Today's Classroom Activities :

Sundial Time

Springtime Sundials
Science Students can experience firsthand the oldest known way for measuring time. Using a compass, make a flat circle of 10"-12" diameter. Stand a pencil upright in the center hole left by the compass. Place it in direct sunlight. Mark the position of the shadow and write down the time. Challenge students to use the sundial for a few sunny days in a row. Will it remain constant? What could cause it to become faulty?

Sundials: Observing and Using Shadows
Students build sundials and observe changes in shadows over the course of one or more days. Students identify patterns in the shadows and discuss how shadows may be used to tell time.

Human Sundial
Students research how sundials work and identify different types of sundials. Students will also create a kinetic experiment to demonstrate the function of a sundial. Finally, students will record their color-coded findings on a replica sundial.

A Shadow of Yourself
In this lesson, students learn about shadows and how the position of the sun can impact the length of a shadow. This lesson must be performed on a sunny day on a blacktop or concrete area of the playground.

Time — Light and shadow (pre-visit)
Students examine the interplay of the earth and the sun by studying shadows. Students construct a sun clock and record shadows several times during a school day in order to use the earth and the sun to measure time.