Shadow-Stick Sundial & Solar Noon Calculation

120 mins Ages 7-9 Outdoor

An engaging, screen-free learning activity that builds real-world creativity and critical thinking for kids aged 7 to 9.

Materials Needed

  • • Straight wooden garden stake or dowel (30 cm) (1 unit)
  • • Small smooth stones or outdoor sidewalk chalk (6–8 units)
  • • Metric measuring tape (1 unit)
  • • Notebook and pencil (1 set)

Pro Tips

  • → Solar noon rarely matches 12:00 PM on a mechanical clock due to daylight saving time and longitude offsets within your time zone.
  • → The shortest shadow cast throughout the entire day marks true celestial solar noon and aligns precisely North-South.
  • → Check and mark the shadow tip every 30 minutes over a two-hour window around midday.

Safety First

Wear sunscreen and hats during periodic outdoor solar observation intervals.

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Step-by-Step Instructions

1

Step 1

Plant a 30-centimeter vertical gnomon stick perpendicular to level ground in a sunny outdoor area.

2

Step 2

At 11:30 AM, mark the exact tip of the stick’s shadow with a stone and record the clock time and length.

3

Step 3

Continue placing marked stones and measuring the shadow length every 30 minutes until 1:30 PM.

4

Step 4

Analyze the dataset to find the shortest measured shadow, identifying local solar noon and tracing the true North meridian line.

What they are learning

Earth rotational mechanics Local solar noon determination Shadow azimuth and declination angles