Before you begin the activity, you'll need to decide whether you want to incorporate any specific rules or requirements students must adhere to in their project designs. You have the option of requiring the students to use a certain medium to complete the project in order to help them develop new artistic skills or hone existing ones, or you can leave the medium selection up to the students. For instance, ask the students to complete a sculpture project using clay to create a three-dimensional replica of the moon. Or, ask them to create abstract representations of the moon in a medium of their choosing.
Inspire your class to create the best moon art they can by taking them straight to the source. Get permission to take a field trip to a local observatory, or take the class out on a clear night to make observations of the phases of the moon. Give students some background in existing artistic representations of the moon throughout history to show the wide variety of creative possibilities available.
Decide on an angle you want your students to focus on in their moon art projects. For instance, have the class explore texture by working to replicate the look of the moon's surface. You can also focus on the various phases of the moon or incorporate related elements like moon mythology and history.
Depending on whether you leave the medium open for students, you may only need to provide a few kinds of materials. For a sculpture project, you'll need to provide things like modeling clay or recycled materials that can be used to create a three-dimensional moon. For painting and drawing projects, give students access to paper, different kinds of paints, crayons, colored pencils, chalk and charcoal. And if you plan to give the students a lesson in moon photography or want them to use digital software to create their art projects, give them access to technological items like cameras and computers.
Show off your students' interpretations of the moon by displaying the works throughout the classroom. Consider hanging the projects from the ceiling using items like tape and fishing line, or simply create a display on classroom shelves, windows or bulletin boards. Another option is to have the students present their works in front of the class to explain the creative construction process and discuss what they found particularly inspirational about the moon.