From Mr. Handsome:
For those who are looking for ideas to entertain kids that are both fun and educational, making a sun compass is perfect. Apparently the Vikings used them for navigation, so you can add in a history lesson as well.
Basically you put a 2-3 foot stake in the ground on a sunny day and put a rock on the ground where the tip of the shadow from the stake lands. Mark this spot four different times at 15 minute intervals. If you then connect those dots, that gives you the east and west direction. Draw a line perpendicular to those dots moving away from the stake, and that points north.
We happened to have snow on the ground, so we just marked the spot with dots in the snow (assuming you live in the northern hemisphere). We pulled out the compass app on my phone to double check, and it was right on. Later we pulled out a globe and explained to Little Buddy why the sun compass worked. Honestly it was a good refresher for Ellie and me on how the earth moves around the sun and at what angles.
This is so interesting Mr H, thank you for sharing. And such wonderful teaching and learning going on for Little Buddy. He must be miles ahead of his age group.
Interesting. It is something anyone could try. Probably dirt or sand would work, why not? You are creative to teach your son this and sharing it here too. Maybe sometime it will even help a lost person to gain their bearings.
No, you don’t need snow. A shadow will progress from west to east on any sunny day, on any surface.