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  • Suggested Age Range: 10 – 11 years; 11 – 12 years; 12 – 13 years; 13 – 14 years; adult;
  • UK Curriculum: KS2
  • Suggested UK Year Group: Year 5
  • UK Primary Curriculum Link: Earth and Space; Day and Night
  • Science Subject: Solar System; Day and Night; Constellations
  • Science Question: What Planets are there in the Sky? Why do we have Day and Night? What are Stars?
  • Suggested Science Activity: Solar System on a String
  • Children with SEND: Use to boost comprehension of science vocabulary
  • EAL children: For confident older learners
  • Country of Origin: Lithuania
  • Source: The Man in the Moon by Alta Jablow and Carl Withers

Long ago, according to the people of Lithuania …
The Sun and the Moon were the best of friends. They were inseparable. 
Wherever Sun went, Moon followed. Wherever Moon went, Sun followed.
Everything they did, they did side by side. 
Time passed and they decided to get married, of course.

But it was no ordinary wedding. 

It was to be the greatest and grandest of weddings. 
Every God and Goddess came, and the Great God Thunder presided over the wedding. Sun, she wore a dress of spun gold and Moon, he shone in silver suit.
It was the finest of weddings! 
They built a house for themselves up in the heavens.

Time passed and they had a baby, of course.
But, no ordinary baby, they gave birth to a planet, the Planet Earth. 
And they wrapped in a blanket of cloud and watched over her.
They watched as life came to be on the planet. 
They watched as the first plants, animals and people began to live.
They watched their planet grow.
But, as time passed, Sun and Moon began to quarrel.

“You are too cold” said Sun.
“Whenever we argue, you freeze me out of the conversation until I apologise.”
“Well” retorted the Moon. “You are too hot! Whenever we argue, you burn so brightly, I cannot look at you. I have to turn away.”
“Too cold.” “Too hot.”  “Too cold.” “Too hot.”
They argued. It grew worse.
“You are so unreliable!” complained the Sun.  “You used to always stay with me.” 
“But now you go off on your own. And I don’t see you for a month!”
“You are so predictable” argued the Moon.  “You want to stay in the same place all the time. We used to dance across the sky!” “But now you never move.”
“Too unpredictable.” “Too predictable.”  “Too unpredictable.”  “Too predictable.” 
The arguing grew worse and worse. Until they decided to part.

But who would have custody of the child?

“I will” said the Sun.  The Moon is too unpredictable.  He will never be around long enough to look after our child.”
“I will” said the Moon. “The Sun is too hot, she will burn the planet and turn it to dust.”
“If the Earth goes with you – she will freeze!” said the Sun.
“If she goes with you – she will burn!” said the Moon.
And they argued and argued and argued. 

But they could not come to a resolution.

They went to Great God Thunder, for his advice.
He listened to both sides and then he said.
“You must share custody of your child.”
“Sun – you will provide light and heat during the day, just enough to allow plants to grow and people to survive.” 
“Moon – you will look after the Earth at night,”
“Your cooler light – will let the people sleep – but still keep them safe at night.”
“But he is never in one place!” argued the Sun 
“And sometimes he disappears completely. Who will take care of the Earth then?”

Thunder thought for a while. And then he said: “We will have stars.”

“Moon may come and go,  but the Stars will always be there to look after the Earth.”
And as he spoke, the Sky was full of shining, shimmering sparks of light, the Stars.
And from that day on, the Sun guides the Earth during the day,
The Moon, he guides the Earth at night, as he passes by.
But the Stars, the Stars  are always there to look after us all.

Copyright: Cassandra Wye, May 2019