Sundials provide an opportunity to teach kids valuable lesson on time and the way the Earth's position changes throughout the day. They are easy and inexpensive to make, and can be displayed year-round on a sunny porch, patio, or backyard. Also, we suggest giving it a whirl at the beach one day with shells and stones! Helps us Macaroni Moms know when we need to re-apply sun screen!
You will need:
- stick
- rocks or chalk
- 1 cup of playdough (optional)
- watch or clock
What to do:
- Find a sunny spot in a lawn or even on a sidewalk.
- Put the stick in the ground. If it is a sidewalk, put the stick in the playdough and use that to hold the stick upright on cement.
- Throughout the day, place a rock, or mark with chalk for each hour indicating where the shadow falls at that time. Depending on how available you are, you may have to mark the spots over a couple of days before your sundial is complete!
- Now just dial up the sun! When you want to tell the time, just look for the shadow.
In this photo, the shells are used to mark each hour. It may take a bit to get the minutes down, but once you do, it's a great way to teach, learn and grow!
