Stick and stone sundial
Plant a stick, mark the shadow every hour with a stone, and tell the time without a clock.
A whole day of patient noticing, ending with a clock your child built themselves.
What you need
- A straight stick
- A dozen small stones
- A sunny open spot
- A marker pen
How to do it
- 1
Push the stick upright into grass or soil in an open sunny place.
- 2
On the hour, place a stone at the tip of the shadow and write the time on it.
- 3
Repeat every hour through the day.
- 4
Notice how the gaps between stones change.
- 5
Come back tomorrow and use your stones to tell the time.
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Sit still for five minutes, mark every sound on a map and discover how loud quiet really is.
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