Wilderness Sundial Compass Shadow-Stick Tracking

60 mins Ages 6-11 Outdoor

An engaging, screen-free learning activity that builds real-world creativity and critical thinking for kids aged 6 to 11.

Materials Needed

  • • Straight wooden stick or dowel (30 cm) (1 unit)
  • • Smooth garden stones or pebbles (2 units)
  • • Outdoor chalk or stick to draw dirt line (1 unit)

Pro Tips

  • → Plant a straight stick vertically in level, sunny ground and mark the exact tip of its shadow with a pebble.
  • → Wait 20 minutes: as the sun moves across the sky, the shadow shifts; place a second pebble at the new tip.
  • → A straight line drawn between the first pebble and the second pebble always points West to East.

Safety First

Wear sun hats; do not look directly at the sun during tracking.

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Step-by-Step Instructions

1

Step 1

Push a straight 30 cm stick vertically into level dirt on an open sunny lawn or patio.

2

Step 2

Place Pebble 1 at the exact tip of the stick's cast shadow.

3

Step 3

Wait 20 minutes while playing nearby as the Earth rotates and the shadow moves.

4

Step 4

Place Pebble 2 at the new shadow tip, draw a straight line between the stones, and identify the West-East axis.

What they are learning

Shadow-tip solar tracking navigation Determining true East-West without a compass Earth rotation geometry