One easy way to prove that the Moon has to spin on it's axis.
Kinesthetics setup: You'll need a friend to do this with you as one of you will represent the Earth and the other to Moon.
Let's say that your friend is the Earth and you are the Moon.
Activity #1: Choose a large space (inside or outside) and just have your friend (the Earth) stand but always face you as you walk around (orbit) the Earth.
The first time you orbit your friend (the Earth) always face the same wall in the room (or object in the distance outside). Notice as you orbit you friend (the Earth) that they can see all sides of you (the moon) as you walk around them facing the same way. Meaning they see your front side, your back side and both your left and right sides. Now we know that we never see the back side of our moon unless we send Astronauts in a space ship to the far side to see it as the same side of the moon always faces Earth. If our moon always faced the same way in space and did not rotate on its axis, then this is what we'd see (all sides of our moon).
Now, the second time you walk around your friend (the Earth) always face them as you walk around them. Do you notice how much more difficult your job is as now you have to walk kind of funny as you continually face your friend, doing fancy foot work as you have to spin on your axis in order to successfully always face them as you orbit them. Now your friend (the Earth) always sees your same side and for this to happen, you had to continually spin of your axis.
This is not uncommon in our solar system as most of the moons of other planets also have synchronized rotation with their planet as the pull of gravity by the larger planet causes this phenomena.
Activity #2: If you are brave, you can have your friend walk around an object to represent the Sun as you attempt to orbit them. Have them orbit slowly as they have a whole year to get around the Sun and you only have a month to get around them (so you'd orbit them a dozen times to their one orbit of the Sun).
What I experienced, when I was the Moon orbiting my friend as they orbited the Sun, is that, when I cut in front of them, it was much easier to orbit when we were going opposite directions but once I reached Full Moon (the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon in a straight line and in that order) I had to walk a lot faster, in the same direction as my friend, than my friend to pull in front of them without them walking into me. [by the way, I did NOT attempt to spin on my axis as I had a hard enough time just orbiting them as they moved around the Sun].
What you can learn from this 2nd activity is that the Moon is closer to the Earth sometimes and much further at others.
Here is some current moon data for today 4/27/2022 from Heavens-above.com site, choosing Moon.
Monthly phases
Full moon 16 April 2022 13:55
Last quarter 23 April 2022 06:56
New moon 30 April 2022 15:28
First quarter 08 May 2022 19:21
Full moon 15 May 2022 23:14**** Note below that Perigee means the moon is closest (like a periscope on a submarine, the submarine has to be close to the object to see it as if it's to far away the curvature of the Earth will not allow them to see it as the periscope is just above the water level so the enemy vessel cannot see them) and Apogee means the moon is the farthest away in its orbit. ****
Perigee 365,143 km 19 April 2022 10:14 note above, 3 days after full moon, moving same direction, cutting in front.
Apogee 405,285 km 05 May 2022 07:47 note above, 3 days before 1st Q, moving opposite direction, easier to do.
Perigee 360,298 km 17 May 2022 10:28 again, soon after full moon, and making your move to cut in front.
Now switch positions (if your friend is willing) and have them be the moon and you be the Earth so they can also experience what you did.
Activity #1: Choose a large space (inside or outside) and just have your friend (the Earth) stand but always face you as you walk around (orbit) the Earth.
The first time you orbit your friend (the Earth) always face the same wall in the room (or object in the distance outside). Notice as you orbit you friend (the Earth) that they can see all sides of you (the moon) as you walk around them facing the same way. Meaning they see your front side, your back side and both your left and right sides. Now we know that we never see the back side of our moon unless we send Astronauts in a space ship to the far side to see it as the same side of the moon always faces Earth. If our moon always faced the same way in space and did not rotate on its axis, then this is what we'd see (all sides of our moon).
Now, the second time you walk around your friend (the Earth) always face them as you walk around them. Do you notice how much more difficult your job is as now you have to walk kind of funny as you continually face your friend, doing fancy foot work as you have to spin on your axis in order to successfully always face them as you orbit them. Now your friend (the Earth) always sees your same side and for this to happen, you had to continually spin of your axis.
This is not uncommon in our solar system as most of the moons of other planets also have synchronized rotation with their planet as the pull of gravity by the larger planet causes this phenomena.
Activity #2: If you are brave, you can have your friend walk around an object to represent the Sun as you attempt to orbit them. Have them orbit slowly as they have a whole year to get around the Sun and you only have a month to get around them (so you'd orbit them a dozen times to their one orbit of the Sun).
What I experienced, when I was the Moon orbiting my friend as they orbited the Sun, is that, when I cut in front of them, it was much easier to orbit when we were going opposite directions but once I reached Full Moon (the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon in a straight line and in that order) I had to walk a lot faster, in the same direction as my friend, than my friend to pull in front of them without them walking into me. [by the way, I did NOT attempt to spin on my axis as I had a hard enough time just orbiting them as they moved around the Sun].
What you can learn from this 2nd activity is that the Moon is closer to the Earth sometimes and much further at others.
Here is some current moon data for today 4/27/2022 from Heavens-above.com site, choosing Moon.
Monthly phases
Full moon 16 April 2022 13:55
Last quarter 23 April 2022 06:56
New moon 30 April 2022 15:28
First quarter 08 May 2022 19:21
Full moon 15 May 2022 23:14**** Note below that Perigee means the moon is closest (like a periscope on a submarine, the submarine has to be close to the object to see it as if it's to far away the curvature of the Earth will not allow them to see it as the periscope is just above the water level so the enemy vessel cannot see them) and Apogee means the moon is the farthest away in its orbit. ****
Perigee 365,143 km 19 April 2022 10:14 note above, 3 days after full moon, moving same direction, cutting in front.
Apogee 405,285 km 05 May 2022 07:47 note above, 3 days before 1st Q, moving opposite direction, easier to do.
Perigee 360,298 km 17 May 2022 10:28 again, soon after full moon, and making your move to cut in front.
Now switch positions (if your friend is willing) and have them be the moon and you be the Earth so they can also experience what you did.