Sunlight Pinhole Hand Shadow Sundial Clock

30 mins Ages 4-6 Outdoor

A playful, screen-free adventure designed to spark curiosity, sensory exploration, and fine motor skills for kids aged 4 to 6.

Materials Needed

  • • Sturdy white paper plate (1 unit)
  • • Lump of modeling clay or playdough (1 ball)
  • • Unsharpened pencil or 15 cm wooden craft dowel (gnomon) (1 unit)
  • • Permanent black marker (1 unit)
  • • Sunny outdoor patio or driveway (1 space)

Pro Tips

  • → Press a ball of clay into the center of a paper plate and push a pencil straight up like a gnomon.
  • → Place the plate on a sunny patio at 10:00 AM, trace the pencil's shadow with a marker, and write the hour.
  • → Return every hour: as Earth rotates, the sun moves across the sky and the shadow sweeps around the plate like clock hands.

Safety First

Do not look directly at the midday sun when setting up outdoor sundials.

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Step-by-Step Instructions

1

Step 1

Press a lump of modeling clay firmly into the center of a sturdy paper plate.

2

Step 2

Push an unsharpened pencil vertically into the clay so it stands straight upright.

3

Step 3

Place the sundial plate in an open, sunny driveway or patio spot that gets sunlight all day.

4

Step 4

Trace the pencil shadow line with a marker, write the current hour, and check back every hour to trace the clock path.

What they are learning

Planetary diurnal rotation tracking Solar gnomon shadow azimuth progression Ancient chronometry calibration