Place in a bowl or hang it up from the balloon tie to dry for at least 24 hours. 

A yellow balloon covered with glue and layers of tissue paper next to a bowl of white glue with a paint brush in it and a pile of white tissue paper

Step 3:

Once the paper mache is dry, use your circle shaped stencil, bowl, jar lid or whatever you have on hand to mark a circle around the tie of the balloon. This will be where you pull the balloon out of the paper mache lantern shape, as well as the opening for the LED candle.

Paper mache balloon with mason jar lid on top to mark the hole to cut out to place the tea light inside

Step 4:

Once you've marked your opening, you can now cut the tie off of the balloon. Then cut outwards to cut along the traced circle. The balloon may immediately peel itself away from the shell of paper mache, but it doesn't always. If it stays stuck, gently peel it away toward the center of the lantern. It may pull some of the paper mache towards the center, as well. Simply push these areas back out to reshape. 

Paper mache moon lantern with hole for tea light candle facing up

Step 5:

Now is the part where you can decide how to embellish your moon lantern! We kept ours looking like a full moon, but you could use watercolor paints to paint an actual moon phase onto it. Paint one half or three quarters of the sphere a deep blue and paint the remainder yellow or leave it white and you now have a specific phase of the moon! Or if you would like your moon lantern to travel on outdoor walks or to hang around your home, use a lucet and yarn to fingerknit a handle in whatever length you prefer. Use a hole punch or a small knife to poke out two holes on opposite sides of the opening in the lantern. Then tie your fingerknitted yarn into those holes and you have a beautiful handle! 

The very last piece of this craft is adding the LED candle! We would not recommend using actual lit flame candles in these due to the possibility of fire hazard. But an LED tea light works wonderfully to light up your moon! Since we were keeping our lantern a full moon, we simply flipped it with the hole on the bottom, and put the candle in that space. It glowed like our orbiting friend in the sky. 

Paper mache sphere shaped lantern made to look like a full moon, in the dark with an led candle inside to make it glow. The texture of the paper mache makes it appear to have craters and other moon like surface features.

From all of us at the Bella Luna Toys Team, we hope you have many days filled with crafts, love, and fresh cups of tea! Tag us in your adventures @bellalunatoys for a chance to be featured!


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