Peggie Fortin, 8, of Marquette makes a foam rocket during ThursdayÕs Moon Day at the Peter White Public Library. Youngsters learned about the moon through lunar-related hands-on activities. (Journal photo by Christie Bleck)

By CHRISTIE BLECK

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — The 50th anniversary of the July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 moon landing has come and gone, but the moon remains in the sky.

So, it’s beneficial for youngsters to continue to learn about all things lunar, and that was a purpose of Thursday’s Moon Day at Peter White Public Library where they took part in a variety of moon-related crafts.

One of those crafts was moon slime — and slime typically provides a great deal of fun for kids no matter what its shape.

“Sticky” was the word many youngsters used when molding the moon slime.

Ruth Ammons, PWPL Youth Services assistant, oversaw this activity, which involved a little tweaking — adding more gel — to make the substance “less stickier,” as one boy put it.

Acrylic and glow-in-the-dark paint and glitter stars also were used to make the slime.

The traditional slime mixture the library typically uses gave the substance its gooey quality, Ammons said.

Their slime also didn’t have to stay in the library.

“They can take it home,” she said.

Amanda Pierce, another PWPL Youth Services assistant, was in charge of the foam rockets that could shoot up to 30 feet.

In reality, rockets head to places other than the moon, so the activities actually had a base in astronomy in general.

“It’s the outer space,” Pierce said.

Still, the moon was the focus on Thursday, with one demonstration showing the phases of the moon using oreos and creme filling. The full moon, obviously, used the full circle of creme, but the amount lessened as the phases changed; waxing gibbous, for example, had more creme than waxing crescent.

Other crafts included glow-in-the-dark moons made in part from shaving cream that gave it a special texture when they dried, Pierce said.

For more information on library events and programs, visit www.pwpl.info or call 906-228-9510.

Christie Bleck can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.