Hey there,

Civilizations as diverse as Ancient Egypt, Greece, China, and the Mayans used sundials to tell the time, plan religious rituals, chart geography, and study the stars.

Even today, NASA equips its Mars Rover with sundials to calibrate the rover’s cameras, ensuring scientists on Earth receive an accurate visual representation of the Martian landscape.

Now, it’s your student’s turn to craft one of these timeless timekeeping devices with our How to Make a Sundial project!

Your young scientist will learn how to tell time using the Earth’s rotation around the sun, just like civilizations of old did.

This project offers two levels of difficulty:

The Easier Version: Your student becomes the sundial! Using just chalk, a magnetic compass, and a stopwatch or timer, you’ll track the movement of their shadow as the sun’s position in the sky changes.

The Advanced Version: If your student wants to tackle the harder version, they’ll construct a functional sundial with several materials and use it to mark the movement of shadows throughout the day.

No matter which level you choose, this project is sure to spark your student’s curiosity about how our planet interacts with the sun in a fun, interactive way.

Don’t forget to snap photos of your sundial and share them with us on Instagram @homesciencetools – we'd love to see how you've mastered the ancient skill of solar timekeeping!

If you have any questions, please let us know,

The Home Science Tools Team