Long ago, people did not have clocks and watches. To tell time, they stuck a stick into the ground and read the time of day from the shadow the stick cast. A good science project for young children is to make their own sundial. This project will teach kids how the sun relates to time. Making a simple sundial is easy.
Instructions
1. Cut a circle out of cardboard eight inches in diameter to make the base of the sundial. Use a pencil to mark the center of the circle.
2. Get an item to use for the hand of your sundial. The hand, also called the gnomon, is what will cast the shadow onto the base. A pencil or pen will work well as a gnomon.
3. Find the latitude of your location. You can find this information on any map or search on the Internet. Many websites have a form where you enter the name of your city and the site will tell you the latitude.
4. Print out a sundial face diagram. The NASA website and several other places on the Internet have simple diagrams you can easily print out. Follow the instructions for printing and folding the diagram for your latitude.
5. Line up the diagram with the circular base you made. Copy the lines from the diagram onto your base, labeling each line with the corresponding hour.
6. Insert the pen or pencil (gnomon) so that it lines up with the radiating vertical line on your circle. If the gnomon doesn't stay upright, tape it into place.
7. Take your sundial outside. Using a compass, find due north. Point the gnomon of your sundial so that it is directed due north. Read the time by observing where the shadow is cast onto your dial.
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